I read a headline this weekend that said:
Judy Blume and Stephen King Debut the Indie Bestseller List

What are the first thoughts that run through your head when you read that? What do you think the article is going to be about?

At first I thought Judy Blume and Stephen King were teaming up to write a debut novel, in the sense that it would be the first book co-written by them together. And I was like, what the crap? That's an unlikely pair. Would the story be about an angst-filled teenager coming of age as a serial killer? And if so, what other unlikely authorly combinations would we see coming down the pike . . . Francine Rivers and J. K Rowling? Nicholas Sparks and Ted Dekker? Me and Maurice Sendak? How does one co-write with a dead person?

Which makes absolutely no sense, so I started to think that maybe I was off-track. I re-read the headline. Oh yeah. Now I see what it's about. Judy Blume has gone indie and so has Stephen King. They've both self-published a book. That's what it's all about.

Nope. Wrong again. That's not at all what it's about.

The point of the article was that small, independent bookstores have a list of what's selling the most in their stores, and Judy Blume and Stephen King are at the top of the list. Oh. Sheesh. Why didn't they just say that to begin with?

Well, they thought they did, and therein lies the problem every writer faces. What is so clear in your mind can come out all wonky and mean something completely different to a reader. This is why a great editor is to be adored, given Godiva chocolates, have their toes licked for crying out loud. If know an editor like this, send them a thank you card today. If you have a critique buddy who catches your glitches, pop a card in the mail to them as well. We can stamp out the problem of bad headlines one thank you at a time.