Welcome To My Nightmare

It is an editor's worst nightmare: The big glaring typo on the front page. You never expect it to happen, but there it is, all-too real, smack on the cover of the September issue of New Jersey Monthly.

We still haven't figured out exactly how it happened, but somewhere in the production process, the word "to" disappeared from the central headline on our new cover. For the record, it should read: "12 Great Places to Work."

The September issue started reaching subscribers yesterday and already the e-mails have begun to trickle in. One reader asked: "How could more than 10 editors have missed the Glaring faux pas on the cover of the September issue?” Said another: "You probably already know that there is a typo on your September cover page.” Indeed.

Our explanation for the typo is not great. Frankly, we're still not sure what happened. The entire issue, including the cover, was thoroughly proofread, and all of the cover headlines were correct. But somewhere in the process of making a final digital file for the printer, the word "to" disappeared. In the good old days, when type was set by hand, we would have said the word "fell off the page"—and the proof would be right there on the floor of the composing room. In the digital age, evidence is ephemeral; in this case, it seems to have slid into the same black hole as our missing word.

At times like this, I envy my colleagues in TV and radio. Their mistakes slip into the ether, never to be seen again. And internet errors? They abound, but can be fixed with a few keystrokes. (Indeed, the version of our cover you see on this page and elsewhere on this website has been digitally corrected.) But we ink-stained wretches must live with our typos for as long as there are libraries. (Remember libraries?)

Of course, we have to keep this in perspective: There is no tragedy associated with our mistake—not even a stubbed toe (that’s “to” with an “e” on the end). With our egos bruised, we move on to the October issue. The search for that darn "to" continues.

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