Okay, this thread has finally persuaded me to turn in my Lurker Card.
Since I happen to have some experience in this area, I thought about posting when Todd first announced this "book deal" because it was obvious that it really wasn't -- there's no actual publisher involved, so from what I can tell this is basically a guy self-publishing a book featuring other people's writing. I didn't want to poop on Todd's parade, but now that the parade has been properly pooped...
Quoted from PinballBuzz:I am sure most magazines in America would not pay an outside party to spell check and go through a rigorous editing process for their freelance writers.
Having worked as a contract editor for a major outlet for several years, I can say that yes, they absolutely would. Sure, some writers need less editing than others, but every writer needs editing. I wrote a bunch of articles for the same outlet where I was trusted to edit hundreds of other writers' articles, and you can bet that my articles went to an editor just the same as a guy who was getting his very first byline. If you truly thought that a freelance writer with no prior publishing credits would turn in copy that was ready to be forwarded straight to the printer, then you have without a doubt bitten off more than you can chew here.
It's a shame that it went down this way, as I'd gladly toss down money for a *professionally edited* book about the adventures of a guy like Todd.