British-American Editing Question?

[Crisspin]

I am curious about how common books written in British English are edited into American English. I did not realize this happened very often, but in talking to some others it seem more common than I thought.

I heard about this in relation to the Harry Potter books, which given their popularity has press and information about differences between the UK and American versions. Originally I thought this was primarily due to it being a children's book. In that manner, adjusting some words for clearer meaning to a young audience seemed acceptable.

But I heard some people say this was very common for many adult novels as well, across all genre's.

Is this true? Are "most" books edited from British to American English and vice versa?

If so, are classics ever adjusted in this way?
How about complex writers like China?

Just curious how often this occurs and to what extent.

[Teresa Edgerton]

I think it probably depends, in part, on how determined an individual publisher is that everything they publish conforms to whatever style-guide they are using, in terms of spellings, etc. Some places seem to want every book they publish to conform to The Chicago Manual of Style (or whatever), while others just want a work of fiction to be self-consistent.

[iansales]

From what I've seen as a reader, British books published in the US tend to be reset in American English, but the reverse is rarely true. I've just had a look in the HarperCollins UK edition of Kim Stanley Robinson's Sixty Days & Counting, published this year, and spotted the word "colors". For the converse... well, there's the previously mentioned Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone being retitled Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone in the US.

[The Ace]

From what I've seen, US books tend to be left alone if they cross the pond, whereas UK written books tend to have the spelling changed for the US market. I won't make the obvious comment here.

[Circus Cranium]

My husband is British (we live in America), and his agent (who is American) had his novel re-edited to American spellings, even though the actual story is set in England. This was in order to sell to American publishers (obviously). I have no idea what happens the other way around.

[lin robinson]

I won't make the obvious comment here.

You mean "Brit English is spelled really goofy?" We already knew.
:-)

[John Jarrold]

I know that some authors receive editorial notes from both their UK and US editors when they deliver a new book, and the publishers often set the books separately, so the differences in spelling are incorporated in some cases. But I'm not aware that US publishers change 'pavement' to 'sidewalk' any more!

Classics are not altered in their main editions. China - I don't know, sorry!

[scalem X]

well, there's the previously mentioned Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone being retitled Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone in the US.

lol? That's weird. I'm not really into harry potter, but still...
I think that must have been pure marketing:
Oh no philosophy sounds dull, let's change it!

[Circus Cranium]

Is it a matter of philosopher sounding dull, or the word having a different meaning in the US? Because I'm American, and philosopher and sorcerer are in no way the same.

My experience from being married to a Brit has taught me there are more words than we realize that have completely different meanings. We need an English to English translator. Don't get me started on the word 'fanny'.

[Connavar]

Well this is good to know.


Now i will be sure to get the UK version of a brit book. No way i wanna read a british book that has been americanized.

In school we are thought british english, you are more used to that anyway.

[mosaix]

Originally Posted by Circus Cranium

My husband is British (we live in America), and his agent (who is American) had his novel re-edited to American spellings, even though the actual story is set in England.

I think this is sensible.

What is happening here is not editing but translating. American and English, although very similar, are not the same language. If a book is going to be published for the American market then it makes sense to translate it into American just as a book would be translated for the French market.

[Circus Cranium]

Indeed.

Now, just to confuse things, let's talk about Canada!

[Jon George]

How about an American narrator in a British published book? I’ve always found occurrences of different spellings jarring when read – so I ask that my (few) American spellings remain. Astute or pedantic?

[lin robinson]

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone being retitled Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone in the US

That's the first I was aware of that. That's deeply nuts.
The Roy Schneider remake of Wages of Fear was retitled Sorcerer and many blamed it's poor earnings on the title.

Is this some sinister trend?

[John Jarrold]

I can't help feeling that there's a great humorous fantasy waiting to be written, called The Cup and the Sorcerer...