Jessa takes King and Rowling to task for thinking “they’re above having editors.” Well, if that were the case, then I suspect the latest installments of the Dark Tower and Harry Potter series would be a good deal longer and more incoherent.

With the exception of the first book, Stephen King has in fact had an editor through the Dark Tower series. And, in fact, he went back and revised the first volume with the Donald M. Grant team specifically because these early stories lacked an editor. And, as usual, King also enlisted longtime agent Arthur Greene as his editor. One can also turn to the final pages of On Writing to see King’s editing in action.

As for Rowling, Barry Cunningham and Arthur Cunningham have, respectively, edited the UK and US editions of Potter.

So to hell with Indian Massacre Day or whatever today’s supposed to evoke. Return of the Reluctant proclaims today International Editor Day, saluting the fine folks who kept these writers under wraps.

“These tombstones looked really neat.” (via Kottke)

Best. Anchor Bay DVD Release. Ever.

And Tom “My time in Vietnam had a big influence on me” Savini is the most insane man in the film makeup business. If you check out the extras, watch his eyes light up when he contemplates pig intestines and exploding heads. That’s what movie magic is all about.

Oscar Villalon asks whether the Nobel’s really worth it: “Even the most erudite among us will have a hard time naming a single book by a great chunk of past laureates. How about that Sigrid Undset (1928)? Who could ever forget her, right? Or how about Par Lagerkvist (1951)? Or Jaroslav Seifert (1984)? Got those names tattooed on the brain, don’t you? And if you do, it’s because you’ve boned up on all the past winners for trivia night at the pub.”

Salon talks with Toni Bentley: “‘You could eat off my asshole,’ you write, describing your ritual ablutions. Can it be true that you did not see, touch or smell shit during the 298 anal penetrations you describe? Is that a realistic expectation for most people?”

Ah, nothing like the unfettered freedom of the Internet to encourage the seminal questions of our time. How long before Philip Roth is finally cornered by Rebecca Traister’s unequivocally eloquent mind on Portnoy? (via Ron)