The production process for every book begins with a formal transmittal meeting at which the editorial and production staff finalize their production plan. The group verifies the physical characteristics of your book (trim size, paper, binding, and so on) and establishes a detailed production schedule. The key people at the meeting besides the acquisitions editor and the marketing manager are the people on the production team assigned to your book--project editor, designer, and production manager.

The Production Team

Although each person on the production team plays a distinctively different role, together they comprise a coordinated and effective work team. The designer is responsible for the visual presentation of your material. With the subject matter and intended market in mind, and in consultation with editorial and marketing staff, the designer will choose colors and typefaces and prepare layouts for the interior and cover. Throughout this creative process, the designer works toward the following objectives:

• Logical and helpful presentation of the material.

• Maximum readability.

• Aesthetic appeal.

• Cost-effective production.

The project editor, your primary contact throughout the production process, sees the project through from manuscript to finished book. He or she will:

• Help the designer by surveying the manuscript for similar elements.

• Work out a production schedule with the vendors that handle typesetting, color separations, and other prepress production work.

• Work within the budget and schedule to oversee the cost, quality, and timeliness of the vendor's work.

• Set the editing style and prepare a stylesheet for your approval.

• Log all text manuscript and every illustration and track each item through every stage of production.

• Read and style the illustration manuscript.

• Supervise copyediting and proofreading.

• Check all proof stages for both text and illustrations.

The production manager determines manufacturing schedules and decides what vendor will handle printing, binding, disk duplication and so on, and what paper and cover materials will be used. The production manager works with the project editor to ensure that we produce a high-quality finished product and that it, and its package components, are completed and shipped to the warehouse on schedule.

Design

The design process begins early for complex 2-, 4-, and 5-color books. This gives the designer ample time to examine the material, devise an appropriate design, prepare sample layouts, gain approval, and write lengthy specifications--called specs--that direct the typesetter as to type area, trim size, spacing, type size and face, use of color, and so on. The entire process takes two to three months so we start by working with draft manuscript. The final wording of the manuscript is unimportant at this stage since the designer is concentrating on the organization of elements. You still have time to fine-tune your writing before you submit the final manuscript for production. However, it is important to finalize the type of elements you wish to include.

Since most 1- and some 2-color books take far less design time, they don't need the same kind of head start. In these cases, we prepare the design when you submit final manuscript. Your acquisitions editor will let you know how the design process will work for your book.

The designer usually creates cover designs immediately after the text design is completed and approved, but the cover may be done sooner if marketing needs dictate.

Logging

When you submit your final manuscript, the project editor must log every chapter and each illustration. The project editor examines your manuscript page by page to be sure all copy is clear and legible. If she or he finds anything missing, you will be asked to supply it. Prior to the start of copyediting, the project editor creates a stylesheet for your approval to clear up such matters as capitalization, hyphenation, abbreviation, number style, and so on. Once approved (and amended, if needed) the stylesheet becomes a working document for the copyeditor, proofreader, typesetter, and our own in-house staff. Remember to make a copy for yourself before you return the original to the project editor; you'll want one nearby when you start checking proof.

Once all illustrations are logged, the project editor copyedits and styles the line art, checks photos for quality, forwards the original art program to the designer for styling, and then sends it to the typesetter or art studio who will handle the rendering, cropping, and sizing. Then the project editor prepares the text manuscript for copyediting and writes detailed editor for the freelance copyeditor.

Copyediting

Copyeditors read manuscripts word for word from beginning to end. They work with such reference material as Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, A Manual of Style from the University of Chicago, instructions for specific disciplines such as the APA style manual, and our own house style manual. They fix typographical errors, misspellings, and errors in grammar, syntax, and punctuation. They style footnotes and references. They crosscheck internal references to figures and tables. They strive for consistency in style and usage, making sure all copy is complete and understandable. They check for agreement between text, tables, and illustrations. Working from the design specs, the copyeditor also codes text elements for typesetting. Unless requested, copyeditors will not rewrite or reorganize your text, nor are they responsible for checking facts or verifying data.

The copyeditor applies professional skills and experience to (1) eliminating grammatical and stylistic lapses and (2) coding the copy to carry out the design of the book. You may be asked to check the copyedited manuscript before the project manager sends it to the typesetter. This is your opportunity to approve the copyediting, answer editor's queries to you about missing or unclear material, and do any final updating or polishing before the material is set into type and alterations may adversely affect the budget or schedule.

Proof Stages

Once copyediting is complete, the manuscript is sent to an outside source for typesetting and page makeup. Most authors see two sets of proof--either galleys and pages, or rough pages and final pages.

The term galleys dates from the days when type was set in hot metal and letters and lines were arranged in trays called galleys. Now, even though typesetting is done electronically, we still call this proof pass galleys. A galley usually contains what will become several pages of text. The tabular material, boxed material, and line art and photos appear separately with the galleys.

Once you correct and approve galleys, the copy is made up into pages complete with running heads and page numbers and with illustrations and tables in their proper places.

More frequently the first proof pass you receive may appear to have already been made up into pages. In this case, the tabular, boxed, and illustrative materials are roughly placed on the pages or may appear at the ends of the chapters. The second proof pass in this case will be revised pages showing correctly placed elements and the changes indicated by you, the acquisitions editor, proofreader, designer, and project editor. If there is a pressing market need for a very early publication date, we may ask the typesetter to set the material directly into final pages. You will see the edited manuscript and only one round of proof, where you must limit alterations to correcting actual errors.

Authors usually get one set of each stage of proof. Check the proof and return it to your project editor, not to the typesetter. It's a good idea to photocopy the corrected set in case it gets lost in the mail or your project editor has questions about your changes. Please do not return proof by first class mail. It takes too long and we have no way to trace lost shipments. Use FedEx, UPS, Express Mail, or some other overnight courier service.

You may receive proof in several batches and should return it to us the same way. We normally expect you to check and return each batch within two weeks. Occasionally, if we're working with a tight production schedule, we may ask you to return each batch in only one week. In either case, if you fail to return proof within the allotted time, you can jeopardize your publication date. Your project editor will discuss the schedule with you. Be sure to let him or her know at what address you prefer to receive your mail and whether you have travel or vacation plans during the production cycle that will impact your receipt of proof.

Proofreading

You are responsible for proofreading galleys and pages. Even though the typesetter proofreads each set of proof and we also have our own proofreader read page proof, errors can creep in despite everyone's care and best intentions. This is especially true if your manuscript had many typing or spelling errors or if it was difficult to read because of single spacing or poor reproduction.

When checking first round proof, read against the manuscript which should accompany the proof. Read final page proof against first round proof. If you did not review the copyedited manuscript before typesetting, you will be asked to supply any missing information with your first round of proof. This happens most often if endnotes or references were incomplete in the original manuscript. You may also be asked to respond to queries from the copyeditor. All these requests and queries will be written on the proof. Please write your response on the proof, not on the original manuscript. Make the proof read correctly, do not simply answer the copyeditor's question.

Author Alterations

The changes you make in proof, to illustrations and text, are called author alterations, and the allowance for such alterations is covered in your publishing agreement. The amount is usually specified as a percentage of total composition and art rendering costs. This means we will pay for a specified amount of changes you make in proof; costs beyond that amount will be charged to your royalty account.

Author alterations cover any change from the original manuscript whether you make the change yourself or authorize it based on editing queries or suggestions. For example, suppose your manuscript refers to "8 percent of the population." When checking proof, you realize your original figure was incorrect; it should have been 10 percent. The change to 10 percent is considered an author alteration. However, if the manuscript referred to 10 percent and the typesetter incorrectly set 8 percent, that change is not chargeable to you. In essence, errors made by the typesetter or studio are not chargeable to you. Neither are errors made by the copyeditor or changes requested by our staff.

The following commonly requested types of author alterations are generally not allowed:

• Prose polishing.

• Changing page makeup or art placement.

• Tweaking design--e.g., changes from the original, approved design including changes in type size and/or font, color palette, and appearance of elements or pages.

• Changing the size of photos or line drawings.

• Inserting, substituting, or deleting material in illustrations and text after rendering or typesetting (note: be sure endnotes and references are complete at the manuscript stage; missing information inserted at the proof stage is considered an author alteration).

Author alterations charges can mount rapidly, and for cost/time reasons, we may disallow those involving cosmetic changes to the text, design, page layout, or illustration program. (We will always fix content errors, of course.) To keep your alterations within reason and avoid chargebacks to your royalties, please keep the following guidelines in mind:

1. It's cheaper to make changes on manuscript than on proof. Make your manuscript as complete as possible in every detail, and don't postpone making changes or updates until the material is typeset or rendered. If you must incorporate late-breaking information, let your project editor know ahead of time, and we will work out a solution and placement to avoid heavy alteration charges.

2. If you absolutely must make a change at the proof stage, try to make it in the first proof pass. Once a chapter is paged in its final form, changes cause new complications and delays. At a minimum, lines may have to be shifted to keep pages the proper length. In the worst case, significant additions or deletions may necessitate repaging an entire chapter--or the balance of the book. Repaging affects page numbers used in other parts of the text as well, such as the index, contents, and any internal page cross-references. Fixing these page numbers is costly and time-consuming and may introduce errors in the finished product.

Your project editor will work closely with you to minimize alteration charges--for your benefit and ours.

Final Proof

Once you return page proof, your job is complete. However, your project editor still has more work to do. He or she will check two more proof stages to be sure everything is in order before the book goes on press. Finally, for complicated 4- or 5-color books, the production manager, designer, and/or project editor may travel to the printer to supervise the actual printing. After printing, the pages are bound, packed, and shipped to the warehouse.

A Note on Cost, Schedule, and Quality

Although the production process starts with turnover of manuscript, production planning usually commences a year or more in advance.

Every project, first editions and revisions, goes through a detailed project proposal process with input and signoff from editorial, sales, marketing, production, and finance. Market needs are defined and product specifications, development and marketing plans, sales projections, and financial statements are examined and refined. The full proposal outlines the plan and financials for a whole product family--the product family being the text and its salable and nonsalable supplements, both print and electronic.

Once a proposal is completed and approved, it becomes the project plan. If market needs change dramatically after approval--or if product specifications or sales forecasts do--the project gets another review in a reproposal process.

Publication dates are determined based on market and customer needs. As a result, for maximum sales potential, our activities and dates are planned a year or more in advance of manuscript turnover. Because manuscript development provides the most added value and sales potential, we spend the bulk of our time on development activity and, by comparison, far less on actual production. As a result, by strategic intent, production times are becoming increasingly condensed. By contrast, the vast majority of product-related costs are incurred during production. So to free funds for the higher-value-added activity--i.e., development--our production process is planned for speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.

Producing a Quality Product Cost-Effectively and on Time
The production process is partly linear and partly concurrent. Some steps happen at the same time--for example, copyediting, photo research, and art rendering; indexing and review of page proof. Some steps need to happen in sequence--page makeup can't take place until photos are obtained and scanned, typesetting can't begin on unedited manuscript.

We create a detailed, step-by-step production schedule at manuscript turnover by working backward from the market need date and considering the timing and concurrency of various steps. At various points, components being worked on by different vendors need to arrive and be married with other components before we can progress to the next production stage. We can recover from minor changes and delays. However, major changes or delays cause serious problems, the outcome of which is likely to be excessive cost and quality tradeoffs in order to maintain the original publication date. Here's a very simple example. The indexer starts working when she receives final page proof; in essence, she creates the index at the same time you are reviewing final page proof. If we make many changes to the page layouts, page citations in the index are likely to be incorrect. Since there is no time to redo the index and still meet the publication date, we try to estimate how page numbers will be affected and make corrections based on those predictions. The result: customer complaints about errors in the index. And, of course, when customers find one error, they are sure the book has many more.

On the cost side, a projected budget is created for each project at the time of project proposal. Production specifications are determined at the time of project proposal based on market needs, market feedback, and competitive strategy. And, given the production specifications and the cost of production, the project must meet certain profitability targets.

Since project proposal may happen one to as many as three years in advance of production, all project budgets are reviewed again in detail immediately prior to the start of the production season for a particular copyright list.

At this review, budgets and production specifications are looked over one last time, and then finalized, for every project and every project family. Production specifications include number of manuscript pages, estimated number of book pages, number of colors (a book may print in 1, 2, 4, or 5 colors depending on market needs), number of photographs and line drawings, and so on. For revisions, photographs and line drawings are further broken down by number of pickup pieces (pieces that will be reused with no change), number of pickup-with-revision (pieces that will need only minor changes), and new (pieces that will need to be researched and obtained or drawn from scratch).

Once the budget is finalized, it becomes the target for the editorial and production staff. It is reviewed again and updated at two milestones in the production process--first when manuscript is received and a transmittal meeting held and again when pages end. These two updates help the production and editorial staff track and manage costs during production.

Production staff devote a great deal of effort to meeting a project's budget target. There is a pressing need to do so. If we overspend on production costs--that is, exceed our budget by a significant amount--we have less money to spend on development, a factor that could affect the marketability of your product and many others.

So, how do production costs escalate enough to jeopardize a budget? The biggest cost driver is page count. If we exceed the projected page count, costs increase dramatically, a fact that explains the pressure for length management. Many adopters complain that books are too long, so shorter books meet a marketing need as well. Another factor that causes cost overruns is an increase in the number of illustrations. If we budget for 200 line drawings and you submit 300, we will exceed our illustration budget--and the book will be significantly longer too. (Keep in mind that page and illustration counts are not dictated by production but suggested by you, editorial, and marketing based on knowledge of the market and of competitors.) Stop-and-start or non-sequential manuscript submission can also escalate costs and affect quality. It's fine to submit manuscript in a steady flow of batches; however, if you submit incomplete chapters with photos, drawings, vignettes, questions, or other elements missing, these elements have to be copyedited and tracked individually, increasing handling time and the chance of error or incorrect placement. In fact, submission of incomplete chapters saves absolutely no production time; the receipt of the last chapters drives the final publication date, not submission of the first chapters. Excessive alterations, addressed earlier in this manual, are another major problem.

Book production is similar to planning and constructing a new home. Quality and cost are seriously jeopardized if a buyer changes the plans while the building is under construction--not to mention the fact that it won't be finished on time. For this reason, we want to devote ample time to planning our products so we can produce them quickly, efficiently, cost-effectively, and error-free.