A successful author will have a wealth of knowledge and experience in many different parts of the publishing process—from submission and peer review to copy editing. All too often, though, once an author’s work is accepted for publication, the author might then not think twice about it.
…And as far as he or she is concerned, from there, it simply goes into a black hole, never to be thought of again. The black hole is what we call editorial production.
But the reality is that the production side of the process is every bit as important (if not more) than those earlier steps—and it is a part of the job that every author should be familiar with and participate in, whether the project in question is an author self-publishing or an academic venture.
When a book gets to the production team is when the biggest transition of all happens: the work is transformed from a manuscript to a final product (i.e., journal article, hard or soft-cover book, and/or digital deliverables). This means it is the final opportunity to get things right.
In a nutshell, the production team is charged with making sure three things happen: a book or journal article is published on time, within budgetary needs, and with high standards met. This is the stage where we encourage the author to dedicate their time and effort. Of course, depending on whether an author is going the academic or self-publishing route, their reasons for wanting a polished finished product will be different, which means the production process might look different for each. An academic book will almost always be nonfiction and should therefore be focused on factual accuracy and timeliness. On the other hand, an author who is self publishing can be in any genre, whether fiction or nonfiction, which means public interest in a topic to the audience of choice is the biggest priority.
So, for an academic book or journal article, the production process might place a bigger emphasis and deeper dive into copy editing per the style and guidelines of the publisher. Meanwhile, for an author who is self-publishing a book, the production department might spend much more time ensuring all images/photos are attractive and clear enough to capture a reader’s eye and keep their attention as well as copy editing for style, grammar, syntax, and consistency. Either way, though, the production portion of the journey is critical in making sure the final product is in the best shape possible.
So, for an up-and-coming author—who might be familiar with peer review and copy editing, but less familiar with the production process—here are some of the key differences:
1. Remember: Publication is definite at this point. Keep in mind that by the time a journal article gets to this stage, it’s pretty much guaranteed to be published (as opposed to during peer review, when an article may or may not ever see a public audience). Plan accordingly and make sure to add the page proof due date to your calendar. Once the page proof is received, spend time making edits and, if you can, share the page proof with your co-authors to ensure that names and affiliations are accurate and all data and information are correct. Although an author who is self-publishing may not have their book undergo formal peer review as in journal academic publishing, when working with a vendor it is important to work closely to make sure all queries are addressed and that all of your additional edits are added correctly. Beginning its journey through production means that mistakes on the author’s end might not make much of a difference, but once it’s on the production floor, the fact is, you’re the last one to see it before it hits the public—and that means an eagle eye for any remaining errors is crucial.
2. Appropriately targeted communication is key. During the peer review stages of getting a book or journal article ready, communication with the publisher or typesetters is often minimal. But remember, at this point, you as the author will likely be communicating with both the publisher and the typesetters about lingering errors/items that need attention. In addition, depending on the project and the client, copy editing may take place after the book hits the production desk, meaning communication with copy editors might be required during this stage. Remember, it is important to carefully consider the copy editors’ queries before you respond so that the corrections can be incorporated correctly. So, before responding to any of the above parties, consider to whom the response is directed.
If, for instance, a figure or scheme is blurry or has typos, depending on the client, it might be something that you will need to fix as the author, or it might be something to ask the typesetters to fix. Remaining sentence structure and/or grammar issues could also be a query for you as the author, or it could be a query for you to ask of the copy editor(s)—again, it all hinges on the individual client and project. In any event, though, asking the wrong person for help with the wrong task can lead to frustrations and delays on everyone’s end. So, know the publisher’s policies well, keeping them in mind for if/when remaining issues need to be sorted out.
3. Visuals are crucial. In a book, anything related to visual presentation may have had little to no relevance during peer review and copy editing, both for academic and authors self-publishing. This might include the aforementioned figure/scheme quality, or issues such as column alignment, font size/style, cover design, or running heads/feet. But by the time that book hits the production stage, these are the kinds of factors that can make or break whether the target audience is interested in purchasing your material—most potential readers aren’t going to be attracted to a messy-looking layout or incorrectly printed publication information. Also, inevitably, when a book is going from a typed-up document into a layout template, formatting errors can be introduced through no one’s fault, simply as a result of technology being utilized.
During the production process is the time and place for these types of problems to be fixed—again, once the book leaves your desk, no one else is going to be there to cover your tracks.
4. Try to keep back-and-forth at this stage to a minimum.As an author, if you have done your job conscientiously prior to the manuscript being accepted for publication—by paying attention to reviewer/editor comments and keeping a sharp eye out for spelling/grammar issues and clarity in your ideas—the back-and-forth with typesetters during the production stage will be minimal. This streamlines the process for everyone involved, and it avoids the confusion that comes with 10 different drafts of your work changing hands right at the end of the line. The moral of the story is: do your due diligence before acceptance, in order to get your work into readers’ hands ASAP afterward. If your journal article has made in through peer review, put your time and energy into making it the best that it can be.
It might be helpful to have an organizational system for which portions of your work need attention and when. Using digital tools for this purpose, such as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets or Google Docs, can make this much easier. Also, be mindful of timing and deadlines; certain errors (particularly when it comes to layout/visual elements) are stubborn and might be difficult for you to correct. This could mean asking your typesetter for a deadline extension. But if this needs to happen, it’s best to find that out sooner rather than later. So, planning ahead is the name of the game.
As an author, if your everyday role doesn’t include any production-related tasks, gaining confidence in this area isn’t nearly as hard as it might seem; don’t be shy about asking questions! Seek managers or colleagues with experience in this department, or use networking to get in touch with other friends in the publication industry. Then, ask them to tell you about their experiences and firsthand accounts in working in this important part of the publishing process. Because many production departments are also responsible for advertising the finished product, it might also be beneficial to get in touch with friends or colleagues who work on the marketing side of the publication industry.
By using these networking strategies—and with getting practice in hands-on production experience—you will soon find that you have a strong grasp of the necessary skills. And these are the types of skills that are easily transferable from publisher to publisher. This will diversify your author’s portfolio and give you the name recognition you are looking for in no time!
By Anne Brenner
Anne is an Assistant Managing Editor at Technica Editorial
