The production process

1. The files supplied are checked for completeness and any omissions or discrepancies rectified with either the publisher or the author.
2. Next, the text and illustrations are converted into formats suitable for editing.
3. The text is then copy-edited, following the publisher’s brief.
4. Similarly, the figures are edited. At the same time, they are tidied up by making font sizes and line weights consistent, and setting the overall dimensions of the illustrations to fit the book’s page size.
5. If necessary, straightforward technical illustrations are drawn from scratch.
6. Any serious queries arising from the preceding stages are then raised with the author. Minor queries are left to be answered in proof, since this speeds up the overall process.
7. First proofs are then supplied. These are usually conventional laser-printed proofs, but PDF files may be supplied, either in addition to or as a substitute for paper proofs. This is of particular value when dealing with clients and authors outside the UK, as costly and slow carriage can be avoided.
8. When proofs have been read by the author and proofreader, the proofs are corrected and a revised proof supplied (if required). (See below for information about the index, which is usually set at this stage.)
9. Once all the proofs have been corrected, a PDF file (or files) is created and supplied as final output, along with a printout of the PDF file for reference.
10. The PDF file is sent by the publisher to the printer for printing and binding.

Indexes

There is more than one way to produce an index. The most common procedure is for the author to create the index using the page proofs, but this is comparatively slow. Two ways to automate the process are possible:

1. The author can insert indexing codes using a word processor (either Word or WordPerfect). These are automatically detected and converted by my software so that they can be used to generate a first draft of the index at the same time as page proofs are produced.
2. I can insert indexing codes during the editing process. Once again, a first draft of index can then be supplied with the page proofs.

These alternative methods save a lot of time. However, they only work because my typesetting software, Ventura, is smart enough to handle indexing codes from word processor files. Other typesetting software can’t do this.

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