Stages
Cost Containment/Quality Control Editorial Production
Print materials produced by the NY-NJ Trail Conference go through several stages of production: Manuscript, page, and manufacturing. Once a proposal is accepted and approved, a project manager is assigned. The project manager is responsible for all stages of production to final finished product. While the project manager may not do all of the stages, he or she oversees others doing each stage.
Manuscript
All changes and revisions made during manuscript are free and every effort should be made to make all changes during this stage. All map labels should be cross checked with the text, as should all field checking be incorporated. Manuscript is not final until all elements are complete and edited. While accuracy of the manuscript is the responsibility of the author, all reviewing the manuscript should be aware of nconsistencies.
-Level of edit (line vs. copy edit)
Manuscript should arrive so that it needs only a light edit (copy edit). Should it require line editing (rewriting,excessive structural changes), additional time and resources will be needed. Representative sample manuscript should uncover this problem. The Publications Chair should be notified in this event.
Pages
-Establish Number of Review Passes
Each pass of pages, which require the input of the designer, editor, and author, costs time and money (duplicating pages, postage, file manipulation). Often seemingly small changes can increase the production cost significantly. A change to a repetitive element, such as punctuation, map standards, or additional illustrations will have fiscal impact. The schedule will clearly indicate how many passes of pages are allowed for a project which is based on the approved project proposal.
--Scope of Page-Checking Responsibilities at each Pass
It is the responsibility of the project manager to communicate what the designer, editor, and author should check during pages. All changes should go through the project manager for consistency and quality control. Should changes be excessive (rewriting, new page layouts, additional maps illustrations requested) the project manager will advise the Publications Chair prior to releasing any proofs.
-Index Development Guidelines
The index will be prepared from final approved pages.
Proof Checking
-Types of Proofs
Designer Prior to release to the printer proofs will be digital, often in the form of a pdf. These proofs are created from electronic manuscript (MS Word, WordPerfect) that has been put into a page make-up program (Quark, PageMaker). Any editorial or design changes made at this point require the designer to go into the page make up program and input changes. Designer proofs are checked by the author, editor/project manager, designer.
Printer Proofs from the printer will also be digital but be created from an often proprietary program that uses the page make up program from the designer. Changes made at this point are very expensive and should not be considered unless by not doing so would incur a lawsuit or bodily injury. Any change must be approved by the Publications Chair. Printer proofs are checked by the project manager.
-Checklists
Each stage of production should have a checklist (based on the schedule) of steps to be checked at each pass.
SAMPLE CHECKLISTS
Manuscript Checklist
_____File named according to agreedconvention
_____Copyediting
_____Field checks input
_____Map labels verified withmanuscript
_____Copyediting reviewed byauthor/edits input
_____Style sheet updated
_____Author changes input
_____Final ms. proofed
_____Illustration/photos/final ms.with edits to designer
Page Checklist (1stpass pages)
_____Pagination (check against bookmap)
_____Illustration/map placement
_____Design (facing page alignment,element placement, etc.)
_____Widows, orphans, line breaks,rivers
_____Footnote, cross-referenceplacement
_____Author review
_____Proofread against final ms.
_____All edits to designer
Page Checklist (2ndpass pages)
_____Pagination (recheck againstbook map)
_____Verify 1st pass pagecorrections
_____Return to designer for finalproofs
Final Pages
_____Pagination (recheck againstbook map)
_____Verify 2nd pass pagecorrections
_____Return to designer forflytecheck and release to printer.
Printer Proofs
_____Pagination
_____Design elements (missingscreens, illustrations, stray marks, broken type)
_____Release to print
Manufacturing
-Estimating Process
-Cost Approval
-Cost Monitoring
-Interim Cost Changes
-Product Acceptance/Review Form
-Final Cost Approval and Documentation