The production process
Handover
When your publisher is satisfied that the manuscript is ready to go into production, it will be passed to the project editor. A production schedule will be created and your project editor will discuss your availability to check proofs. Please advise your publisher or project editor of any forthcoming travel that may make it difficult to meet deadlines.
Your project editor will be your main contact during the production stage. The project editor is responsible for commissioning designers and copyeditors and for seeing your book through to publication.
Cover and text design
A designer will be commissioned to prepare a text design and to create the cover of your book.
It is the prerogative of ACER Press to decide on the publication’s text and cover design, taking the author’s ideas and suggestions into consideration where possible.
Copyediting
A copyeditor will be commissioned to work on your manuscript. The copyeditor may have some queries, including those concerning:
- text
- facts
- requests for further information
- suggested changes
- copyright material
- references.
You will normally be given a minimum of one week to respond to these queries. Your cooperation and quick response is vital if schedules are to be maintained.
Page proofs
Your project editor will have advised you of the time allocated to this task. At first pages, you are normally allowed one week to read the proofs. It is important that you try to meet these dates as delays will impact on the production schedule.
First pages
The typesetter will send first page proofs to your project editor as a PDF file. These will be distributed to you and a proofreader.
First pages proof stage is your only opportunity to make any necessary changes to the text. Don’t be alarmed if you find typographical errors—this is part of the proofreading process.
It is important that you do not rewrite, rephrase or make unnecessary changes on your page proofs. You should only answer remaining queries from the editor, correct typographical errors and/or errors of fact.
We ask that you make your corrections using the ‘comments’ tools on the PDF (accessed via Tools>Comment). The most useful functions on the comments menu are those that allow you to post comments and to highlight, delete, replace and insert text. As you make your corrections, save the PDF with your mark-up to your computer (you may choose to rename it).
Tips:
- Check the spelling of your name and other details in the prelims.
- Check names in the Acknowledgements section.
- Check the accuracy of all other information: facts, dates, statistics.
- Check spelling and punctuation.
- Make sure that figures, tables and captions are in the right place and are accurate.
- Check any cross-references, including those to other pages and to figures and tables.
- If you are coordinating the work of a number of contributors, collate all contributor corrections on your own master copy.
Once you have completed your corrections, please email the marked-up PDF back to your project editor by the agreed deadline
Your corrections will be taken into account, combined with any changes the proofreader has made and transferred to a master copy.
Second pages and index
More often, you will only be reviewing first page proofs. There are, however, some occasions where second pages may also be sent to you, such as where your book has been contracted to include an index (see Indexing).
Where applicable, use second pages to finish compiling your index and fill in the appropriate page numbers.
Please note that second page proofs do not provide not an opportunity to make any significant additional corrections.