Services
We can produce one phase of a publishing project or carry it from developmental edit through final film. Here are the range of services we currently provide:
Project Management
The project manager is the client’s contact person for the job and supervises the freelance team. On small jobs project management may be performed by one of the production team, but on a large job with many facets the project manager is a dedicated team leader who oversees the quality of each team member’s work, ensures the production schedule is met, develops the project budget, coordinates communications among the client and the production team, and maintains a smooth workflow.
Developmental, Technical, and Copy Editing
We offer three tiers of editing service. Often our clients perform their own developmental editing by working with the author until the manuscript is ready for our production team. More frequently we are involved in technical editing, in which an editor with relevant computer expertise works through the entire manuscript, checking that the text is clear and accurate. Procedures within the book are checked step by step against the actual software or hardware being written about, in order to ensure the book’s accuracy. Figures for the book are checked and labels are added for clarity. Technical issues of graphics formats, colour, and scaling are addressed. The technical editor works closely with the author to resolve ambiguities in the text, utilizing email and fax to keep the project moving.
After the technical edit, the grammatical and stylistic consistency of the book is handled by the copyeditor. Some of our clients have their own in-house style guides which they supply to us, or our editors use their experience with computer terminology and style to ensure a consistent and professional manuscript.
Accuracy Checking and Technical Review
Depending on the project and the client, technical review and accuracy checking may supplement or replace a technical edit. Accuracy checking is a more limited form of a technical edit. The book is read and every procedure and topic of the book is worked out on a computer running the software program being covered. Any discrepancies between the actual product and the book’s discussion are noted and referred back to the author for correction. Checking computer software is particularly important, because the features of a program may change right up to the release date, which is also when the documentation or supporting trade books are often expected to be ready.
A technical review can vary from being a full-blown technical edit to a broad read-through of the manuscript designed to give the author or publisher feedback on whether the book adequately serves its intended audience, both in tone and content.
Book Design
The book design often arrives from the publisher with the project, especially if the book is part of an existing series. In these cases we implement the design in the layout phase of the project. On other projects we employ a graphic designer to work with the client to develop the visual style of a book or book series. Technical designs must be functional as well as attractive, and they should be efficient to implement in a fast-paced production environment.
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