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Tools Used

February 18, 2011 services
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We use many of the same hardware and software products that are the subjects of the computer books we produce. Our team members maintain their skills on the best publishing products available, knowing their success in the marketplace depends on it. This gives us a rich selection of software tools and hardware platforms to offer our clients.
Hardware

We have always been a primarily PC-based publishing group, but we have Mac resources available as needed. We are also quite expert at moving files and even complete projects across platform using such software as MacOpener; media such as CD, Zip, and  SyQuest; and cross-platform publishing software such as FrameMaker, PageMaker, Illustrator, Freehand, and Photoshop.

For several years our core desktop publishing software has been Ventura Publisher, which excels in the fast and dependable production of long, structured documents. The newest release, Corel Ventura 8, updates the program and adds many new features, including the ability to publish both to print and electronic media. Many publishers want to produce their books on CD-ROMs or to publish on-line to intranets and the Internet. We also utilize Adobe Framemaker on some jobs, which combines the long-document features of Ventura with corporate features such as workgroup collaboration. We can also produce books using Adobe PageMaker 6.5 or Quark XPress. Many graphics and utilities programs are also essential to book production and we use all the major packages as needed:
Type

Quality type is essential to good production. We use Adobe Type 1 fonts and we custom design additional fonts when needed. By using standard fonts we avoid the many pitfalls that others may experience when final files go to film at the service bureau. Our Type 1 library is in excess of 700 fonts, and we add new fonts as required for our projects. Some publishers supply their custom fonts for their logos or other special needs.
Communication

For our freelance network to combine its low cost of operation with the speed and efficiency required for book production, each freelancer is connected to the project and the rest of the team in multiple ways. With most of us located in the San Francisco Bay Area, a quick car trip is not out of the question. But usually we move packages using couriers and overnight delivery. A job is always within 12 hours of its next stage, and by careful project management and scheduling, no one is without something to work on for more than a short time. Increasingly we move projects electronically from stage to stage in minutes rather than overnight. Many steps of a job now move entirely by email and fax, with editors often working entirely on-line. These are some of the ways we keep our projects moving along

Services

February 18, 2011 services
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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.