Publishing Your Book in the ASA-SIAM Series

Chapter 6 - The Book Production Process

Once your manuscript has gone through the review cycle and the final version is accepted, it enters the production cycle. Your book will be produced at either the ASA or SIAM office. However, all manuscripts will initially be received at the SIAM office. The actual production process differs for TeX and non-TeX manuscripts. These differences are outlined below.

The General Process

The basic production process includes some or all of the following steps.

• Final manuscript to publisher
• Transmittal meeting
• Schedule is prepared and sent to author for approval
• Manuscript is copy edited (author may be queried)
• Manuscript sent to compositor
• First proofs to author (will be proofread by publisher)
• Author returns changes to publisher
• Corrected first proofs to compositor
• Second proofs reviewed by publisher
• Corrected second proofs sent to compositor
• Final files (PostScript, PageMaker, etc.) prepared by publisher
• Printing and binding

Copy Editing

The purpose of copy editing is to correct errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and consistency. Our goal is to make your book as understandable as possible to the reader. The editor checks the consistency and completeness of the references as well as the numbering schemes and notation. For non-TeX books, the manuscript is marked in such a way that the compositor knows how to typeset and format the material.

The production editor will contact you with any major queries about the manuscript before it goes to the compositor. Questions about phrasing, missing or inconsistent information, or suggested additions or deletions will either be addressed at the copy-editing stage (usually in an e-mail message or by fax) or, if they are minor, written on the manuscript for your attention at the proof stage.

Proof Review

After the manuscript is copy edited, it is sent to the compositor (who may or may not be a SIAM staff member) for correction of the TeX files (or typesetting if TeX was not used) and creation of the first proofs.

First proofs are sent to both you and the publisher for proofreading. These proofs will be in page form. All figures and tables will be in place, and all illustrations will appear in their reduced size. The pages will be numbered.

You will receive two sets of proofs and one copy of the copy-edited manuscript. You are responsible for checking the proofs against the edited manuscript and for answering any remaining or additional queries. All corrections and answers to queries should be clearly marked on one of the sets of proofs. You should also check that all artwork is correct as it appears. These proofs, along with all original manuscript, should be returned to the publisher . The other set of proofs is for your files. While you are checking the proofs, the publisher is simultaneously proofreading a house set of proofs.

Corrections to proofs can be surprisingly expensive. Try to restrict changes to corrections of errors; don't make stylistic changes. The production editor has the authority to overrule expensive or unnecessary changes. We generally allow 10\% of the total composition charges for author's alterations (changes in text and illustrations other than corrections of compositor's errors). Amounts in excess of that figure may be charged against your royalty, so please keep corrections to a minimum.

Once all material has been returned from authors, all corrections are compiled onto a master set of proofs. All queries must be resolved at this point. The corrected first proofs are sent to the compositor for corrections.

The compositor will make the necessary corrections and send a set of second proofs to the publisher . The production editor will check these proofs carefully to ensure that all necessary corrections were made. Because of the short time allowed for second proof review, authors are not sent second proofs except in cases of extensive changes to first proof.

Index Preparation

If you have chosen to mark index terms on proof rather than use an imbedded indexing program such as MakeIndex, you will be asked to do this on the first proofs. You should use a highlighter to indicate all index entries. If you highlight an item to be used as a subentry, be sure to write the main entry clearly in the margin. All cross-references should also be written clearly in the margin. We have indexing guidelines specifically for those authors who highlight index terms on proof. The guidelines address which terms should be marked and when it may be necessary to create an entry to paraphrase what appears on the page. If you have not already done so, request these guidelines before marking index terms.

Our index editor will compile the index using your highlighted terms. You will be sent proofs of the index for review. Because this will take place close to the end of the production process, you will be asked to return any corrections as soon as possible.

Front Matter

Once the cover and all of the front matter, including those elements created by the publisher , are complete, you will be sent proofs for your review. As with the index, cover and front matter proofs are sent near the end of the production process and any corrections must be returned as soon as possible.

Printing and Binding

Once all corrections have been made, final files (PostScript, PageMaker, etc.) are sent to the printer. The printer may make negatives from the files; the negatives are stripped up in printing impositions called flats, from which printing plates will eventually be created. Alternatively, the printer may create the plates directly from the files. In either case, the printer will provide the publisher with a blueline, a proof that is either photochemically burned from flats or laser-printed from a plate imager. The blueline is the final proof before printing. Once bluelines are approved, the printer makes printing plates from the flats and the book is printed. It usually takes 6 to 8 weeks for a book to be printed and bound. You will receive your copies soon after the printed books are delivered to our office.