Tech Biz Writing

If the MS is a book to be published commercially, the typescript submitted will not be camera copy, as the publisher will handle all the typesetting in-house. However, this doesn’t remove the writer’s responsibility to provide the publisher with a suitably prepared copy.

All publishers have a house style. Some go so far as to distribute printed booklets to authors setting this out in detail. In the age of the word processor it means that the compositor stage can be side-stepped, and even copyeditors are rarer than they were. Computer programs can do a lot — though not everything — and each stage missed out, means a significant saving in costs. If an author is writing a commissioned book, or even if it’s intended for a specific publisher, effort should be made to conform as much as possible.

In the absence of a style guide, however, a similar volume from the same imprint will provide some information on these matters.

It’s vital that the pages are typed to a standard pattern: double-spacing between lines and consistent margins. This is to allow the MS to be “cast-off”, or the number of words estimated, and changes to be made. If it’s word processed, of course, this will all be done by the computer software. Illustrations should be packed in a separate envelope or box and carefully annotated so that reference can be made to the manuscript sheet where each belongs. Figure numbers should also be clearly marked in the margins of the MS at the appropriate place, and a list of illustrations supplied to tie the whole thing together.

The final icing on the cake, so to speak, is the prelims and end pages. These may include the following:

Prelims
* Half-title page: exhibits only the title of the book.
* Half-title verso: may carry the author’s previous works or companion titles.
* Title page: title, subtitle, author, publisher and other relevant material.
* Title verso: the history page, copyright and ISBN, printer information, and dedication. Eventually, the book’s publishing history will appear here.
* Preface: a short piece usually explaining why, how the book was written.
* Contents: chapter headings and page numbers. May contain subheadings.
* Illustrations: often varies in scope, but self-explanatory.

End pages
* Conclusions/Postscript: summary of main message; predictions of future.
* Glossary: dictionary of terms used.
* Notes/References: if no footnotes, they are all gathered here.
* Appendixes/Annexes: additional detailed material; expansion of text.
* Bibliography: list of relevant publications for reference or further study.
* Index: vital in a book intended for reference

This the point where the MS leaves the author for good, only to be returned in book form. It‘s the final moment of truth.

Next: 33.Camera Copy.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 22nd, 2006 at 4:09 pm and is filed under Technical Writing, Business Writing, Publishing, TechBiz Writing, Educational Textbooks, Documentation, Design, Editing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.