In the meantime, the editor considers the manuscript in terms of its potential market: For what level is it best suited? What is its competition? What is its trade appeal? The editor has an intimate knowledge of these factors and will also call upon the knowledge of fellow editors and marketing managers, whose experience in related fields may prove invaluable in assessing the market.

After all readers' reports are in and you have responded to them-and the editor has made preliminary decisions on estimated sales, format, number of copies to be printed, selling price, and so forth, the manuscript is then turned over to the Production Department. A production editor examines the manuscript to become familiar with the entire project and to determine whether any problems exist.

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Whether you use our templates or a design of your own, you must submit a sample file for testing as soon as possible. The sample need not be final manuscript, but it should contain all elements that will be found in the book, including heads, tables, code, and figures of every type. Early testing will help us avoid rework of elements and will alert us to potential problems.

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All parties at the launch meeting, each in a different area of responsiblity, air their views; each leaves the meeting with an understanding of the approaches to be taken in progressing from the manuscript to a bound book.

Scheduling
At this meeting a production schedule is drawn up, establishing key dates that must be met to ensure that the book will be published as close as possible to the most advantageous time for maximum sales. This schedule shows, among other production details, when copy editing and artwork must be finished, when edited manuscript must be released for keyboarding, if necessary, and makeup, the dates for receipt and return of proofs, and the dates when printing and binding will be completed. At each stage of production, your production editor will inform you of the dates you must meet to help maintain this schedule. Because the publication date is critical, you have a vital responsibility for adhering to the deadlines that have been set.

Cost Estimates and Approvals
After the launch meeting the production editor assembles all information regarding manufacturing and design specifications, cover costs, along with any other costs that may be associated with your specific book. The manufacturing buyer calculates the costs and the production editor routes them for approval and a decision on how many units to print as well as the final price.

The production editor sends a sample disk or tape to the printer, along with the accompanying hard copy, so that we can make certain one last time that we will not have a problem in playing out the film, electronically imposing it, and printing from it. If there is a problem, he or she will inform you immediately so that we can get revised material from you.

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Submitting final files
When you are ready to submit your final camera copy, please keep these things in mind:

• Submit postscript AND application files
• Clearly label all disks/media and name files in an intuitive manner
• Supply final printout

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Verify the position of all tables and check all text references to tables and illustrations; don't overlook correcting a reference such as to "the figure below" in a line that follows the figure referred to. Finally, check the running head at the top of each page and the page number. These should be automatic tasks in most word processors and page layout programs, but sometimes the program does exactly what you tell it to do and in doing so, does not catch errors you may have made in using style sheets or templates.

This is your final look before the book goes to the printer, so make certain that what you see is what you intend.

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A great amount of attention is paid to the cover because the reader gains the first impression of the book through this element. The cover must be aesthetically appealing, eye-catching, compatible with the interior format and content, and correct for the audience the book is to reach.

Once sketches of the cover have been approved, the designs are completed, back cover copy is written and approved, and mechanicals are then prepared and sent to the printer, so that the finished will be available when the book has been printed and is ready to be bound. The sketches are also used for sales purposes-they are put into our catalogs, our sales reps may get copies of them to show to their accounts, etc. The cover is one of the most important elements of your book.

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Premastering software to create cross-platform CD-ROMs is getting better every day. Today there are just a few premastering software packages that can create cross-platform CDs and preserve every feature of existing computing environments. These CDs can be accessible in the native environment of Windows (3.1, 95, and NT), Macintosh, and Unix systems (many flavors). The formats we use are:

• PC: ISO 9660
• Mac: HFS
• UNIX: ISO 9660 with Rock Ridge Extensions

We are in the process of evaluating new generations of premastering software packages as an on-going R&D process, so we can continually be on top of the technology and upgrade our systems, as well as making sure that our vendors do the same.

You may find these tips helpful in putting together your materials:

• Use DOS-compatible 8.3 naming convention for all filenames regardless of platform
• Use only capital letters for file and directory names, including links inside HTML documents
• Use only these filename characters: 0-9, A-Z, _
• Directory names cannot have extensions
• You should have a maximum 8-level deep hierarchy
• Make sure that the number of files within directories is no more than 50-100 files
• Set up logical, easy to understand file and folder/directory names
• Use proper file type extensions - ie, mov, avi, wav, pct, tif, bmp, eps, jpg, gif, htm, etc.

If you have questions while you are getting the materials together be sure to contact your editor or production manager.

When you submit your files, either on separate media for us to premaster or on a premastered CDR, please include a printed directory listing.

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Who Compiles the Index?
As the author, you are responsible for providing the index. But should you compile it yourself? Certainly you are more familiar with the contents of the book than anyone else could be. If you also have a firm grasp of the principles of indexing and can work well under time pressure, you are the best person to prepare it. If your book is technical or scientific in nature, we urge you to prepare the index yourself or at least to have a colleague do it for you. Most professional indexers will not have the technical knowledge to do justice to such an index.

Many word-processing and page layout programs allow you to create your own index as you prepare the manuscript. This section's general guidelines for index preparation still apply to embedded and tagged indexes, but there are a few special considerations.

As you go along placing index markers, you may wish to create a reference file of your main headings and the style of your entries. This will help you avoid going back to fix redundant headings in the index. If, for example, you mark some entries under the heading "Networks" and others under "Networking," you will have to go back and change the reference at each insertion point. It is important that you update the in-line references, and not just the output index. This way, when the index needs to be regenerated to accommodate editing changes, it will not need to be corrected again. It will also save time and effort for revised editions of the book.

If you prefer to have a professional indexer compile your index, we will arrange to have it prepared here by one of a number of experienced freelance indexers we have on call. We will pay the indexer directly, advancing the cost against your royalties.

If you compile the index, the following notes will help you:

When to Index
If you are going to do the indexing yourself, beginning to tag the entries as early as possible is a good idea. If we are hiring the indexer, we will wait until you have input the copyediting changes so the indexer will be working off of the final page makeup. The indexer could then provide you, through the production editor, a word processed file that you could then import into your page makeup program. If we have time and you have the capability and knowledge, you may prefer to ask the indexer to highlight the entries on the hard copy instead. You could then go into the electronic files and do the tagging while you are inputting the copyediting changes. You should discuss these options with your production editor, who will be able to help you decide the best route to take.

What to Index
The first thing to consider is what to index. Indexing requires imagination. Put yourself in the reader's place; of every item ask yourself, "If I were the user of the book and not the author, would I be likely to look this up?" If the answer is "yes," include it; if the answer is "no," don't let a false ideal of completeness tempt you into putting it in; you will only overload your index. (If the answer is "maybe," put the item in. In indexing, the worst sins are those of omission.) If your book is organized with a system of headings and subheadings, they will provide the nucleus for your index, though of course you cannot index the book from headings alone but must read the page proofs through carefully to catch every topic of importance. Break down every main idea into the individual details readers are likely to look for; they will seldom look in the index for the subject of an entire section or chapter, which appears conspicuously in the table of contents. Moreover, an unqualified entry followed by a long string of page numbers will only irritate them.

How to Index
If you are tagging the entries into your word processor or page makeup application, please see your documentation or on-line help files for specifics. Your production editor may be able to help you with this if it is a program that we are familiar with, but please do not assume that we would be able to help you with this specific task. If you do not have the knowledge, time or capability to do this in your electronic files for any reason, but want to prepare the index yourself, we suggest the following:

• Write the entries on cards.
• Arrange the cards in alphabetical order.
• Edit the cards and indicate indents by means of dots.
• Keyboard the index as a separate word-processing file.

Some important rules to keep in mind are:

1. Alphabetize items beginning with Mc or St as though the full form-Mac or Saint-were used.
   
   
2. Alphabetize entries beginning with figures as though the figures were spelled out-"400 Club" under the Fs.
   
   
3. Alphabetize abbreviations of government agencies, broadcasting companies, publications, and so on, according to the order of letters in the abbreviation, not as though the names were spelled out.
   
   AAA
   ABC
   Abilene
   AFL-CIO
   Agriculture.
   
   
4. Alphabetize subentries according to the first principal word, ignoring any preceding prepositions and articles:
   
   Parallelism:
   
   for coordinate elements
   with correlatives
   defined
   in outlines.
   
   
   
5. Capitalize the first word of each main entry; lower case all remaining words unless they require capitalization for other reasons.
   
   
6. Separate each entry from its page number(s) by a comma; use a colon after an entry.
   
   
7. Combine similar entries and provide cross references where necessary. For example, you may have one set of cards for "National Humane Society" and another for "Humane Society." Since these are different names for the same organization, it is wrong to list some of the references under one name and some under the other. List all the references under "National Humane Society"; for "Humane Society," provide a cross reference, "See National Humane Society." A good index also directs the reader to pages where aspects of the same subject are discussed under different key words. After listing the page numbers for "National Humane Society," you might well add a "see also" reference: "See also animals" or "See also shelters."

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Electronic publishing allows for an easier, more cost-efficient means of preparing pages for the printer. Once the final proofs of a book are checked and approved, a disk or tape containing all of the electronic files (which include art) is sent to the printer. Because both art and text are electronic, they have already been combined during composition. This makes the printer's job easier, since the intermediate stages of turning repro proofs into film and stripping in halftones are no longer necessary. The printer plays out film directly from the electronic files. Sometimes, when halftone or other art is scanned, a low-resolution marker will be put in place in the electronic file. Because of space constraints, we will ask the printer to swap high-resolution art files with the low-resolution files, thus providing the best quality output when needed for the final book, and acceptable quality for proofing during the production of the book. The file sizes of high-resolution art can sometimes be astronomical, especially if color is involved.

The printer makes blueprints or "book blues" (proofs of the page negatives) for our final check before plates are made and the book goes to press. At this point, your production editor will be checking to make sure that the pages are in order, the margins are correct, and other such quality controls.

Offset Printing
The principle involved in reproduction by offset is a chemical one: grease and water repel each other. The type, art, and photographs on the printing plate (a positive image) is grease-receptive, and the printing ink has a greasy base. After the plate is fastened to the plate cylinder of the press, it is dampened with a watery solution and inked simultaneously. The grease-receptive image repels the water and accepts the ink. The blank areas of the plate accept the water and therefore repel the ink. The inked image is then transferred to a cylinder around which is wrapped a thin sheet of rubber, called a "blanket," which is also continuously dampened with water. The greasy ink adheres to the rubber blanket. The blank areas on the blanket remain free of ink because they are coated with water. The inked image on the blanket (a mirror image) is then transferred to the paper, faithfully reproducing the image on the printing plate. Thus the plate itself never touches the paper. Rather, the image is transferred-or "offset"-from plate to blanket to paper.

Offset presses are of the rotary type-that is, both the impression and printing surfaces are cylindrical. These presses may be either sheetfed (flat sheets of paper move into the press individually) or roll-fed (paper is fed to the press from a continuous roll).

Binding
Binding is the final stage in the manufacture of a book. Various methods are employed, depending on the kind of finished product we want.

Each printed sheet that will make up the book is folded so that the pages on the sheet appear in proper sequence. These folded sheets, consisting usually of thirty-two pages, are called signatures. The signatures are then gathered so that each collation contains all pages of the book in proper order.

The term "paperbound" books encompasses a wide assortment of bindery styles. The collated signatures are placed in a set of clamps, with the folded or "spine" edges up. One-eighth of an inch is then trimmed from the folded edges so that only single sheets remain. Glue is applied to this end surface; then the paper cover is put in position and folded around the book. The entire covered book is then trimmed at the top, bottom, and outside edges to final size. This method, called "perfect binding," is also occasionally used for case-bound books. Another method, "RepKover," is a process of "Lay-Flat" binding which uses cloth as a reinforcement media. This is a method of paper binding which improves functionality of manuals because they "lay flat" easily for constant no-hands reference.

If there is any media in the back of a book, this is a function that will happen after the books are printed and bound. This is hand-work that is a time-consuming process and that can add a week to your print and bind time.

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If your book is eventually published in a new edition, some of this material may be usable again, with a saving of time and expense on your part and on ours.

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When the stock of the first printing reaches a minimum and a second printing is anticipated, the reprint editor may notify you and request additional minor corrections, if any, by a certain date. These changes will be included if they are minimal and arrive on time. A warning is in order here. The reprint editor may not have enough time to warn you of an impending reprint. Therefore, we advise that you send in corrections as they come up. If possible, we will make the corrections in the files ourselves. However, depending on the program you have used, the extent of the corrections, and the schedule, you may be asked to provide the corrections in new files yourself.

Extensive changes should be saved for a possible revision (or new edition).

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