What goes on behind the scenes? 7. The Production process

What happens once the final manuscript goes into Production?

As part of a new mini-series covering what happens behind the scenes, I thought it might be useful and perhaps enlightening if I share what's going on at Pearson at each stage of the book publishing process. You can catch up with the previous articles here and I'm interested to hear if this confirms your expectations or surprises you.

Last time, I explained what happens with the title, the jacket design, the marketing copy, and endorsements. These are the outer, visual elements of packaging but the inside is obviously just as important. How do we turn the final manuscript into the final printer book?

Once I approve the final manuscript, it goes into Production and a whole other team starts work on the book covering copyediting, proofreading, rights and permissions, manufacturing, and demand planning. It takes approximately 5 months to work through these stages and publish the book. So here's how it works at Pearson from the point of view of the Author:

1. You submit your final manuscript and artwork to your Publisher - You have to start with a final manuscript. Obviously, there might be corrections and tweaks but proofs are not a time to be making big changes to the text so it needs to be as final as possible. We also ask for the artwork (whether the author is submitting final versions or sketches to be redrawn) at the same time as our schedule is condensed and we don't have time to wait.

2. Your Publisher hands the project to your Editor - I complete a formal handover of the book to my colleague, completing a form listing all the bibliographic information, specification, and author contact details. I also let them know the permissions budget and how we'd like the index or Table of Contents presented.

3. Your Editor sends your manuscript to the Rights & Permissions team for checking - As the permissions clearance process can take a while, and we're very rigorous at Pearson, the manuscript is sent to the Rights and Permissions team for an assessment right at the beginning. They will trawl the manuscript for third-party material and put together a list for review before any requests are sent to rightsholders.

4. Your Editor sends your manuscript to a copyeditor - Whilst I complete a structural and developmental edit, the copyeditor does a more intricate edit. They are looking for errors, inconsistencies, and style. They might rewrite the references so they're all in one consistent style, ensure the tone of voice is consistent, and that there are no issues with repetition or inconsistency. Usually, they'll mark up the manuscript with necessary changes, but also send the author a list of questions or issues if it needs their input.

5. Rights & Permissions send the results of their search. If any risky items are identified, they may need to be altered or replaced -?We share the results of the permissions trawl with the author. Each third-party material needing clearance is listed, with a rating, and some decisions may need to be made. Some 'assets' might be green and easily cleared, and some might be orange meaning they might be tricky or potentially expensive. Some items might be red and deemed prohibitively expensive, or not clearable in which case the author is advised to remove, rewrite, or replace the item. We try to make this process as smooth as possible and we have pre-existing relationships with lots of organisations so have set fees for items. We also ensure enough time for the author to make changes to the manuscript in case any items are no longer needed. Pearson is very proactive in clearing permission for material and we don't generally use 'fair-dealing' as used to be the practice in publishing.

6. Rights & Permissions send out permissions requests. Your Editor informs you of any refusals - Once finalised, the requests are sent and this can be where the time is needed as rightsholders can be dealing with many requests. Even with the pre-work done on ensuring the list doesn't contain any tricky items, there can be surprises or issues when clearing items and so the Author is kept up to date on progress and notified if any other items might need replacing or removing.

7. Your Editor sends the copy-edited manuscript for typesetting - Once copyedited, the text is poured into the text design and typeset as a set of 'proofs'. They will create any tables, insert any author-created artwork or redraw it from the sketches provided. This is when it starts to look like a book.

8. Your Editor sends your first proofs to you and the proofreader - At the same time, the proofs go to the author electronically to check (check, not rewrite!) and the proofreader to check for any mistakes or errors. We do this at the same time for speed and efficiency. The proofreader is checking for any errors missed by the author and copyeditor, but also for any errors introduced during the typesetting. There could be odd page breaks or word breaks that look unappealing.

9. The proofs are sent to an indexer - At Pearson, we take care of the index and do this once the proofs are in so we know the correct page numbers. I remember a long time ago at Routledge that we asked the author to do this, or charged them for the work.

10. Proof corrections are sent back to the typesetter - Once the author and the proofreader have sent their list of corrections, they are combined and sent back to the typesetter to create a set of revised proofs.

11. Your Editor checks revised proofs to ensure all proof corrections have been made - Assuming the changes were easy to make, the revised proofs are checked by the Editor to ensure everything is now correct. In extreme circumstances, they might be checked again by the Author but this would only be if something needs their approval. It's important to note that every time there's a set of proofs, it costs money, uses time, and can introduce more potential errors. I think some authors might also struggle to 'let go' of the manuscript, which is understandable, but is a necessary step.

12. The proof is approved and goes to the printers - the final proof is approved and these files go to the printer so the book can be published.

As you can see, there are many different people involved at this stage and I'm always impressed at how smooth things go. I attribute a lot of this to the careful product management of my colleague Melanie Carter who is fantastic to work with, and very good with authors.

As ever, this is the process for my list at Pearson but does this meet your expectations as an author? Does it chime with what you’ve experienced? Do you have any thoughts on the above? Let me know! Next week, what happens during the Printing phase?

The Pearson Business Book Club

The Pearson Business Book Club is open to all who would like to learn more about our business books or about a particular topic, and the webinars are free to attend. You can also view the on-demand videos of previous sessions on the Book Club website.

May's Business Book of the Month is Inside the Leaders’ Club by Michael Skapinker and his masterclass is "What does leadership look like after Covid?" To attend the webinar on Tuesday 23 May 2023 at 2 pm (UK time) please register at?https://pearson.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xZ9mbQvUTv-1PfAROsjoMA.

We are in increasingly uncertain times where senior executives are looking for high-level and practical business advice from experts and peers on what works - what doesn't and how to navigate the challenges of modern corporate life.

Inside the Leaders’ Club is based on discussions with business leaders who share their expert tips. It will cover all elements of leadership from how to manage a business to examining what the role of a business leader is in tackling climate change.

This book offers leadership advice through the insights of our world-class speakers and practical advice through the shared experiences and expertise of the senior executives who are members of the FT Forums - expertly curated, analysed and presented by senior FT editors.

"I defy anyone to read this without learning a lot about themselves, their organisations and how to make both better." Lucy Kellaway, FT columnist, co-founder of Now Teach and author of Re-educated

Just Published / Noteworthy books

Winning Together by? Prof. Patricia Hind , Fiona Dent , and Viki Holton

Getting on well with your colleagues doesn’t just make your working day better, it can improve your chances of promotion, and help you do your job better. But new ways of working mean it’s becoming more difficult to build these relationships as we are more technologically connected, but more socially isolated than ever before. This book will help you adjust to the new normal, help you build and strengthen relationships with others, and build your relational expertise so you can deliver results in today’s changing, complex and uncertain working environment.?

• Understand your relationship hierarchy and how your connections fit into it – whether they’re colleagues, bosses, teammates, direct reports, or other stakeholders.
• Build your relationship skills so you can work effectively with a range of different people and different levels.
• Discover how to establish relationships and build trust, even if you’ve never met in person.
• Develop your relational expertise, including managing diversity, inclusivity, influencing, and build productive relationships.

Full of practical tips and techniques, Winning Together will help you to develop and maintain successful, satisfying relationships in every working environment.

"This is such a useful resource for working relationships, particularly in this new hybrid world of work. From navigating relationships in online meetings to building trust with colleagues, I've already put into practice many of the super practical tips and tricks contained in this book." Jessica Bradford, Digital Communications Manager, BT Global

What am I reading?

After a recommendation by Caroline Criado Perez on the Visible Women podcast a while ago, I'm finally reading The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women’s Lives, 1660–1900 by Barbara Burman and Ariane Fennetaux and it's fascinating. It's historical, cultural, and about textiles and dressmaking. There's just so much to be said about the humble pocket and what it means for women and it's an absolutely beautiful book with many photographs and works of art to illustrate the work.

Finally

Do you have any ideas or suggestions for future newsletters? Did I strike a chord with anything in this newsletter? Is there a business book you've enjoyed recently that you'd recommend? Add a comment or email me at [email protected].