How the Editing Process Works

Ever wonder what happens when a publishing company gets ahold of your manuscript? Here's the basic process.

First the publishing company decides whether to take your manuscript. This involves an acquisitions editor and often the finance and marketing departments, as well. If your manuscript is accepted, you can be assured that the company found your book to be (1) well-written, (2) marketable, and (3) potentially lucrative. Especially in today's economic environment, publishing companies won't take the risk if even one of these elements is missing.

Next, your manuscript goes into the copy editing phase. Here, a copy editor will edit for macro elements, such as organizational structure and flow. Copy editors will move text around, rewrite portions, and perhaps even ask you to go back and write additional content. But once your masterpiece makes it through this stage, you can be assured that your book "makes sense" for its intended purpose, audience, scope, and format.

Typesetting is next. In this phase, your book receives the face lift you always hoped it would. It is placed into book form using a desktop publishing programs. The industry standard is Adobe InDesign, but Quark is also good. Be wary of publishers who typeset your book in another program, such as Word or Publisher--even for an electronic book.

Proofreading follows the typesetting phase. By the time your manuscript gets to this point, all of the content issues and macro elements have been corrected. During the proofreading phase, editors check only for mistakes: typos and inconsistencies in the layout, such as a page number error or a misplaced heading. There should be two proofreaders on each manuscript.

Cover design occurs somewhere during this process. Usually, a graphic artist who specializes in book design is used to create a compelling cover that will sell your book at a glance. Most authors show strong preferences for particular covers, but the publishing company always retains the right to have the final say. An ISBN and bar code are assigned to the book and placed on the cover to ensure that bookstores will be able to carry your book.

Once the manuscript is print-ready, it is taken to the printer. It will take about four to six weeks to have it printed via offset printing. Digital printing usually takes a bit less time.

When the printing has finished, your masterpiece is ready to be distributed to retail outlets!