A Closer Look: Project Management

1. Work with author/ministry to establish a timeline.

2. Receive manuscript. (Bear in mind, getting the manuscript from one person to the next involves establishing and managing the TIMELINE, not just handing a stack of paper from one person to another.)

3. Before the book goes to the typesetter, work with the designer to get the cover designed FIRST because good books use design elements from the cover on the inside of the book. (Doing it the other way around will get expensive with your cover designer, and cover designers are more expensive with their time than a typesetter).

4. Get the finished manuscript to the editor.

5. Get a sample of the manuscript to the Typesetter.

6. Work with the typesetter to design what the interior template will look like, how callouts will be placed, what the table of contents, front and back matter will look like, what the point and leading will be, the margins, the gutter, the trim size, and determining the page count for the finished manuscript.

7. Be available at all hours (including the weekends and holidays) to communicate with the cover designer, the typesetter, and the editor to answer questions along the way. Believe me, there are lots of conversations at all manner of hours and days. It’s really about being 100% available for their convenience. This will save you money and time in the long run.

8. Create a style sheet with the editor that will be used by the typesetter, the proofers, and the printer.

9. Receive the finished, edited manuscript from the editor.

10. Follow through the approval process of the edited manuscript with the author/client.

11. Get the finished, approved, edited manuscript to the typesetter.

12. Work with the typesetter through the typesetting process with style and visual issues.

13. Get first pages to proofers.

14. Hire two proofers (I recommend two because skimping on this step will cost you more later if there are corrections after the book is finalized. Two proofers on a book – 1 CMS-trained and 1 grassroots proofer – will generally cover every angle and it’s a small price to pay for coverage).

15. Be available to the proofers at all hours and days (these types of freelancers really do work odd hours, mostly nights and weekends) to answer questions and give guidance.

16. Receive both proofs and compile one master proof for the typesetter.

17. Deliver master proof to the typesetter so he/she can create second pages.

18. Receive second pages and check all corrections against the master proof, and get any last changes to the typesetter.

19. Receive third and final pages from the typesetter and check each and every page for widows, orphans, breaks, stacks, footers, headers, folios, front and back matter, and place correct pages in the Table of Contents.

20. Work with production to receive template for the cover and getting that template to the cover designer.
 
21. Work with cover designer to get title and half title material to the typesetter for the interior of the book.
22. Work with client/author to get cover photo, bio, and endorsements and placing them in third pages and cover.

23. Work with ISBN/copyright registration paperwork and file proper paperwork at the designated time.

24. Work with production to schedule printing dates.

25. Get cover and interior files to production on the designated date.

26. Be available to production regarding printing matters (this is usually during working hours, unless the printer is putting it on press on nights or weekends, and then you have to be available for emergency issues and questions).

27. Get “bluelines” – this is a galley of the book, the way it will exactly look like on press – from production and check each and every page one last time, because this is the last time the book is seen before it hits the press. Again, every page needs to be reviewed carefully. Each page number, header, footer, folio, page break, table of contents, front and back matter, and the visual layout (are the pages off-center, etc?) needs to be checked. It usually takes about 4 hours (average-sized book) to do a good and thorough blueline review, and you have to know what to look for, what’s normal and what’s not.

28. Work with production to get the books from the printer to the client/author.