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What a difference
posted by Emma on 30 May 2008
I have just finished typesetting a particular four colour fully illustrated book that has taken a full month of working time, spread over 6 months. The author doesn't have a computer and - and I honestly thought this breed had died out - is proud of the fact. I think that explains in large part why it's been such an eye-wateringly difficult project. In truth, I'm glad to see the back of it.
I've moved on immediately to the next project - another four colour book. The author has delivered the manuscript in a Word document, and has used paragraph and character styles. He's used consistent notation to mark where images should go. I reckon I'll have the basic layout done by this afternoon, ready for the (clearly labelled and catalogued) images to drop in.
Guess which book I'm going to do a better job of marketing? The one I can't bear to look at any more or the one whose author has made it a joy to work on? Prospective authors: making other people's lives easier matters.
Comments: 6
Alas, the first author won't see this post, as he/she apparently has no computer.
Perhaps you could have it inscribed on vellum and rushed round on horseback by one of the SnowSquires so he/she gets the message.
Posted by: John A-W | May 30, 2008 11:26 AM
Your comment made me giggle John A-W! Knowing Em she'll take on your idea..bet there'll be a SnowSquires heading added soon!
Posted by: Em's Mum | May 30, 2008 02:42 PM
forgive me, but why did you not just reject the first book? Going through all that trouble when you have no intention of marketing it seems like an awful waste of both your and the author's time and trouble. Or was this a vanity pressing?
Posted by: Rachel Green | May 30, 2008 03:40 PM
The only thing is that, as a writer, especially when it's your first novel, you aren't always thinking as far ahead as how your layout will affect the publisher. You're busy angsting over the book, wondering if it's any good, wondering how to get to the next page. You're dealing with your book one page at a time.
Until it comes to being published, authors genuinely have no idea of what the process of turning their manuscript into a book involves. Their head has been busy with plot, language, characters, setting, themes, imagery, symbolism, structure. And whatever the non-fiction equivalent is.
Posted by: Sarah | May 30, 2008 04:40 PM
Rachel - we don't do vanity. And I had no idea when I listed the book that the author would not be able to do the most basic tasks, like receive email or word documents. And I didn't say I have no intention of marketing it - please don't put words into my mouth.
Sarah - on the one hand we are talking about extremes here. This is an author who has taken my working practices back to the 70s. On the other hand, I firmly believe that paying attention to and having a working knowledge of the medium in which you capture your writing - which is usually some sort of word processing package - is part and parcel of being a professional writer. It's important to understand how to use the tools of your trade which range from grammar and punctuation to an effective use of MS Word, OpenOffice or similar. It's not hard to learn, it's not techie or arcane - a simple google search or a flick of the 'get started' help files will suffice. And as I've pointed out before, the tools are there to help you write, so you don't have to be distracted from the art through computer glitches. Sorry, but a basic ability to use modern tools is an important part of being a professional writer.
Posted by: Em | May 30, 2008 05:45 PM
Conversely, one of my pet hates is authors who are only too keen to show me what their word processing software can do - strange layouts, no fixed page breaks, retina-burning fonts...
We're publishing a previous unseen work by one of our authors next summer and because we're working from the original carbons we're having to copy-type it... But I don't mind as an exception.
Posted by: Vanessa | May 31, 2008 01:21 PM