Organize

Every project begins in the same spot. This is the point at which we get to know each other: the project and me. (And you). When I was a child, my wish lists were not bulleted and seemed to wander from something ordinary (new pens??) to something extra (alllll the accessories for my Breyer horses). As a professional, I have learned that wish lists are useful when anchored and can be much easier to follow. So I present my wish list for beginning, working on, and finishing a project.

• Assessment of overall project, including a kickoff call
• Audit of project material including table of contents (TOC) versus chapters, figures, tables, boxes, or other elements that will appear
• Author/contributor contact for project queries and/or material review
• Art resizing if needed
• Maintain continuity and formatting of text
• Overall proof of project to ensure it is cohesive and editor-friendly for copyediting and proofreading
• Deadline for all work to be finished
• Schedule of batches to be returned
• Request for a previous version of publication (unless this is the first one)
• Agreement on level of editing required (light, medium, heavy)
• Coding of manuscript for typesetting (if needed–design PDF is preferred)
• Careful line edit of all text
• Reference formatting and renumbering if needed