Cutting costs
Each step you take to tighten copy and improve accuracy early on will save money later in the production phase.
To prevent costly author’s alterations, develop a formal schedule of at least one editorial review, then one copy-editing pass, and finally one round of proofreading. Then follow up with another round when your proofs come back from the printer. If there are still errors at this stage, be sure to check the offending sections at least once more. These are minimum guidelines for accurate work.
Remember that the sooner corrections are made, the less expensive they are. Investing in formal editing and copy-editing phases pays off in savings during the proofreading and printing phases, and ultimately the finished product will be much more professional.
Minimizing turnaround
Even tight schedules will feel looser with proper preparation. Coordinate the stages of your production process:
• Compile style sheets.
• Unify preliminary revisions and use only one master.
• Verify facts and figures.
• Use computer spell checkers and grammar programs.
These important first steps will not only speed the editing process by providing cleaner draft copy, they’ll result in greater accuracy in the final product as well.