Book is a written document used for communicating ideas, thoughts and information. They are present for ages with dramatic changes in their forms and still in increasing demand. Book based production workflow has remained the same for a long time involving the same three stages. They are,
- Manuscript stage
- Proof reading stage
- Printing and binding stage
MANUSCRIPT STAGE
The manuscripts undergo analysis by copy editors for the corrections to be made in the content. The copy editors then communicate with the authors about the corrections needed and the required changes are explained to them. The author then sends the modified file to the editors where the content is again copy edited for the final script. The copy editors make sure that the necessary changes are made and the content is error free. When the manuscripts are ready it is transmitted to the production line for typesetting and printing.
PROOF READING STAGE
This stage involves the proof reading, preparation of front matter, index and cover design of the book. After copy editing and reviewing, the dummy model of the book is created to check for the page consistency, picture to words coordination, layout and design in the book cover. The dummy model is then circulated among the proof readers, copy editors, and other production staffs for further reviewing of the content and the design. Minor changes are made according to the suggestions from the editing team and the content is set ready for the printing stage. The content undergoes multiple proof reading stages and index is designed for the file. The cover is designed by the editors and finalized cover is prepared.
PRINTING AND BINDING STAGE
Copies of the final and clean files are sent to the manufacturer for printing and binding process, and into the convertor for digital publications. The advance books coming off the printing press are sent to the publisher, author, distributor and the media sales department for publicity process. The printing process involved in book production is offset lithography, letter-press, and gravure. The process used depends on the factor like number of books printed, quality of the pages and delivery speed required. Once the printing is completed the pages are arranged and sent for the binding progression of the book. The type of binding is decided by the type of book and the number of pages. Binding also includes the sewing of signatures, inserting lining and page trimming. Finally, the books are enclosed, packed in packages and are sent to the retail destinations such as independent stores and online stores.
