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I received a package from my publisher just the other day, with some very exciting contents...
It was the colour proofs of my Sketching People book.
I seem to be juggling lots of different projects at the same time right now, but the urban sketching book is at least one which is very nearly finished.
The colour proofs are when you finally get to see what it's going to look like. Even though I've been very hands-on throughout the progress, I've been dealing with it in batches, so never had the chance to look at it as a complete project. Plus I'd never seen the final design of many of the spreads, so I couldn't wait to get a look.
By this stage, all the design has been finalised, all the text is in place, exactly as it will look, and all the images, whether photos or sketches, are in their final positions on the spreads. It was lovely to see everything looking gorgeous!
But I wasn't just sent them to admire: my job was to go through the whole thing with a fine tooth-comb, checking it over and making any final notes about alterations that needed making, or errors I noticed. That meant reading the entire book, which took a while, as you can imagine.
There were actually lots of little things I picked up, both to do with images and text: I made two pages of notes!
One slight complication was that this was the US version - the text has been Americanised throughout, which does not just involve changes to words, but also some big changes to punctuation. I was surprised to discover for example, that in the US, a colon is followed by a capital letter! There were also many differences over where comas are used.
The text will be re-Anglicised after the proofs have been approved, which means Quarto employing someone to make all the changes: apparently less complex than trying to re-instate my original text. All a bit odd, but everything is, as usual, very US-led. That's where the biggest market for the book will be, despite it originating in the UK.
The biggest single issue I picked up, was the placement of annotation arrows: used to point to where I am making specific comments about particular elements of a sketch. Many of them were not quite pointing to the right place, because my designer didn't always quite understand where I was referring to.
All sorted now though. I am very pleased with how it looks. The quality of the colour is great and the design really sets everything off beautifully (thanks Moira!).
I'm told that it should be ready for publication sometimes around the end of February. You can pre-order already, but don't worry - I will definitely be letting you know when it's ready.
0 Comments on 'Sketching People': Checking the Colour Proofs as of 11/8/2015 12:12:00 PM
Proofing is one of the last steps before any major writing milestone.
About to send a manuscript to your betas for feedback? Proof it first. Turning in a revision to your editor? Proof it again. Reading through your pass pages (aka ‘your last chance to make changes ever!!’)? Proof it with extra care!
As writers, we read our own book hundreds (if not thousands) of times before it becomes a physical book. Because we are so close to the work, it is easy to skim right over missing words, auto-correct typos in our heads, and completely miss continuity errors. Over the years, I’ve relied on a few key proofing methods to help me catch these errors. The main trick they all have in common is getting away from the computer.
#1 – PRINT IT I can hear you already. Erin, think of the trees! So I’ll say this: print back-to-back and recycle everything. But trust me, having your words on paper, in front of you, is incredibly different than reading your book on your computer screen. This route helps you catch issues you hadn’t before, and you’ll have plenty of room to jot down notes and edits in the margins. I swear that documenting these edits by hand makes a difference. You’re able to focus your efforts on highlighting what’s broken and suggesting fixes for later, as opposed to feeling pressure to fix errors immediately (which is my main struggle when I proof at the computer.)
This method is good for: Early revision stages, eg: before sending to CPs or betas. I find it most useful for spotting big picture issues like plot holes, character arc inconstancies, pacing flaws, world-building/info-dumps, and so on.
#2 — SEND IT TO YOUR KINDLE Or iPad. Or e-reader of choice. The key here is to read your book in a format that feels slightly more book-like. Holding an e-reader tricks your brain into thinking you’re reading a published e-book. Being able to curl up on the couch while reading certainly doesn’t hurt either. Suddenly you’ll be spotting scene- and sentence-level errors you hadn’t in your previous read-throughs. As you come across these mistakes, highlight them and/or add notes so that you can address them when you’re back at the computer later.
This method is good for: Later revision stages, eg: before sending a requested revision to your editor. As mentioned, I’ve found this great for scene- and sentence-level issues (word echoes, unconvincing dialog, unclear descriptions, and so on).
#3a — READ IT OUT LOUD The down-side to this method is it takes a lot of time and often makes you lose your voice in the process. But I swear this is hands-down the best method for spotting typos. Your brain auto-corrects small issues when you read silently, but reading out loud forces you to focus on every last word. Typos, missing words, incorrect conjugations, wonky punctuation, and more will jump out at you. (I’m proofing my pass pages for FORGED right now–a manuscript that has already been through professional copyediting–and have found at least four typos while reading aloud.) It’s tough work, but worth it. Keep a glass of water nearby and take breaks often.
This method is good for: Final proofing, eg: before turning in your last round of pass pages. Because it’s so rough on your vocal chords, I usually only do this method once per book, and put it off until my last possible chance to make edits.
#3b — HAVE THE COMPUTER READ IT TO YOU
Piggy-backing off the previous suggestion, there are programs out there that can read your manuscript to you. The goal is the same: hearing the words out loud will help you catch errors that previously slipped through so you can edit while you listen. I have yet to use this method, but might try it in the future. Writers have suggested different programs to me, such as Ivona Reader (for PC desktops) and Voice Dream Reader (for iPhone/iPad). If you know of and would like to recommend another, please leave it in the comments!
This method is good for: same as above.
And that’s it! These are my go-to proofing methods for various stagings of revision. While these work for me, they may not work for everyone. On that note, I’m sure there are other methods that also work wonders. Do you have a proofing trick or tip that I didn’t mention here? Please leave it in the comments!
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Erin Bowman is a YA writer, letterpress lover, and Harry Potter enthusiast living in New Hampshire. Her TAKEN trilogy is available from HarperTeen (book three out 4/14/15), and VENGEANCE ROAD publishes with HMH in fall 2015. You can visit Erin’s blog (updated occasionally) or find her on twitter (updated obsessively).
A deceptively unimpressive jiffy-bag came with the postman on Friday. I opened it and pulled out an advance copy of Baby Goes Baaaaa! and the proof of my newest book Baby Can Bounce!
I am so pleased with the production. The colours really zing out on the glossy, lacquered paper. I'm totally happy with the pale blue cover now, after my slight grumpiness when it was changed, and I love the way the yellow cover of book 2 works with it: much better than Egmont'sinitial plan for lilac would have.
I love the choice of the rounded corners too - a sensible idea (not mine, I hasten to add) to stop sharp edges going into little eyes, but it also makes the books so cute and friendly looking! I've already shown you the insides of Baby Goes Baaaaa!, from the printer's dummy we got a while ago, so these are all from Baby Can Bounce!:
Another thing I can't claim credit for, is the fab title page of Baby Can Bounce! - all the work of my lovely designer, Sarah, who I've worked with for years and years, even though in that time she has moved between 3 different publishers (they just happened to always be ones I've was working with at the time!)
2 Comments on Proof and Advance Copies have Arrived!, last added: 1/31/2012
They both look great, thanks for sharing the process with us.
Congratulations! Great characters :)