Meet Production Deadlines

Universal headaches

While the snags that can throw a book off course are as myriad as the kinds of books on the market, talks with project managers at various publishing houses, and with print vendors, reveal a few issues that cut across all genres.

Chances are the creative folks involved in a book project — the author, designer and editor — each has his or her own concept of how it should turn out. But whether your next deadline is the on-press date or just the printer's film-in date, there should be consensus about the length, content and overall style of the book.