Meet Production Deadlines

Or maybe the vendor is waiting for a green light from a client who is stalled for one reason or another (fussy authors again?) and will take your order for the stock while the pre-existing client sorts things out.

Technology streamlines production

In publishing, as in other industries, a smart project manager looks to the future and considers how to use recent advances to speed up the production process.

Linda Lusk, manager of purchasing at Practitioners Publishing Co. (PPC), a Fort Worth, Texas-based publisher of tax accounting information, uses PPC's longstanding, but simple, method for effectively circulating proofs — the materials move around in compact single-format binders, and editors have to treat the penultimate round of proofs as the final one. But more importantly, says Lusk, "the process has improved immensely since we've gone electronic with our product. We send completed PDF files via a secure FTP site, either the printer's or our own. We no longer see traditional bluelines."

Print providers also recognize the advantage of going electronic. Ron Mazzola, executive director of marketing and sales at McNaughton & Gunn, a book manufacturer in Saline, Mich., suggests that publishers "use digital proofs for cover and text."

And Oversmith at Von Hoffmann says his firm is encouraging clients to make use of the scheduling edge that PDF technology offers.

Seize the spotlight

In contrast to editors, production managers are often the unsung heroes of book publishing, taking blame when something goes wrong with a project and getting no recognition from the public for their successes. But there are ways to make production less headache-inducing while streamlining the process. The much-hyped book of combat photography for which you're responsible will hit the stores right on time. And at least among your colleagues, you'll be something of a celebrity yourself.