Copy-Editing Complete Folio Rule
From “Preparing the Text for the Typesetter¨ in Butcher’s Copy-Editing
[…] you should not start detailed copy-editing until the text, with accompanying illustrations and tables, is complete. […] Similarly, typesetters can work more quickly and efficiently if they receive the whole book at once. They should at the very least receive everything that will appear in the text and footnotes from the beginning of the first chapter to the end of the last one, and preferably also any endnotes, appendixes and bibliography. If some preliminary matter, such as a foreword, cannot be provided before the book goes to the typesetter, list that item as ‘to come’ and give the approximate length, if possible.
In addition, to check for completeness:
From “Preparing the Text for the Typesetter¨ in Butcher’s Copy-Editing
Check the folio numbering and also any other numbering schemes such as sections, tables, equations and illustrations: gaps in the sequence are a warning that part of the typescript may be missing, or that the author has cut the text and has not tidied up afterwards.
For what a folio is, see:
20240908151947-Publishing_Vocabulary
Publishing Vocabulary
From “Preliminary Copy-Editing, Design and Specimen Pages¨ in Butcher’s Copy-Editing
Before going any further, we should explain the sense in which certain words are being used both in this chapter and in the rest of the book:
- folio: a sheet of typescript
- leaf: two pages that back on to one another - a ‘recto´ (right-hand page) and its ‘verso´ (left-hand page) – for example pp. 117-18 of this book
- page: a page of a proof or a finished book or journal, for example p. 95 of this book. The distinction ‘page´ and ‘folio´ is a useful one, because a page and a folio will contain a different amount of material: for example an index that is ten A4 folios long will (if it is typed double-spaced and single column as it should be) occupy only two or three pages when it is printed
- part: a group of related chapters with a part number or title or both
- preliminary brief (sometimes called copy-editorial brief): a brief drawn up by the copy-editor for the designer (and possibly typesetter) listing the elements in the book that might be relevant to design
- section: a subdivision of a chapter
- subheading: a heading to a section of a chapter, a bibliography or an appendix. The other kinds of headings are called part headings, chapter headings, table headings and running heads. A running head – also called a headline or pagehead – is the heading that appears at the top of every page (with some exceptions) in most non-fiction books and journals and some novels (see section 9.1).
- typescript: originally the author’s typed copy to be typeset; now also means the hard copy or printout produced from the author’s electronic files
- typographical/design composition specification: lists typefaces and sizes, style for headings, tables and other features of the book.
This glossary is sure to help us understand what a preliminary brief, as noted in 20240908151405-Copy-Editor_Preliminary_Brief, is comprised of as well as what a typescript is, noted likewise.
preliminary_brief copy-editorial_brief running_head part_heading chapter_heading table_heading copy-editing typography typographical_specification typographical_composition_specification design_composition_specification graphic_design writing editing editor publishing
bibliography
Link to original
- “Preliminary Copy-Editing, Design and Specimen Pages.” In Butcher’s Copy-Editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-Editors and Proofreaders, 4th ed., 17–27. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
copy-editor editor editing completeness proof
bibliography
- “Preparing the Text for the Typesetter.” In Butcher’s Copy-Editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-Editors and Proofreaders, 4th ed., 28–68. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2006.