30 Silverglyphics Production #3 - Proof reading

I set myself a deadline of Tuesday May 19th to finish the book and send it to my printer -The Copy Press. First, I sent an email to my contact at The Copy Press, accepting the quote I received and explaining my timeline. I did that to have a firm dat to aim for, and to add extra pressure on myself. Even though I didn't receiver a reply, I got to work.

• Printing

  I printed a full copy

• Proofreading

  I went cover to cover of the text, checking the spelling as well as coherence. The majority of errors came from simple spelling or word duplication, and positioning of words. I tried to be disciplined and left the text otherwise untouched.

• Formating

  I set the margins at 30mm on the left and right and 20mm at the top and bottom. I also changed the distance between lines, reducing it so that the paragraphs looked more natural. This meant I could keep to 16pt Palatino font and in some cases 15pt, but the 14pt I had used was no longer necessary. I spent time balancing facing pages with each other, which was relatively easy since the facing pages either had a map or photograph, so I only had to move the facing text in relation to that.

• Reorganizing text

  a. Diary

  One piece of writing couldn't be accomodated on on one page, but I simply split it over two pages and added an extra short piece of linking writing.

  b. I did put the two prefaces facing each other, but in the end decided for separate pages in the interests of pacing, This added two extra pages.

  b. I moved the Silverglyphics logo opposite to the description of what Silverglyphics are, which seemed logical.

  c. I tweaked the contents page.

  d. I completed the glossary and acknowledgements.

• Reorganizing map

  One map required further explanation, and I really worked at making it as easy to understand as possible.

• Second opinon

  I passed on the book to my copyeditor and followed all of the recommendations that came back. All opinions mattered since they brought me back to the laser focus on stated intentions.

The cover for the first edition soft copy of the book. Because of commerical considerations, I decided to use an image of a beacon to evoke the Silk Road and left the back empty for a blurb, my logo and the barcode.

Small alterations for the copyright page

Edits for the 2025 Preface. Ticks indicate satisfaction with text, and/or progress through reading it.

Computer view of using Adobe Indesign

The map will now appear as a two page fold-out to be inserted after printing

I missed my deadline of Monday May 19th, but continued working as hard as possible. I hadn't recieved a message from The Copy Press, but still aimed to finish quickly. I receieved a message on Wednesday May 21st, including an invoice and was able to upload the files on Thursday morning according to the specifications asked for.

This marks the end of the production stage and the start of the proof stage. I expect it to take two weeks until I accept delivery of the proof copy and then coordinate with The Copy Press about any changes.