Making the book

Not one sentence changed. The editor put the chapters in date order, cut a detour and asked for an opening chapter.

Every change is to the words: spellings, an apostrophe, commas. Tracked, so the author can accept or argue each one.

One answer to each choice, everywhere. The style sheet below is the record, so the next editor makes the same choices.

Each choice is correct somewhere. Mixed in one novel, they look careless.

Each choice is correct somewhere. Mixed in one novel, they look careless.

The corrections are in. This round is for checking each one was made, and that nothing around it moved.

The first full layout of a chapter opener, with the corrections marked as comments.

The first full layout of a chapter opener, with the corrections marked as comments.

Every mark has two halves: a sign in the line saying where, and an instruction in the margin saying what.

One sentence added on page 31 pushed every line after it down. The box no longer fits, and moves to page 33.

As proofed, the text and its box fill pages 31 and 32 exactly.

As proofed, the text and its box fill pages 31 and 32 exactly.

Four problems the printer would have found the hard way. None of them shows on screen.

The page looks finished. Nothing on screen says it will print badly.

The page looks finished. Nothing on screen says it will print badly.

Both look alike when opened. Only one carries what the press needs, and says so in its settings.

Tags give each part a role and a place in the order, and the photo a description to read aloud.

Without tags, a screen reader guesses: the box at the foot first, the columns out of order, the photo read as “image”.

Without tags, a screen reader guesses: the box at the foot first, the columns out of order, the photo read as “image”.

Eight pages, as the reader meets them.

On the press sheet, page 1 sits beside page 8, and the top row is upside down. Folded twice, they fall into order.

The back of the same sheet: page 2 is printed behind page 1, and 7 behind 8.

Eight pages, as the reader meets them.

Fixed layout keeps the printed page exactly. On a tablet it reads well; on a phone the reader has to zoom and pan.

Reflowable: the text re-wraps to each screen at a size the reader can choose, and the boxes stack in one column.

Reflowable: the text re-wraps to each screen at a size the reader can choose, and the boxes stack in one column.

Same book, same words, different format: the EPUB has its own ISBN. An ebook needs no barcode; nothing scans it.

A reprint of the same edition, unchanged: the ISBN and the barcode stay exactly the same.

The paperback’s ISBN, printed on the back cover as a barcode for shop tills and warehouses.

The paperback’s ISBN, printed on the back cover as a barcode for shop tills and warehouses.

Thousands printed at once, cheaply per copy, then stored and sold over months. Money is spent before a copy sells.

Nothing printed until someone orders. Each copy costs more, but there is no stock, and the book never goes out of print.

Thousands printed at once, cheaply per copy, then stored and sold over months. Money is spent before a copy sells.

A second impression of the first edition. The lowest number left in the printer’s line, 2, says which printing this is; the ISBN is unchanged.

The text was revised, so this is a new edition: a new ISBN, the printer’s line starts again from 1, and the first edition is still recorded.

A second impression of the first edition. The lowest number left in the printer’s line, 2, says which printing this is; the ISBN is unchanged.