PREPARING THE MANUSCRIPT

Somehow, you have to get the text of your book put into a computer file or files. Several ways to do this are described below.

Use one of the better-known computer programs like WordPerfect or Word, and stick with PC or MacIntosh computers as other types may be obsolete. If you have already keyboarded your manuscript onto an obsolete computer, consult with the people who will be preparing your pages for the printer to find out whether they can use your computer files.

Make sure that you keep a backup copy of the computer file or files for your book in case something happens to the computer that holds the files.

Handwritten Manuscripts
If your manuscript is written in long-hand, you will need to have it keyboarded into a computer. If you don't have any long-suffering relatives or close friends who will do this for you, local university or college bulletin boards are a good place to find listings for people who you can pay to keyboard your manuscript. Another possibility is to look in the Yellow Pages under "Word Processing" to find a list of companies who provide this service.

After the manuscript has been keyboarded, get a printed copy of it and either proofread it yourself or get someone else to do this (see Editorial Work). Once the printed copy has been proofed, get the keyboarder to make the necessary changes and print out a new paper copy. This final printed copy will be referred to when the pages are being prepared.

Also get a copy of the computer file(s) put onto a disk. This disk is what you will use to get the pages of the book prepared for the printer.

Typewritten Manuscripts
If your manuscript has been typed on a typewriter, it can be scanned into a computer file. This is faster and easier than having it keyboarded (see above). Usually the person who will be preparing the pages for the printer will also scan the manuscript for you, or you can get a friend or an independent company to do it. Look under "Computer Graphics and Imaging" in the Yellow Pages.

After the pages have been scanned, the computer file that contains the text should be printed so that you can either proofread it yourself or get someone else to proof it (see Editorial Work). Following this proofing, corrections should be made to the computer file(s) and a new paper copy should be printed out. This final printed copy will be referred to when the pages of the book are being prepared for the printer.

Also get a copy on a computer disk. This disk is what you will use to get the pages of the book prepared for the printer.

Computerized Manuscripts
If you have already keyboarded your manuscript into a computer file, make sure you print out a paper copy which you then either proofread yourself or get someone else to proof (see Editorial Work). Then make the corrections, print it out again, and copy the computer file or files onto a disk to give to the person who will be preparing the pages of the book for the printer.