Edit a manuscript within the Well-Formed Document Workflow.
This procedure is designed for projects created using ScML styles and the Well-Formed Document Workflow. Resolving potential issues as early as possible is recommended, as the consequences of having errors go to print or reach the ebook stage can be significant. At best, it means doing extra work to resolve the issue. At worst, it can mean that errors go to print or that an ebook is suppressed by a distributor. This procedure presumes a level of familarity with Microsoft Word and its standard features like Track Changes and is not a comprehensive guide to working in Word.
References/Prerequisites
A Message to Freelance Editors
The Well-Formed Document Workflow uses the industry-standard program Microsoft Word and the Scribe Add-In (SAI)) when copyediting manuscripts.
ScML styles have been applied to the manuscript, uniquely identifying each paragraph and character style in use. It is crucial that styles are maintained and deployed correctly. This enables the book content to flow quickly and efficiently into both InDesign (for layout) and through the ebook creation process (for conversion to ePub).
The SAI includes many features used in the scribing and editing processes. Subscribers to the WFDW have access to the full suite of tools, but everyone can use the SAI Lite, which includes the key tools to edit a compliant manuscript.
WFDW-Compliant Word Documents
In MS Word’s Styles pane, a paragraph style is denoted by a pilcrow (¶) next to the style name, while a character style is marked by an underlined letter “a.”
ScML styles are designed in Word to represent a standard treatment of each element in a commonsense way. For example, the levels of headings get gradually smaller, as one would expect in the printed book. The final rendering of these styles is determined for each output, using the InDesign style sheets for the print book and the cascading style sheet (CSS) for ebooks.
Paragraph styles in Word use font size and indentation to represent the book’s structure, and character styles use colors to show that ScML styles have been applied.
Every paragraph in the document must use an ScML style, and character styles must be used to apply italics, bold, and so on, not the I or B buttons in Word’s toolbar. The most common styles will be i for italic (rendering in green) and b for bold (rendering in pink).
Draft View
To see what paragraph styles have been applied in a manuscript, look at the document in Word’s Draft view.
Set the “Style area width” to 1 inch.
- PC: Go to the File tab > More… > Options. In the Options menu under “Advanced” and “Display.” Type type “1 inch” after “Style area pane width in Draft and Outline views.”
- Mac: Go to Word Preferences > View to access the “Style area width” field.
The style name associated with each paragraph will be shown in this Style area in the left margin.
- PC: Character styles can be seen in the Styles pane by clicking the arrow in the corner of the Styles section of the toolbar.
- Mac: Character styles can be seen in the Home tab if the Style window has been included in the toolbar.
The Style window will show the name of the character style, or it will show the paragraph style if no character style has been applied to the selected text.
Applying a Style
To apply a style, use the SAI’s Style Galleries. Built-in style galleries are available, and users can also create their own.
Do not apply character styles through Word’s toolbar. If italics are needed for text, select the text and apply the i character style from the Style Gallery.
When changing a paragraph style, the proper style articulation must be maintained in order to keep the file compliant with WFDW requirements. “Articulation” in the WFDW refers to the ScML style variations that account for spacing and indentation needs of each paragraph. Some examples of how the Digital Hub applies articulation can be found here.
All structural and spacing distinctions are handled through the chosen ScML styles. Do not use blank paragraphs to show space breaks, and do not add angle-bracket markers (e.g., <h1>) to indicate style instructions.
If the correct style selection is not known, insert a comment into the document for the publisher (or Scribe) to address when reviewing the copyedit.
Removing a Character Style
If a term is inappropriately italicized or bolded (for example, an italicized comma after a book title), remove the italics by selecting the italicized character(s) to be changed with the cursor and clicking “Default Paragraph Font.”
Applying “Default Paragraph Font” tells Word to use the base font of the paragraph, which is always defined as Roman text in Scribe’s Word Template.
Do not remove character styles through Word’s toolbar. This will change the appearance of the text in Word, but the applied ScML character style is the aspect that carries through to other formats.
Copyediting Procedure
Refer to Scribe’s Copyediting Procedure and Copyedit QC checklist for more details about what to check in files.
Note: Never work in Google docs, only locally in Microsoft Word. Any change made to a scribed document by manipulating it as a Google doc will remove all of the ScML styles.
Coordinate requirements and expectations with the publisher (or Scribe) before working on any file. Some aspects in the full procedure can only be accessed by WFDW subscribers. If needed, contact the publisher or Scribe to arrange for full access to the SAI and the Digital Hub.