How to Get Published

Book Production

From submission to press, various media are used:

• Microsoft Word/PDF files submitted to AOCS
• Copyedited Word files
• Typeset InDesign files
• PDF files for author review
• EPS, PDF, and InDesign files for the printer

At each of the stages of production, AOCS staff checks your manuscript files against the proofs (PDFs created from the InDesign files used by the printer) to make sure mistakes do not occur in the final product. The PDF files used for author review closely resemble how your chapter will look in the final book—for this reason, corrections at this stage can be quite expensive because they require changing the final book layout. As you can see, there are various media that your work must pass through before going to the printer, and mistakes inevitably creep in. Due diligence and cooperation with AOCS staff means fewer errors!

How long does production take?

Book production can take anywhere from 10 weeks to 8 months, depending on the complexity of the book and the involvement of the editors/authors. Open lines of communication from editor to AOCS can drastically reduce the overall time, and as you can see in the graph below, the percentage of time it takes for each task is variable.

Copyediting Sample

Below you'll find a sample of a page that has been copyedited by AOCS. We insert heading designations (<H1>, <H2>, etc.) and correct grammar/references as needed to ensure adherence to AOCS style.

Once the manuscript has been typeset, we will send you a PDF of how the chapter will look in the final book. At this stage, you will then review this "proof" for any typesetting errors.