At this point, your proposal for a book has been reviewed and ASCE Press has offered you a publishing contract. As you work with ASCE Publications staff to publish your book, you will see your manuscript pass through several stages. Each of these stages is briefly described next, along with your responsibilities as an author.
Preparation and Submission of Draft Manuscript
As part of the proposal process, you prepared a description of your book idea and a detailed table of contents. You received feedback from the proposal reviewers and the Acquisitions Editor that is intended to help you present your material clearly and concisely. As you begin to draft your material, you should review these guidelines, and you should refer to them often as you do your work. When you have finished your draft, you should be prepared to submit hard copy and electronic files of the entire manuscript.
Editorial Review and Technical Review
Your draft manuscript, once received by ASCE Press, will pass through two parallel sets of review.
The editorial review is conducted by the Acquisitions Editor to ensure that all manuscript components have been received in satisfactory condition. The editor will verify that all terms of the publishing agreement have been met and that conditions or requests made as part of the proposal process have been addressed. The editor will survey the text, tables, figures, and references to confirm that they adhere to ASCE Press style, as well as verify that all permissions have been obtained and that electronic files (especially for illustrations) are in good order.
The Acquisitions Editor will also arrange for the technical review of your manuscript. Two or three knowledgeable reviewers will read your manuscript carefully, checking for both technical accuracy and clarity of presentation. This stage of anonymous peer review generally takes about three months, but it is essential to guarantee the quality of all ASCE Press publications. Reviewers are asked to complete a questionnaire and encouraged to make notes on a copy of the draft manuscript.
Revision and Submission of Final Manuscript
The questionnaires and comments from the technical review will be shared with you, and you and your editor will determine how the manuscript should be revised (if necessary). At the same time, the editor will communicate any problems that were detected during the editorial review. This information should form the basis of your revision. The amount of time allocated for revision will be determined by you and your editor. For most manuscripts, two or three months is sufficient.
As with the draft, you will be asked to submit both a hard copy and electronic files of the manuscript and its components. If you have not already done so, you should also submit the documentation for your permissions and the required forms.
Manuscript Check and Turnover
When your final manuscript is received by ASCE Press, the Acquisitions Editor will again review all aspects of your submission to determine that all components have been submitted in satisfactory condition so that the production cycle will proceed smoothly. When the editor determines that everything is in order, a turnover meeting is scheduled, and your manuscript will be handed off to the Books Production Manager, the Books Marketing Manager, and the Publicity Coordinator.
Production
The Books Production Manager oversees your manuscript as it is copyedited, designed and put into pages, proofed, corrected, indexed, and sent to the printer. Your primary responsibilities will be to review the copyediting and, later, the page proofs. These responsibilities are described in Assisting Production.
Marketing
The Books Marketing Manager and the Publicity Coordinator will arrange for the promotion of your book. As a first step, you will be sent a marketing questionnaire to help in the development of a marketing plan. Marketing efforts include, but are not limited to: arranging for advance galleys; arranging for review copies; soliciting endorsements for the back cover and other marketing materials; drafting the back cover copy and other marketing copy; promoting your book on the ASCE Web site and online bookstore and in direct mail and e-mail campaigns; arranging for your book to be sold by other societies and professional associations; and arranging book events. If you expect to attend conferences, ASCE’s Marketing staff can provide you with flyers, posters, or other materials to promote your book.