4. Copyediting and Proofreading

4.1 Once we have agreed on a cover and interior design (or, a rough one, at least), we will do a full rough design of the book. We may ask for further editorial changes. But soon it will be time for you and your contributing authors to read the book closely for errors.

4.2 Proofreading is difficult. Everyone involved looks out for errors, but someone should be the primary proofreader. Yes, each contributing author will, to a certain extent, proofread their own work, but the editor(s) of the volume must be responsible for the final round of proofreading before the manuscript is delivered to punctum. This might be the editor(s) or someone who is sub-contracted (a research assistant, perhaps). The bottom line is that authors are not always the best proofreaders of their own work (having partly to do with how many times they have read their own writing and are not paying the closest possible attention to every single sentence, word, etc.). While punctum will of course always be proofreading as the manuscript goes through several production phases, it is imperative that editors and their contributing authors carefully review all edited and typeset proofs that we send to them, and if you become weary of reading the manuscript over and over again, please enlist a competent proofreader to help you.

4.3 You and your contributing authors will have multiple chances to look at the corrected text, until final publication. As opposed to many other, more traditional academic presses, punctum does not limit in advance the number of times editors and authors can review edited and typeset proofs. However, if we feel an editor or author is being excessive with corrections and emendations of typeset proofs, we reserve the right to gently apply the brakes or to request a subvention for the continuation of work on the book.