Our Production Process

You've sent us your manuscript. What happens next?

This page takes you through the steps of turning your completed manuscript into a published book. If you aren’t sure where you are in the process, or you have any questions, just get in touch with your project editor or production editor.


Assessment

Once your finalized manuscript arrives with your project editor, we put it through a final assessment process, so it can be formally accepted by Wiley and production can begin.


  • Your manuscript will be assessed for completeness by your project editor. They will check that all text, figures and ancillary material are present, and that you have provided the necessary permission for the use of third-party copyright material in your work
  • We may send your manuscript out for review to ensure quality and content. If your book is in a series with a series editor, they may also be sent a copy.
  • We will check the number of words and estimate the number of pages in the final book and submit a costing to a publishing meeting, where the print run and selling prices are agreed.

How you can help: We will invariably need to contact you with queries to resolve during the assessment process.


STEP 1 - Copyediting and typesetting

  • Once accepted, your manuscript will be assigned to a production editor or a project manager, whose job it is to oversee the all the production processes from unedited manuscript to final files for print and electronic publication. The production editor or project manager will be the primary contact during production and will be in touch with you soon after the manuscript is delivered to production.
  • The first stage of production is copyediting. We copyedit the manuscript for style, consistency, grammar and nomenclature
  • The copyedited manuscript is sent to the typesetter with Wiley's standard design specification for the text layout. Illustrations are checked and prepared for reproduction.

How you can help:


  • It is important that you submit the final version of your manuscript. Changes after submission are costly and will lead to delays in publication.
  • Copyediting is the work of improving the accuracy, organization, and style of text and artwork. The "five Cs" summarize a copyeditor’s core responsibilities: to make the copy clear, correct, concise, comprehensible, and consistent.
  • Wiley will use either its own house style, which is based on the Chicago Manual of Style or, where appropriate, the guidelines from the American Psychological Association (APA)
  • We may have queries during the copyediting process. Your production editor or the copyeditor will run through these with you.
  • Your contact will supply a schedule for the production process. Please notify the production editor if you will be away for any periods of time during the production process.

STEP 2 - Proofing and indexing

  • Page proofs arrive from the typesetter for you to check. These are usually supplied as editable PDFs onto which you can markup corrections. You can also compile an index from these proofs if not already prepared.
  • Once you have returned your proofs, your corrections will be sent to the typesetter for them to incorporate
  • The index is also sent for setting.
  • Your production editor then ensures that all proof corrections have been accurately made.

How you can help at proof stage:


  • Proofs are your last chance to make sure that the book is as you want it, but the page proofs are for correction of typographical errors only. There should be no major changes at this stage.
  • You can check out our full list of proofreading tips here

You will be working to a schedule agreed by you and the Production Editor/Project Manager. So that we can avoid any delays to your publication date if you are having problems meeting this date please talk to the Production Editor/Project Manager.


STEP 3 - Digital publication

  • Once the content is final, the typesetter will create and supply digital formats. These will be checked by the production editor.

STEP 4 - Printing and binding

The book is now ready to be sent for printing and binding.


  • When your book arrives from the printer it is quality checked. Then our distributors are instructed to release the book, allowing orders to be fulfilled.
  • Advance copies of the book are dispatched to contributors, endorsers, reviewers, and of course, to you.