Re: How is editing organized in your company?
> If those of you who work in companies with a well-defined
> editing activity could describe the way
it's organized, and perhaps give a few tips and warn
against pitfalls, I would be very grateful."
I'm interested in how real-life companies organize a
serious editing function in their technical
publications department.
Where I've worked, editors have been assigned either to product
lines or to writing groups. The situation varies depending
on whether a book is being written from scratch or is a
reissue. For new books, the ideal situation is for the
editor to work with the writers developing documents
from the very beginning, helping with outlines, structure,
and so on. Then when about 60% of the book is written,
the editor does a developmental review.
However, usually there isn't time for that. Generally, I end
up doing the same thing for new books as for updates: reviewing
at the same time as the documents are sent out for technical
review. The writer incorporates the edits at the same time as
the technical comments are incorporated. Then if new sections
are written, I edit those individually. Writer are free to
come to me at any time during the process if they want help
for specific chapters and so on, but usually they are too
busy getting the technical content down.
BTW, _Read Me First: A Style Guide for the Computer Industry_
has a whole section on working with editors.
Best of luck!
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Re: How is editing organized in your company?: From: elba
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