PAPERS IN ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS   
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Key Role of Editor in the Production of Planning

N.Krishnaswamy

Introduction

       It is common knowledge that attractively produced publication carries the impression of being a good work without any reference to the contents being well written or badly presented.  So the production of publication is the most important aspect of any publishing programme, more so of academic publishing in view of the fact that audio-visual aids are trying to sweep off the book.  Production thus forms the basis, rather the most important basis of publication of any type of printed material-primers, language textbooks, reference books, publicity materials, periodicals, etc.

Editor's role in planning

       The role of editor in any publishing programme is of considerable importance.  The editor is the pivot of the wheel of academic publishing.  His active participation rather involvement in the publication programme is imperative if the programme has to have the great stamp of success.  He is the figurehead in the starting of any project say by way of commissioning of people well-known writers-to write or prepare the material for a particular subject or topic of interest.  His impact is felt in the right choice of subjects and appropriate writers/authors known for their writings and authenticity in the concerned field of study.

Editor's role in production

       The most essential aspect of production is designing of different kinds of publications.  The next stage of active participation of the editor is in the designing and production of publications of various types.  He takes the key role while participating in the discussions with his co-workers author, artist, the designer and the production e The most essential aspect of production is designing of different kinds of publications.  The next stage of active participation of the editor is in the designing and production of publications of various types.  He takes the key role while participating in the discussions with his co-workers author, artist, the designer and the production expert with regard to the production aspect of any publication.  His knowledge about the format and the design of a publication helps in the adaptability and/or adjustability of the material to the required purpose of the publication programme.  His knowledge of colour scheme, lay-out and placement of illustrations (both line and half tone) in appropriate size and place, etc., helps in the overall improvement of the quality of the publications.  He takes interest in suggesting to the artist ideas regarding the preparation of suitable/appropriate drawings/illustrations for inclusion in the publications.  He also suggests suitable colour scheme for the drawings/illustrations.  He becomes one of the most important persons working in the entire programme of publishing provided he sets aside the ego in him while participating freely and frankly with all the co-workers and thus helps effectively in bringing out quality publications on time.         

       The techniques of production for different types of publications primers, language textbooks, reference books, publicity materials periodicals, etc. , vary according to the category of the publications envisaged for productions, the number of copies to be produced, the size of the publication, the size and face of types to be used, number of illustrations (both line and half tone illustrations) and placement of those illustrations suitably.  It is quite evident that a production-oriented editor can be more effective and pivotal in the programme of publications.  His effective participation can be felt in the various types of publications handled by the organization.

Primers

       In the case of primers the designing is to be visualized keeping in view the simplicity, broad display and attractive get-up.  The determination of size of the publication is the primary consideration in the designing of this category of publication keeping in view the clientele for whom it is meant.  Since this category is meant for children of various age-groups, it is imperative that this should be very colourful, with number of illustrations appropriately placed to make it very attractive.  The size and the face of the types should be quite big, bold and attractive.  Visualising of the final product is the most essential exercise that the editor and those concerned with the production of this material should bear in mind.  The sizes of the various types of books in this category of publication it is very necessary to bear in mind the size of the paper available for its printing.  This is necessary to adapt the size suitably according to the available size of the paper.  This indirectly brings into play the aspect of economics of production in any publication programme with a view to keeping the cost down and also avoiding wastage.

       The binding aspect of this category of publication is very important as it is meant for children of different age-groups who do not bother about the economic implications of wear and tear of publications.  Therefore, good quality thick art card board etc., should be used for binding purposes keeping in view the number of page that go into each category of this book.

Language textbooks and reference books

       After the material has been accepted for publication either as a textbook or as a reference book, the need to determine its size arises.  The size of the publication of this category could be either crow quarto royal octavo.  Here also the determination of the size should be considered after keeping in view the availability of the size of paper.  After determining the size of the publication, the print area of each page including folio numbers and heading should be decided.  It is also necessary to determine the number of illustrations to be used and their suitable placement.  With regard to the number of colours to be used, it is normal practise to go in for black and white only unless the need is felt for addition of a colour or two more.  The size and face of types to be used depends upon the category of publication namely, either language textbooks or reference books.  In the case of language textbooks, the size of types could be 10, 12 or 14 point depending upon the classes to which these textbooks are meant.  In the case of reference books, the size of types could normally be 10 point.  For footnotes that appear at various pages in the reference books, 8 point types are used.  Regarding the face of types, normally Times Roman, Univerrse, etc., are used.  Care is to be taken with regard to determining the style of binding for these categories of books.  This depends upon the thickness of the book, i.e., the number of pages that it contains.  There are so many styles of binding of books.  But in this instance, the normal style of binding for textbooks and reference books is-section-sewn and cover drawn on or cloth binding.

Publicity materials

       The production of publicity materials, folders, pamphlets, booklets, posters, etc., demands clear thinking and visualizing the pattern of material to be produced.  Much depends upon the type of publicity one desires.  For example, if a publication which is in press is to be published, then one has to think in terms of planning and bringing out a pre-publication pamphlet for the purpose (e.g., Biology-NCERT).  Folders and pamphlets could be of different sizes and production of these should be planned keeping in view the contents and the purpose for which publicity is intended.

Periodicals

       Dailies, weeklies, monthlies, bi-mothlies, quarterlies, annual and bi-annual numbers.  For this group of publications, time factor is the most important and so planning and production need to be done in accordance with the periodicity of the item under consideration.

1.       Daily : Time factor is the most important in this case and as such there is not much scope for day-to-day changes in the pattern of publication.  Normally a set pattern is followed.

2.       Weekly : Though time factor is most important material for a couple of issues could be planned well in advance, of course with an eye to adjustment and adaptability.

3.       Monthly : Material for a couple of issues should be planned well in advance as in this case also time factor is quite important.

4.       Bi-monthly and Quarterly : Time factor, though quite important is not that hard pressing as in the case of weeklies and monthlies.  Therefore, planning may be done with greater ease and comfort.  Needless to add, planning of couple of issues in advance is well advised.

5.       Annual and Bi-annual: As plenty of time is available, considerable thought and care should go into the planning and production of this type of publication.

Textbook editing :

       G.L. Anand textbooks have come to occupy and will probably continue to occupy a unique place in the teaching-learning process.  Although education is supposed to be child-centered, yet in actual practice, it is (whether we admit it or not) textbook-centred, textbooks, despite their various shortcomings, have merged as the greates single tool of the teaching-learning process.  On the one hand, they provide the general framework within which a particular subject should be taught, and on the other, they provide guidance to the teacher as well as the student for the best possible approach to the subject.

       Moreover, the textbooks are the most objective tools of education.  The teacher can never be expected to be so objective as the textbooks are.  They also bring about uniformity in education in the entire region/country in which they are prescribed.  Although they cannot replace the teacher, yet they are thought to be more dependable and trustworthy by the society, because the knowledge imparted by them is not only secular but more organized and systematic.  It is not possible to imagine a system of education in the present times which can give knowledge in such a systematic way without the aid of textbooks, howsoever brilliant teachers we may have in our society.  Textbooks help the teacher also is conducting his task of imparting education in a planned way.  Due to all these factors, text books have a unique position in the system of education.

Need to improve the quality of textbooks

       It can perhaps be inferred from the above discussion that the quality of education imparted to the children in a country will, to a large extent, depend upon the quality of textbooks brought out by it.  The Central Government as also the State Governments in India are not oblivious of this fact.  Improvement of the quality of textbooks is one of the major factors which has made the government to enter in the field of textbook publishing in a big way.  This has argued well for the textbook publishing in the country, since the standards of textbooks have definitely improved.  But there is constant need to keep a check on quality, both in content as well as in production.  In fact, there is still a great scope for improvement in both.  The textbook editor has a very important role to play in this context.  Unfortunately his role has not so far been properly understood and fully recognized by the government as well as other textbook publishing agencies.

 

The Role of the textbook editor

       To ensure quality is the main job of the editor.  Right from the time the manuscript is conceived, the editor is very clear in his mind about the purpose of the book or the textbook.  Before reading the manuscript, he must ask this question again: What is the purpose of the book he is going to edit?  And after he has read the manuscript once, he must ask himself the second connected question: Does it fulfil the purpose for which it was conceived and written? Suppose, a textbook on social studies is addressed to the students of Class V.  The first thing the editor must know the purpose or the objectives of the education board or the syllabus committee members in getting the textbook prepared.  The editor is also supposed to know the skills, the understandings and the values the textbook is supposed to impart to the students.  It is the business of the editor to see the textbook fulfils all its requirements well.  This will ensure the quality of its contents.

       The textbook editor is however not supposed to go into the details of the syllabus and evaluate the manuscript on that count.  He is to be content with checking the  requirements of the publisher (whether it is a private firm or government agency) and the needs of the consumers (or the society) in whose hands he is passing the textbook.  A textbook editor is a good citizen, loyal to his country.  He is a nationalist.  He does not allow anything to go in the textbook which is against the spirit of the constitution of his country or is likely to prove harmful to the society.  If the author errs, the editor should check him on all these points.  It is absolutely necessary that all textbook producing agencies, whether government or private, must have trained and competent editors to ensure the quality of contents of our textbooks.  Short orientation courses of textbook editors should be organized to ensure quality textbooks for the country.

       It must however be added that a textbook editor need not necessarily be an educationist.  But he has a deep interest in the education of those to whom he passes in the printed form what the author has written.  The textbook editor must at the same time be conscious that he is performing a very important task, the effect of which on the readers is going to be tremendous.  As is well known, the printed word has a tremendous influence on the human mind.  Even the best writings of the world are not likely to have much effect if they are not put into print.  The textbook editor causes a written manuscript into print.  By doing so, he indirectly puts the seal of authentication on the manuscript, because printed words are likely to be taken as authentic.  This puts a great responsibility on the textbook but also he should thoroughly examine the factual information given in it.  In case he is not the master of the subject of the textbook, he should get it examined by the competent experts in the field.  Inaccuracies of content are intolerable in a textbook.  A textbook therefore needs a very close scrutiny.

The Editor and the author

       The inaccuracies observed in the manuscript should be brought to the notice of the author, so that he makes necessary corrections.  There are inaccuracies of various kinds and various degrees.  Small inaccuracies of spelling, etc., should not be referred to the author.  Others which involve rewriting a chapter or portion of it must be referred to the author.  Here we must have a word of caution.  Conveying to the author his shortcomings or mistakes is a very delicate matter.  The author need not be offended or humiliated in this process.  He is the creator of the manuscript and must get due respect, whatever his weaknesses are.  The editor is, in fact, a link between the publisher and the author.  He must understand both and try, so far as possible, to satisfy both.  He must understand that he is not the boss of the author.  But this does not mean that he should be unduly indulgent towards the author's writing.  He must be strict about his business and should never compromise on quality without being unduly harsh or lenient.  A textbook editor therefore must be a man of cool temperament.

       Examination and scrutiny of contents of a manuscript require clear understanding and sound judgment, which are two great assets of an editor.  Besides being a man of sound judgment, an editor must be perfect in his trade.  That is, he must possess sound technical knowledge of his job.  A good skill in language is the first such requisite.  The editor must feel at home with words, like a good wordsmith.  This is absolutely necessary if he is an editor of language textbooks.  He must be a good visualiser and must understand the principles of design.  A good knowledge of types and production processes helps him in doing a good job and ensures high standards of production without any wastage.

National textbook style manual

       Textbooks must have a uniform style regarding capitalization, abbreviations, use of numerals, hyphenation and word breaking, punctuation, format, paper sizes, use of foreign words, numbering system (for chapters, illustrations as well as paragraphs), references, footnotes, spellings, index, symbols, bibliography, etc.  This not only ensures quality but saves valuable time of the editor.  We in the NCERT have formulated a style manual for our textbooks in English as well as in Hindi.  This, however, is not so comprehensive as it should be.  It would be preferable if instead of all textbook producing agencies having separate style manuals, we have one common style manual for all such agencies.  This can be named as National Textbook Style Manual.  Such manuals are in vogue for the use of authors, editors and publishers in many countries.  The Indian Standards Institution has also published some such manuals.  These manuals have been prepared after due research and can therefore form the basis of a National Style Manual for Textbooks.  They also give knowledge about margins, print area and other details of format.  The editor must have perfect knowledge of the paper sizes and book sizes so that no mistake is made in choosing the correct format and size for a particular textbook.  For ready reference, one typed sheet should all these details is enough for his day-to-day needs.  I.S.I. Standards can be referred to for further details.

Illustrations in a textbook

       A textbook, since it is not meant to be read for pleasure, is never interesting to read, howsoever interesting lessons you may introduce in it.  The reader knows that is meant for examination.  He therefore cannot enjoy even the most humorous lessons.  It is accepted by all that textbooks are a dull matter.  This dullness of textbooks can be broken only by one device, and this is by introducing beautiful pictures in the text along with the reading matter.  A clever editor, however, does not use pictures for this purpose alone.  He uses the pictures as illustrations, so that they not only beautify but help in understanding the text also.  If used judiciously, illustrations in a textbook occupy only next place to text in order of importance.

       Illustrations are of many types.  It is for the editor to decide whether a black and white halftone illustration will be appropriate at a place or a colour transparency: whether a drawing could serve the purpose or a photograph would do better.  Here editor's skill enables him to make sound judgment.  If he makes a wrong decision in the matter of illustrations, there is no chance to this mistake being corrected unless the illustration is replaced by a new one, which involves unnecessary wastage.  Selection of illustrations requires knowledge, experience and production skill.  An editor generally faces more problems with illustrations than with manuscript.  Illustrations, to be true, are the most tricky thing to handle.

       Sound judgment and maturity in visualization help in the right choice of illustrations, otherwise even with increased costs we may have shabby reproductions.  If the editor is able to go through his task of selection of illustrations well, the results are bound to be excellent.

       However, the illustrations may increase the cost of the textbook considerably.  The editor has therefore to be selective.  The illustrations must be suitable for the subject of the text.  It is actually the subject of the book that determines the types of illustrations needed.  But the knowledge of the subject and suitability of the illustrations to the subject do not suffice.  The editor must be able to distinguish between a good illustration and a bad illustration from the production point of view.  Moreover, it is absolutely necessary that the editor is able to work with his photographer or his artist.  That is, he should be able to make them realize the requirements of the job and he should, at the same time, know their capabilities.  The communication gap between a editor and his artist may create chaotic  conditions in the editorial department.  The editor must know from whom to expect what.  He should have full knowledge of all the sources of illustrations available to him.

Use of colours

       Colours are good for children's book.  But there is nothing bad in black and white illustrations, provided their selection and quality are good.  Making a book colourful does not necessarily make it attractive.  It is better for a textbook editor to use minimum number of colours in these days of soaring prices because colours add a lot to the price of the textbook, which is to be purchased by the poor parents also.

Observing the deadline

       After the manuscript has been edited and the illustrations finally selected, the manuscript is ready for press.  But before sending it to press all technical markings should be checked once again, so that after the manuscript leaves the editor's desk, there is no scope for second thoughts.  The processes, through which a book has to pass after it leaves the editor's desk till it comes out of the press in printed form are intricate and involve many people, including the printer.  This is usually the period of bottlenecks, which appear at various stages in this period.  So, in editorial planning it is absolutely necessary to make provision for emergencies.

       A textbook has a deadline.  It must come out well before the start of an academic session so that it is available to the students on time.  All editorial plans are set according to this calculation.  But just when the book is about to  come out, there is either a labour trouble in the press or there is a drastic power cut or some unknown and unheard of emergency appears on the scene.  The students need the book urgently and there are questions in the Parliament or the Assembly.  The editor makes numerous visits to the press, reads proofs day and night and tries to bring out the textbook near the schedule.  These are the most agonizing moments for a textbook editor.  At this stage, the deadline of the textbook appears to be a real deadline in its original meaning for him.  (In ancient times, there were open prisons, and the prisoners were prohibited to go near a certain line drawn around the prison enclosure.  Anybody going near this line was to be shot dead.  Thus came the word `deadline'.  Though its meaning has softened much with the passage of time, yet for the textbook editor, a deadline is as terrorizing as it used to be in ancient times!

       Obviously, the textbook editor survives these agonizing moments.  The conclusion is that a good textbook editor never loses his balance in spite of all the hazards which are a part of his trade and profession.  He uses his judgment boldly to take decisions and is willing to take responsibility for them.