The editorial handbook: A comprehensive document to guide authors through the editorial process at Douglas & McIntyre Publishing Group

This report examines the creation of and reception to an editorial handbook for authors in a trade setting; such handbooks are prevalent among university presses and educational publishers but are rarely used by trade publishers. The handbook discussed here was an initiative of the editors at Douglas & McIntyre Publishing Group, who hoped that providing authors with a detailed written explanation of the editorial process and a glossary of proofreader marks would benefit the working relationship between authors and editors. This report discusses the perspectives of both authors and editors regarding the potential value of an editorial handbook as a supplement to the normal editorial process in trade publishing, traces each stage of the handbook's development, offers a comparison of the handbook to existing author guides, and gives recommendations for compiling and managing an editorial handbook to trade pubhshers hoping to undertake a similar endeavour.