Reviewing a proof of your magazine is exciting, but it can feel daunting. Where do you even start? Ideally, you’ll get edits back to Innovative within a few days, but what about all the people on your team who need to review? What exactly should your team look for during their review? And what if you’re 5 or 6 proofs in and still have feedback on design?
Getting to a version of your publication you can confidently approve doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Below is advice for a seamless review process and a publication you’re delighted with.
1. Keep the Heavy Lifting to Proof 1
Our job is to design a publication that you’re proud of, and to send you a first proof that is close to perfect so the work on your end is a breeze. We anticipate that there might be design changes, and we always welcome fresh ideas and feedback. Our recommendation is to send all design edits with the first proof, rather than waiting until you’re already a few proofs in. Design edits take time, and it’s much more efficient to complete them with the first batch of edits so that way the heavier changes are out of the way. Changes to the design also affect text because copy moves around with any layout alterations. It’s also a good practice to send any articles we’ve saved space for with your first-proof edits. Because those involve proofreading (and could require unexpected layout adjustments), it’s much quicker to get them out of the way with the first proof.
As a benchmark, we find that approving within three proofs is best to keep publications on schedule. Completing the most extensive edits from the beginning is the best way to accomplish this.
2. Have Your Team Review Early
It takes a team to put a publication together, and that includes on the association or business side. Have anyone whose approval you need before we proceed review the proof early on. When a team member who needs to approve doesn’t review until later in the process, it can cause delays if there are significant changes they’d like to make. It’s also best to compile everyone’s edits into one document, or have people work collaboratively in real time so they can see each other’s feedback.
3. Check Names and Dates
It’s common to have last-minute changes to events or staff updates. This is even more prevalent with directories, which involve a lot of contact information. When receiving a proof, double-check that all event dates are accurate, your staff is up to date and that any details about your business or association still look correct. It might feel tedious, but it helps prevent the possibility of publishing incorrect information.
4. Answer Any Questions from Your Editor
It’s common to not only receive the PDF of your first proof but also a list of questions from your editor. Editor flags can include questions about names, low-resolution photos or a sentence in an article that needs clarification. Before doing a thorough review of the proof, we advise looking at these questions first. It might take time to gather better quality photos or to get in contact with an article writer. There’s nothing worse than being completely approved for press and then realizing a flagged question hasn’t been answered.
5. Complete Multiple Reviews Before Sending Edits
Because we have a goal of three proofs or fewer before approval, we recommend reviewing the proof more than once before sending edits. This prevents sending edits piecemeal. Your first full review could be for design, then for factual accuracy and, finally, for the text overall. While you review, keep a list of changes, noting the page number and paragraph. Once your edits are compiled and your team has also reviewed and given their edits, you can then pass those along to your Innovative editor. It might seem tedious, but there’s often something you’ll catch during your second flip-through that you missed the first time.
6. Send Easy-to-Follow Edits
We recommend sending edits in the following ways that make it easy for us to give you exactly what you’re asking for:
- Adobe comments: If you have Adobe Acrobat, one of the easiest ways is to utilize the comments feature while reviewing. This way everything is typed out and in the exact spot where a change needs to be made.
- Word document: If you’re unable to access Adobe Acrobat, don’t fret! A Microsoft Word document is a great alternative. We recommend sending all of the edits as a checklist in chronological order, noting the page number and any other details to help us find the exact spot.
- Label photos: It also helps to label photos to denote where they should appear.
Sending edits in multiple threads or scribbling on a scanned PDF can make it easier to miss something or harder to decipher an edit’s meaning. When it comes to edits, in bulk is better!
7. Avoid Sending New Documents
If you have edits to an article or to lists in a directory, it’s much quicker and more efficient to send only the changes, rather than a completely new document to proof. We know this sounds counterintuitive: Isn’t it easier for us to replace an entire article instead of making individual changes? But because our front-end process is so rigorous, when we receive new documents, our team will need to proofread and reformat them, essentially starting over. If you can pinpoint just the necessary changes, we can quickly make those edits in InDesign. This is especially true for directories, where data sets are massive and sometimes involve complex sorting.
Conclusion
The most important thing is to take your time reviewing that first proof. Don’t feel as though you have to return edits the next day. Take a few days, check with your team and complete a few reviews. After the heavy lifting is done with the first proof, the subsequent edits should be minor text changes. Your Innovative editor and designer are there to help you every step of the way. If you’re ever struggling with your review process, let us know, and we can schedule a call! We’re here to help your publication succeed.
Jessica Sears is senior writer at Innovative Publishing. She can be reached at jessica@innovativepublishing.com.
Liz Herrera Lauer is managing editor and marketing strategist at Innovative Publishing. She can be reached at liz@innovativepublishing.com.
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