Repurposing
Longman Electronic Document Preparation and Management for CSEC
for Pearson Education
For this two-colour project we repurposed an existing GCSE ICT book for the Caribbean market. The work for this project involved our production department more than our editors. A lot of realia (mock-ups of different types of letters, memos, reports, legal documents, etc.) had to be created with content and style suited to the new market; fitting these into the pages while keeping them legible and in proportion was fiddly work. A large number of new screen grabs also had to be made to illustrate the exercises, and figures from the previous edition had to be integrated. Finally, careful proofreading was needed to ensure that nothing remained from the old edition that was now irrelevant or inconsistent.
Scope of the project:
Commissioning new cover, CD-ROM on-body and inside designs; commissioning artwork; layout, including creation of realia and screen shots; proofreading; delivery of print-ready files.
GCSE Science Books for African countries for Pearson Education
CPM has project managed a number of school books for African countries. This involves a preliminary process whereby sample books are produced according to strict Government guidelines, subject syllabuses and short, immovable deadlines. These samples are put forward as a bid for the contract to supply the final materials. Only when the bid has been accepted do we then make final corrections and prepare the books for printing.
Most recently we produced student and teacher books for Chemistry and Physics in Rwanda. This was a complex project, in which the text and images used in existing books for Uganda had to be repurposed for Rwanda. We needed to ensure not only that the content matched the Rwandan syllabus, but also that cultural references within the text were amended wherever relevant (for example, by replacing photos so that any students featured were wearing the correct style of uniform for Rwanda). We achieved this using subject specialist editors and proofreaders, with additional input from the authors and from editors in the market. The layout was a particular challenge as it involved piecing together material from several sources. Any new artwork had to match the existing style exactly, so we commissioned an illustrator who we knew could do just that.
Not only did we fulfil our brief, but Pearson also won the bid, with the materials we produced receiving the highest marks overall for content and presentation.
Scope of the project:
Full project management; copyediting; photo/artwork selection and commissioning; layout; proofreading; indexing; delivery of final print-ready files.
Explorer Guides (Animal Tracking, Bug Hunting, Pond & Rock Explorer) for HarperCollins
This little project involved taking four existing titles and repackaging them into a smaller, neater format to create three Explorer Kits aimed at children aged 7 and over. Developed by popular wildlife expert, author and TV presenter Nick Baker, these kits provide all the tools and information needed for proper scientific adventures in gardens, parks, fields, woodlands, seaside rock pools and freshwater ponds. Animal Tracking was a Gold Award Winner for best Science and Nature Toy by Good Toy Guide 2007, Bug Hunting was highly commended in the Gift of the Year Awards 2007 and Pond & Rock Explorer was winner of the Gold Award for Best Science and Nature Range by Good Toy Guide 2007 – so good things do come in small packages!
Scope of the project:
Full project management; redesigning; copy-editing; page layout; proofreading; delivery of print-ready files.