Susheila Khera
When I was in graduate school, a professor hired me as an editor for a sprawling, ambitious education project.
The goal was to write and publish a series of 12 elementary school mathematics workbooks, in which the lessons were based on traditional Alaska Native knowledge. I entered onto the scene during the second year of the project, and I was fascinated by the concept. It encompassed math, science, storytelling, translations, illustrations, hands-on testing of the instructions, classroom testing of various lessons, teacher evaluations of the material, and semiannual meetings with Alaska Native elders, who generously answered questions, provided information, and evaluated the accuracy of the stories and illustrations.
The main writers were math education experts, located in at least five other states, who worked remotely. Local university students were hired, when needed, to write specific lessons or chapters. The Alaska Native elders were from two small, rural Alaskan villages with no road access and meager electronic communications capabilities. In addition, most spoke primarily their native language and translators were needed. Interaction was limited to the semiannual meetings. The endeavor was overseen and managed by the professor who had hired me. By the time I left the project three years later, I was thoroughly frustrated. However, the mismanagement that caused a 90 percent turnover in personnel every few months, that put everything years behind schedule, that caused the same material to be worked over by numerous people numerous times, taught me some invaluable lessons for all future publications projects.
The manager of this project had a key ingredient necessary for successful production: an editorial team that was willing to work together. He needed to work with the team to establish a goal, build a map to accomplish this goal, and then participate in creating a workflow that carried each document from draft A to publication. When each document is marched through the same succession of steps, the editorial team is better able to keep material organized, help writers develop their material from one draft to the next, and ensure consistency between documents. The orderly progression of an established workflow also helps eliminate such missteps as a writer submitting a raw draft to the layout person before the editor ever sees it.
While the graphic artist, the layout person, and I worked as a team, our efforts were constantly thwarted by the lack of planning, over which we had no control. Because this project was developed by people who were interested in pursuing their research, not in how the proposed product – the 12 workbooks – would ultimately be produced, very little thought was given to the necessary tools and facilities. In our case, the tools would have been enough computers, appropriate software, and individual workspaces. Unfortunately, as many as five people had to share one computer and the corresponding desk, which in turn forced us to adjust our schedules to maximize computer time and further destabilized an already shaky enterprise.
Finally, adequate administrative support is critical to the stability of a project. Simple things, such as getting an email address and telephone number from a new writer and giving every writer a copy of the style sheet and the workflow process, are invaluable contributions to the stability of a project. The role of the administrative support person becomes even more critical for a project that includes a large off-site workforce. In our case, contact between new and existing staff was infrequent, the editorial team never knew which new writers were contributing material, and most of the new writers did not know that there was an editorial team. In addition, perhaps because it was a university project, the main writers favored working directly with the project manager rather than the editorial team. This might have worked had the manager passed the new material on to the editorial team. Finally, while the manager did have a part-time administrative assistant, this person was so overworked with other things that she could not devote the time needed to this project.
Working on a group publication effort in an editorial capacity is not just a matter of working with the words that individual writers contribute. It is also a matter of establishing consistency and producing a publication in which the work of many reflects one intention. The proper tools, a clear vision, and adequate administrative support are essential to this.
Susheila is a writer and editor for Brooks Range Contract Services, Inc., in Fairbanks, Alaska.