This document outlines a publishing company's plan to transform its in-house editors by extending offshore outsourcing to editorial functions. The goals are to achieve additional cost savings, increase project management offshore to allow staff redirection, and transform editors' roles to focus on developmental editing earlier in the process. Editors will work with authors from signing through submission to ensure continuity and improve manuscript quality. This transformation is meant to free up in-house staff from repetitive tasks and improve efficiency throughout the publishing process.

1. Transforming the In-House Editor

2. Mission
“Ultimately, Offshoring eliminates repetitive tasks
and provides employees with the creative
freedom to build better products . . .”
Page 2

3. Phase I--Savings Continue in Production
• Pages produced offshore double from 2005 to 2006,
continuing rate of 100% annual expansion.
• Annual 2006 savings approach $1.2 million.
• Targeted disciplines with highest return—Technical,
Medical, Test Prep—approach 100% offshore
production.
• Offshoring extended to non-technical disciplines
such as high-end Business titles.
Page 3

4. Phase II-- Extend Offshoring to Editorial
• Target subject disciplines where language issues
are least problematic—Technical, Medical.
• Achieve additional cost savings.
• Increase offshore project management to allow for
staff redirection in house.
• Transform the role of EDP staff positions to assist in
developmental product creation process upstream.
• Improve accountability, transparency, and efficiency
in the submission process.
• Build additional Production efficiencies by ensuring
better manuscripts.
Page 4

5. Project Management Increases
Page 5

6. Transforming Basics
• Offshore project management frees NY-based
workers from repetitive tasks.
• Moving editing staff upstream into the
developmental process improves submission
quality.
• Transformed job responsibilities dissolve an
artificial separation between Editorial and EDP.
• Reliability of new manuscript submissions, faster
schedules, better quality manuscript, efficient
business plans.
Page 6

7. Transformed Editors . . .
• Editors are now development editors, focused on
manuscript prior to submission.
• Editors skills are upgraded—mechanical
copyediting, proofreading, indexing, and author
production issues are managed outside.
• Editors still provide training of offshore workforce
and participate in quality control.
• Editors contact author immediately upon signing.
• Editors provide guidance regarding manuscript and
art preparation, feature rewrite, length control, and
timeliness of submission.
Page 7

8. In-House Editing Timeline
Page 8

9. Transformed Acquisitions . . .
• “I can’t acquire because I’m too busy with other
things.”
• New titles are “already in production” from the day
that writing begin.
• Developmental Editor becomes the author’s primary
contact during the writing stage and beyond.
• Continuity is ensured when an Acquisitions Editor is
unavailable or leaves the company.
• The best authors sign where they receive the most
support.
Page 9

10. Transformed Production . . .
• Production benefits when we “catch it early.”
• Manuscript and art preparation questions are
handled at inception.
• Editors provide help with templates and other time-
saving devices.
• Fewer rejected manuscripts and alterations.
• Improved workflow cycling through the entire
production process.
• The loop is completed: Offshoring enables the
editing transformation which enables further
production benefits from offshoring.
Page 10

11. Back to New Technology
• Editorial offshoring both requires and facilitates a
Technology solution to achieve scale.
• Commonly known as Workflow Management or
Content Management.
• Solution must bridge multiple vendors.
• For managed product, reporting needs become
acute.
• Quality control checking must be facilitated.
• Standard input/writing systems can be implemented
to facilitate multiple formats and reuse.
Page 11

12. Conclusion
• Editorial offshoring requires upgrading the skills of
your editing staff.
• New Job Descriptions and Job Titles are required.
• Recruitment policies must change.
• Older employees must be trained to reflect new
responsibilities.
• Offshore companies must be trained to be the “old
you.”
Page 12