Efficient publishing solutions,
streamlined editing, and more
Services
Academic Typesetting
The core application of our services is TeX, a programming language which, due to its programmable nature, is extremely flexible. It is widely known and used within the sciences because of its superior handling of mathematical formulae.
A great advantage
On top of that, TeX is unparalleled when it comes to the typesetting of non-Latin scripts. It enables us to process all kinds of scripts, such as Hebrew, Greek, Arabic and even Devanagari and other Indian scripts. Right-to-left scripts can be seamlessly incorporated in a text with left-to-right orientation, or the other way around.
Another great advantage
Just like XML, TeX works with encoded texts. This ensures a flawless and nearly fully automatic conversion to XML, a format indispensable for online publishing.
Using TeX, we can guarantee that each volume in a book series, or each issue of a journal, complies exactly with your typographic style, because the layout and content of the manuscript are stored in separate files. This means that the exact same layout can be applied to each subsequent volume or journal issue.
Last but not least
We can guarantee that each project can be reproduced – with the exact same result – at any given moment. This is extremely convenient for reprints of your backlist or, as is increasingly common, in the event of retroactive Open Access publication.
Production editing
Having an in-house production editing team enables us to offer an efficient workflow, which lessens the workload for your publishing house significantly. The production editors – who oversee the typesetting process directly – make sure that the entire production process runs smoothly from the moment the finished manuscript is submitted until the typeset book is sent to the printer.
Process
Our production editors control the production timeline – making sure deadlines are met, monitoring the quality of the typesetting as well as handling the communication with all parties involved. Our experience is that this allows for faster turnaround times, quick problem solving, more immediate feedback, and a better end result.
Automatic Copy Editing
The Automatic Copy Editor (ACE) is an interactive application developed by us to correct punctuation, citation and related style errors. The application is designed to make contributions to book series or journals consistent throughout. This is a semi-automated process supervised by one of our TeXnicians trained to ensure that no new errors are introduced in the text, and to intervene manually if needed.
Up-to-date pattern changes
ACE uses a database with search patterns that we compiled over the years based on flaws and mistakes found in submitted manuscripts from past decades. New patterns are frequently submitted to the database, keeping it up to date for several specific publishing styles, e.g. the Chicago Manual of Style, APA, MLA or the Blue Book. Or we can tailor it to your specific typographic and citation style or preference.
Precise punctuation flaw detection
With ACE, we make sure quotation marks and parentheses are balanced (an opener must have a closer and vice versa). In case of mismatches, ACE will alert the author. In addition, we can verify that each footnote ends with a period; write page and year ranges in full when an author accidentally abbreviated them (viz.: change 1987-89 into 1987–1989). Or vice versa. And these are just a few examples: our ACE system uses over 1.000 patterns.
1987-89 is changed into 1987–1989
Indexing
Publishers and authors both know how laborious indexing a publication is.
TAT Zetwerk has developed several tools for semi-automatically generating indices.
Major Reference Works
Major References Works, like encyclopediae, dictionaries, correspondence collections, are often managed in a Content Management System (CMS). CMS’s are complex databases allowing multiple users to work simultaneously in the same file. However, building such a system is expensive, and on top of the high costs, the use of a CMS can be frustrating for authors. Many are not used to working with such systems, and in some cases they may not even be willing to.
Sustainable data management
We have a smarter solution to manage your data, which is also cheaper: with tailor-made Word templates for your data, authors can work on the project while enjoying the features of an application they know very well: Word. Moreover, if we store the Word files in the cloud, several authors can also work simultaneously on the same file. The Word templates can easily be converted to our typesetting system and/or to XML for online publication.
Unburden Your Author
Scholarly publications are often the result of many years of research and writing. Once an author contacts your publishing house, they have often written a substantial part of their manuscript already. Being half way, or even further, complying fully to your author guidelines (e.g. ‘hand in a Word file’, ‘use unicode’, ‘comply to the Chicago Manual of Style’) may be a difficult task – potentially causing delays in submitting the final manuscript.
No need to demand Word
We can handle files created in Word Perfect, ancient versions of Word, Mellel, Notabene, CTE, LaTeX or whichever obsolete typewriter the author used.
No need to use unicode fonts
We can convert any Greek, Hebrew, Arabic font – or any other non-Latin script for that matter – to unicode without difficulty.
No need to require complete consistency
We can fix most punctuation, citation and related style issues semi-automatically with our ACE system.
