PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
Process Length
A number of variables affect our publication process (see the figure below). These include the manuscript’s length and quality, your availability to work with the editor, the workload and priorities of the press team assigned to your project, and the number of manuscripts already in AU Press’s production queue. The following schedule shows typical production times once the editing process begins:
• Book 8 to 12 months
• Drew Paper 4 to 5 months
• Wright Flyer Paper 3 to 4 months
• Walker Paper 3 to 4 months
Accepted Manuscripts
If AU Press decides to publish your manuscript, we will notify you to submit the final files according to the instructions in the following section. Once we have received your final files and confirmed that they meet our submission specifications, we will put your manuscript in our production queue and send a publishing agreement as outlined in appendix A of the Air University Style and Author Guide for you to read, sign, and return to us. This document specifies, among other things, the obligations of both you and the Air Force as they pertain to the publication of your work.
An editor will contact you when your manuscript is assigned to him or her. Most AU Press production teams include a project editor, copy editor, quality reviewer, illustrator, and typesetter. The illustrator will prepare your figures for printing and develop a cover design. The editors will edit the manuscript according to the Air University Style and Author Guide and the Chicago Manual of Style. You will then review those edits and work with the project editor to resolve all editorial issues. This is your last opportunity to make changes to your manuscript. After this stage, we will correct only errors of fact, grammar, spelling, or typography.
Figure. General work flow
The manuscript will then undergo a quality review and be typeset. Once the manuscript is typeset, the project editor will thoroughly proofread the typeset page proofs. You will receive a PDF of the page proofs for review. Normally you will have only a short time to review the page proofs and submit corrections of fact, grammar, spelling, or typography. After all corrections have been made, the manuscript will be prepared for printing (subject to budgetary constraints). We usually receive hard copies of a book four to six weeks after the files are submitted to the printer.