On the crest of a page

It begins with one of the Press’s commissioning editors such as Sarah Marsh, whose job is to develop our publishing on medicine. 

One of Sarah’s recent commissions was Being You: The Body Image Book for Boys, by Dr Charlotte Markey, which was published in April. Written for boys aged 12 plus, it is full of evidence-based information and real-life stories that help them understand and appreciate their bodies, learn the truth about harmful body, diet and exercise myths and cope with pressure from social media, celebrity culture and advertising. It follows on from the success of the companion book for girls published in 2020: The Body Image Book for Girls: Love Yourself and Grow up Fearless.  

Sarah said: “Both these books – highly-illustrated and aimed at a teenage audience – are quite different to our usual publishing, so it was up to me to prove that they would be in safe hands with Cambridge.” 

An important part of a commissioning editor’s role is to build and maintain a good relationship with authors, providing a constant point of contact and a positive publishing experience. 

Sarah said: “Authors want to know there is a genuine interest in their book, which is likely to be a labour of love developed over many years. It’s important to show them we understand their vision, that we will work well with them and help them to publish a successful book we can all feel proud of.  

“This is what I’ve always worked hard to achieve with Dr Markey. She has been writing books for us for the last five years, and we now have another book in the works with possibly more to come. As commissioning editors, we’re in it for the long game.”  

Know your subject 

Dr Markey’s first publishing experience with the Press was with a research-level book – the kind of academic publishing that Cambridge is well known for and which has its origins in the work commissioning editors do to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in their field and to spot potential authors. 

“Commissioning editors all focus on their own particular subject areas, and it’s important for us to stay abreast of what’s happening in those fields,” said Sarah. 

“To help find new authors and ideas for new books we often look at what talks are being given at conferences and by whom. It’s also important for us to keep an eye on new research being published that could be a topic for a new book. We’re always on the lookout for gaps in the market where we can provide something innovative.  

“Above all, it’s about meeting and talking to people. We’ll take any opportunity to have a conversation, as it helps us learn about new topics creating a buzz or about what people need from a new book. It helps us find both the established and rising stars in a field and build relationships with people perhaps even if they’re not considering writing a book. One day maybe they will, and we want them to come to us. That’s the most important part of the job; the new relationships and the research. You can’t build a publishing programme without that.” 

She added: “It was because Charlotte enjoyed her publishing experience with Cambridge that she wanted to talk to us when she was ready to write The Body Image Book for Girls. She sent us her proposal and it was amazing.” 

A decent proposal 

Whether we approach a potential author with a book idea, or they bring their own idea to us, the proposal is key to the process of turning it into a book. A combination of overview and pitch, the proposal provides detailed information on the book that we can use when deciding whether to commission it: what need the book will fill; what it will cover; how long it will be; what is the target readership and what similar books are already on the market.  

Sarah said: “There’s a bit of your own experience involved in deciding if a proposal has potential. Initially, we’re looking at who the author is and their credentials, at the audience they’re writing for and, whether there is a market for the book. 

“There are many other things to consider too. Would there be a broad interest in the book? Does it cover all the topics it needs to? If it is a textbook, does it follow the structure of the course?  We also look at what other books are out there and if it can offer something new. Ultimately, we have to be confident that the book will be a solid financial investment.” 

Ask the experts 

Proposals with potential are sent for peer review, to be assessed by subject area experts. Here again a commissioning editor’s network of contacts is invaluable. Reviewers are asked about the merits of the proposal, whether they think there is a market for the book and, ultimately, whether they would recommend publication. 

Sarah said: “We treat every book the same, and authors usually find the process incredibly helpful, as it brings forward suggestions and ideas for them to refine the plan for their book.” 

Assuming the reviewer comments are generally supportive, the commissioning editor then brings forward a recommendation to colleagues from across editorial, sales, marketing and production, where the book idea will be discussed in more depth. Approval here leaves just one last stage: The Press Syndicate. 

Since 1698, the Press has been governed by the Syndics (originally known as the Curators), senior members of the University of Cambridge who provide a range of expertise. Its Academic Publishing Committee meets regularly to look at proposals and ensure the content being published meets rigorous academic standards. With their approval, a proposal can be accepted, a contract can be negotiated, and the writing can start. 

Sarah said “All this helps to reassure authors and customers that a high standard of quality is maintained and gives Cambridge books a stamp of quality that’s recognised around the world and that we work hard to maintain. 

“Once a contract is signed and an author begins writing, we still have lots to do to ensure manuscripts are written on time, to a high quality and to the scope originally agreed. In medical publishing it can sometimes feel like a miracle that any book’s written; doctors have full-time jobs saving lives, they don’t earn as much from a book as they do from their days jobs and so we are not always the priority. This has especially been the case during the pandemic when many of our medical authors have been on the frontline.  

“Again, our relationship with an author is vital. We need to understand the position they are in and help them produce the book they are passionate about. You have to stay on their priority list without being too pushy!” 

The means of production 

The baton now passes to the other key person in the journey from idea to page: the content manager, who oversees the production of the book. For the Press’s medicine publishing, that job falls to Saskia Pronk. 

She said: “As a content manager you are a key part of the academic books process; you plan the life of the book right up until it’s printed. You work very closely with all the other functions and if there are any issues you’re the go-to person because you know what’s going on with the book at all times.” 

When a manuscript arrives with Saskia, it goes into pre-production, where it is prepared for production and evaluated to resolve any outstanding issues and queries and to determine if it can follow a straightforward production workflow or needs a more bespoke design. 

Saskia said: “Dr Markey’s books needed a bespoke text design and because these are trade titles you have to start that process quite early and talk to the design team about what they think the text requires. 

“Essentially, these titles are different to anything else we really publish, with a handwritten font and with hand drawn illustrations that need to be commissioned and created from scratch, which also inform the text design."

“When we have a manuscript like that we get a lot more coming together of everyone in the production world: design, editorial, and even supply chain operations, because it will have a higher print run and be released on a specific, global publication date, so we need to tie in with marketing too. We involve everyone early, produce a plan and aim for that date.” 

And there is a lot to do. The first and longest stage sees specialist copy editors working through the manuscript. At the same time expert indexers get to work, tagging words, terms and phrases that readers may wish to reference. After that it is the turn of the typesetters, who create the print book and its electronic versions using the agreed text designs. The proofs they produce are then checked by the author, the content manager and specialist proof readers, with comments and corrections compiled into a revised proof. This is then checked one last time to ensure all the required changes have been made before the book goes to print. 

Saskia said: “It makes you proud to be part of that creative process. Everyone is so happy with how Being You looks. I could see a page from that book and know straight away where it has come from. There’s a real emotional connection. 

“At the start of the process you can sometimes think ‘how is this all going to come together?’ and then when it does you think ‘we can do this!’ It’s a real team effort.” 

Being You: The Body Image Book for Boys by Dr Charlotte Markey is out now and available from the Cambridge University Press Bookshop.