Typical questions asked by authors and publishers:

1. What does Dovetail Content Solutions do?
   
2. What is content development?
   
3. What are the qualifications of the staff at Dovetail?
   
4. How is Dovetail different from other content packagers?
   
5. What is the benefit of Dovetail's relationships with compositors and printers?
   
6. Is Dovetail able to work with my company-approved vendors, or are they obligated to provide composition and printing through Maryland Compositon and Consolidated Graphics?
   
7. How can Dovetail reduce a product’s time to market?
   
8. How can Dovetail Content Solutions make life easier for my authors and editors?
   
9. How can Dovetail Content Solutions make life easier for me?

1. What does Dovetail Content Solutions do?

• Acts as your publishing partner
• Provides content development
• Manages schedules
• Manages and oversees work of authors and contributors
• Provides full-service production

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2. What is content development?
Content development, or developmental editing, means different things to different clients, but it generally involves working closely with the publisher, editors, and authors to produce a work that achieves agreed-on goals, both physical (size and appearance) and conceptual (depth, accuracy, completeness, and audience appropriateness). As such, it can include any of the following tasks:

• Competitive analysis
• Text reformatting
• Substantive editing or rewriting of content
• Art program and design management
• Invitation and instruction of contributors
• Author support during content creation
• Assessment of submitted chapters for clarity, organization, completeness, and adherence to length specifications
• Coordination of reviews

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3. What are the qualifications of the staff at Dovetail?

• We know publishing, including its common pitfalls.
• We use proprietary software tools designed to manage the publishing process.
• We’ve developed and tested streamlined workflows.
• We are experienced, innovative, and flexible.
• We have spent a combined 60 years in science, technical, and medical publishing — including experience in editorial, production, and acquisitions — with books, journals, CD-ROMs, and PDA tools.

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4. How is Dovetail different from other content packagers?

• Most packagers begin with an already-written manuscript. We can start before a manuscript exists—at the proposal stage—and work directly with authors to create their content.
• We can follow a streamlined development and production process that eliminates knowledge gaps and minimizes mistakes that can occur in the handoff from editorial to production.
• As a division of Maryland Composition, we have relationships with both compositors and printers.

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5. What is the benefit of Dovetail’s relationships with compositors and printers?

• One-stop shopping from content creation through printed product allows for efficiencies that save time and money.
  
• Our single-path process means that a single project manager oversees the entire process.
  
• We can supply a single estimate for your project, from editorial development through printing.

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6. Is Dovetail able to work with my company-approved vendors, or are they obligated to provide composition and printing through Maryland Compositon and Consolidated Graphics?

• We can work with any vendors, whether they are on-shore or off-shore.
  
• It's your call, but if needed, Maryland Composition and Consolidated are there for you.

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7. How can Dovetail reduce a product’s time to market?

• Our editorial expertise helps eliminate time-consuming mistakes and redundancies.
  
• Our software tools speed the process.
  
• Our single-path process eliminates downtime that traditionally happens as projects move from editorial into production.

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8. How can Dovetail Content Solutions make life easier for my authors and editors?

• We act as partners throughout the entire editorial and production process.
  
• We can provide authoring tools (e.g., templates).
  
• We can provide detailed manuscript and art preparation instructions customized for each client.
  
• We can provide Web site project management.
  

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9. How can Dovetail Content Solutions make life easier for me?

• Our software tools allow you easy access to manuscript tracking and project status.
  
• If you take advantage of our single-path process, in addition to other efficiencies, you will deal with only one project director, who will follow through from inception until your product is finished.
  
• When dealing with editors, authors, and contributors, our project directors never forget that they are representing you as well as Dovetail, so projects are handled with professionalism, expertise, and care.