Plant Identification
Page 39
The first thing to take into consideration at this stage was that the document would have to be printed in the office, without the benefit of a professional outside printer. This required printing the text pages, the illustrated plants, the covers and the inner covers, and all parts of the document in order to put together the samples needed for validation in the field. The editors made four originals of the final draft and four photocopies in black and white, upon which facilitators could take notes of the corrections in the field and the comments overheard during the tests.
Preparing each one of the samples thus took a lot of time; but carrying out this step was more economical in the end and was necessary for ensuring that the users were satisfied with and approved of the guide, and that they felt involved.
Doing this in the office means that you need to programme some time for printing all of the parts and putting them together – binding or sticking them – and making sure that they appear in the correct size (this can be achieved after binding by cutting all of the pages together in a big guillotine to ensure that the edges of the pages are in line with the cover).
The product is thus close to the final guide in appearance, although the quality of the cover and the pages of the illustrations are not as good. Furthermore, because it was printed in the office, normal paper was used, which appeared too ‘weak’ to be part of the field guide.
This was commented upon by the testers; but they understood that it was too expensive to print the mock-up on final quality paper.
At the point of printing, you must have all of the information for the complete text available, as well as the illustrations for the species that have been finished; if something is still missing, it should be for a small group of species so that, overall, it is not really noticeable that some pages are incomplete, or lack information or illustrations. Therefore, the validation is practically at the final point, even though you have to be open minded and expect that you will make some changes and important additions at this stage.
In this case study, some plates were still incomplete, lacking photos of the flowers or fruits that had been mentioned as diagnostic characters of some plants. However, the authors made an effort to complete these illustrations; where it was not possible, the users accepted that they would be included later on.
To conclude, if you want to prepare and print a field guide independently, it is important that the project originator or institution should have the basic computer equipment, or is prepared to make the investment at the beginning, with appropriate capacity to store the information, images and all of the software, including word processing, image editing (such as Photoshop or Corel) and desktop publishing (such as PageMaker).
Source: Israel Vargas and Claudia Jordán
DOCUMENTATION: INSTRUCTIONS AND FORMS FOR THE TEST
To ensure that the workshops go as planned and that all members of the team know exactly what to do and record, the forms and instructions must be agreed and printed in
Testing the field guide 233
advance. Any printed hand-outs must obviously be legible, and there must be sufficient quantity for all participants, with some left over as possible replacements for faulty material. If there are questionnaires or forms to fill in, the questions listed must be clearly worded so that there is no possible confusion for the user which could lead to a wrong answer. It is a good idea to have the material checked by someone outside the production team to make sure that the text and questions are quite clear.
In most situations the following documents will be useful:
•
Workshop programme. This is to be given out to all participants in the workshop and all members of the team. It is a document containing information on the activities to occur during the workshop, explaining the aims of the activities, how long they will take, and detailing breaks for snacks, lunch and rest. Although the team members will know about the organization of the workshop, they should also receive the same information as the participants.
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Test timetable for the project team. This is to be issued to the team only as a guide to the activities for the team members who will organize the workshop and carry out the tests. Similar to a programme, but much more detailed, it is the projected timetable for all the workshop activities. It must contain the following information: the objective of the tests; the desired result; a list of participants and organizations invited to the workshop; the expected number of people attending (participants and team members); how the activities are to be organized; a complete programme for the whole workshop (including dates); transport details for the team and participants (if necessary); details of the pre-workshop methodology and post-workshop evaluation meetings; a programme containing all test activities; details of where each activity is to take place and how long it will take; test material; notes for team members; material for recording information and participants’ responses; details of who is to present the activity and who is to conduct the test; and details of the methodology to be used.
•
Recording forms for participants. With the aim of recording all of the analyses, responses and comments of the testers, questionnaires can be devised to help participants follow the exercises, step by step, and record their own responses and explanations. For each activity and each item to be tested, a specific form is needed.
•
Recording forms for observers. In addition to forms for testers, the observers need a form to record their own observations of the testers. Bearing in mind that the observer’s role is to notice how difficult or easy the participant finds the activities, this form will contain questions and suggestions regarding what to observe during the test, and questions to understand the reasoning processes of the participant. An outsider observing the process may well pick up on unexpected issues that could arise when using the guide outside the test environment. Using this instrument in this situation, questions may be raised that could later be discussed with all participants at the end of the activity or workshop, with the aim of ironing out all doubts and suggestions.
•
Usability forms. In order to check that all components of the guide are being assessed, the facilitators/observers in usability tests may use forms such as the completed example for a guide to medicinal plants in Paraíba, Brazil (see Table 9.2).
In this case, the tester knows the plant and at first looks for it in the index of common names, but does not find the common name and therefore leafs through the
234 Plant Identification
book. Looking at the drawings, the tester finds the species and then checks the description in the text.
USING THE RESULTS OF TESTS AND WORKSHOPS
When a set of tests or a workshop is finished, some time must be devoted to compiling and analysing the results in order to consider what adjustments need to be made to the guide and, if necessary, to prepare material for a second set of tests, as well as to make any methodological changes required in the test.
Finally, of course, the test will only have been a valuable process if you actually make the changes that have been recommended. This may not be an easy decision – no two testers will express the same opinion – and some balanced argument may be needed to decide what to do next. This is where observation of the testers comes in. Testers’
opinions may differ; but if observers repeatedly notice that no one is using the index, or many testers are confused by the use of colour coding in the species descriptions, these aspects become priorities. Making changes at this stage can be expensive, so prioritize changes that help comprehension rather those which are simply a matter of preference.
10
Publishing the field guide
Anna Lawrence
INTRODUCTION
Although this chapter is the last in the book, make sure that you read it before you have completed everything else in your guide. There are a number of issues you will need to consider and which you should take into account in your budget
, including materials, design, layout, editing, proofreading, printing, publicizing and distributing.
To publish means to ‘prepare and issue for public distribution and sale’. If your field guide is to be published in book format, you need to print. Websites are not formal publications, although you will still need to think about publicity. Other formats, such as posters and CD-ROMs, can also be published; but this is usually done less formally and you need only consider finding a reliable means of producing the guide. This chapter covers all aspects of this, whether you want your guide to be printed or turned into a website, sold or donated to users.
The steps in publishing your guide are as follows.
Before publication:
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choose a publisher;
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choose a printer (the publisher may do this);
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complete the final edit;
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print the page proofs;
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check the page proofs;
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print and package the guide; and
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finalize all payments.
After publication, focus on:
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publicity;
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distribution; and
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follow-up.
236 Plant Identification
It is a good idea to assign responsibility for these tasks among the team producing the guide.
CHOOSING A PUBLISHER
Whether you choose to work with a commercial publisher or a small private publisher, or to publish your own book will depend upon the size and cost of your field guide, and the number of people you would like it to reach. It will also depend upon whether you have funding available to finance the printing and distribution and, if not, whether the publisher is convinced that it is worth their while to take on these costs, expecting that they will recover them through sufficient sales.
Finding a commercial publisher
If you expect that your guide is commercially viable, you can approach established publishing companies. Every publisher specializes in different types of books and will therefore have different views on what they are looking for in new book proposals. The best way to start is to look for the name and address of the publishers of some of your favourite books – particularly field guides. Make a shortlist of several publishers to approach because not all of them will be interested. Start making enquiries before you go too far with the planning and production of your guide; if you want it to fit into an existing series or style of field guides, the publisher will want to have an input into shaping the design and content of the guide. But before you approach the publishers on your shortlist, gather together the information that they will need to decide whether to work with you and to provisionally accept the guide for publication.
All publishers want to know, at the very minimum:
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the working title of the book;
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the authors and their qualifications for writing the book;
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what the book will include (usually the publishers will want to see an outline showing all of the chapter headings and a short summary of each, as well as a sample chapter);
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why you think the book is necessary and whether it competes with existing books;
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who you expect will buy the book (what kind of people and how many);
•
what sort of size and quality of illustrations the book will need.
Many established publishers have a pre-prepared form indicating their information requirements. These may be available on the internet. A good example is the one provided by Earthscan, the publisher of this book and others in the People and Plants Conservation Series (see Box 10.1). Even if your chosen publisher does not provide such a form, it is a good idea to gather together as much of the information as possible before writing to them to help them make an informed decision about whether to accept your guide.
Particular concerns that publishers may have in the case of publishing field guides will be the costs of printing the illustrations. Colour printing costs about ten times more than black and white, and there are additional costs of setting up the plates. However,
Publishing the field guide 237
exactly how much more depends upon the specification of the guide. This is why you must consult with publishers at the planning stages of your field guide.
You and your publisher will need to plan a realistic schedule and formal arrangements to determine who is responsible for checking proofs, distribution and publicity.
DO-IT-YOURSELF PUBLICATION
There is nothing to stop you from publishing your own field guide; but the advantages that known professional publishers have are that they can publicize the book to relevant audiences, they have existing distribution networks, and they have existing relationships with printers, editors and bookshops. In sum, they are good at getting books to the buyer. If you decide to publish your own book, you will be taking on the challenges of editing, laying-out, printing, publicizing and distributing the guide yourself. That may not be too much of a challenge if you know who is likely to use or buy the guide; in fact, conservation organizations are increasingly developing their own series of publications (see, for example, Case study 10.1). The advantages are that you will be in control of all BOX 10.1 EARTHSCAN’S INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS FOR
CONSIDERATION IN A NEW BOOK PROPOSAL
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provisional title;
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names of authors/editors/contributors;
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contact details (including telephone and fax numbers, and email address);
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qualifications and careers to date;
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publications;
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a description of the book and 100-word synopsis;
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a draft table of contents;
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chapter summaries (and, if appropriate, authorship);
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sample chapters and/or the introduction (the more material you can send, the better);
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an approximate word count;
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number and type of illustrations;
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time schedule for completion of the final manuscript;
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purpose of the book;
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why the book is needed;
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shelf-life;
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a list of competing titles already available and an explanation of how your book will be different;
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market breakdown (by subject area, profession, academic level, territory);
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secondary markets;
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relevant academic courses (for compulsory and supplementary reading);
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professional reading;
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marketing channels (for example, associations, mailing lists, websites, review media);
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how you can help to promote and market the book;
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any important design specifications;
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if you are able to typeset the book and provide camera-ready copy for the printers;
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further relevant information.
238 Plant Identification
of these activities, which may result in faster publication and a product that fits your own ideas of what is needed.
Checklist of key points
If you choose to publish yourself, allocate responsibilities within your production team for the following tasks:
•
Find printers and binders and work very closely with them, with iterative rounds of checking to make sure that everything is as it should be and that quality is maintained throughout. This is especi
ally important in field guides where the illustrations must be reliable, lines must be clear and colours must be reproduced accurately.
•
Negotiate a realistic time schedule with the printers.
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Set up a distribution list and copy delivery.
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Consider publicity.
DESKTOP PUBLISHING
During the last 30 years, the publishing process has been shaken up by the development of desktop publishing (DTP) software, such as Aldus PageMaker (the first DTP
programme, developed in 1985) or QuarkXPress. These are useful for both self-publishing and preparing camera-ready copy of your book for publishers. DTP software can range from packages aimed at family home use, to those favoured by professionals (such as QuarkXPress). Costs range, accordingly, from around US$50 up to US$20,000.
When deciding what to buy, make sure that you have the computing specification needed for your chosen package. The software will list compatibility requirements for its running – for example, Adobe PageMaker 6.5 Plus requires Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95 or Windows 98 to run.
Getting an ISBN number
Most published books have a unique number allocated to them under a system known as the International Standard Book Number (ISBN). This number is a unique machine-readable identification number which means that the book can be identified and ordered by bookshops and buyers anywhere in the world, without confusing it with a different book with the same authors or title. The number has been 10 digits long for most of its history, but is in the process of being converted to 13 digits as this book goes to press (note on our copyright page that both the 10-digit and 13-digit format are given). ISBN
appears on the cover and copyright page of the field guide, as well as in publishers’
catalogues and advertisements, book reviews, bibliographic databases and library catalogues. It means that publishers, librarians, booksellers and buyers can use this number to order and stock the book. The system was invented in 1966, and to date 159