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Production 101

This section is an introduction and overview of the basic workflow for reformatting a book. It is meant as a training orientation. Please refer to the main eText wiki for the bulk of your workflow.

This section also includes a brief introduction to some key parts of the wiki.

RT Production Queue and CyberDuck: Where to Get Books

The first step in your workflow is to choose a title to work on. You will find this in RT NNELS Production Queue.

NNELS uses open-source software called RT (Request Tracker) to manage requests for books. The books you will be working on can be found in the NNELS Production Queue. As mentioned in the Job Expectations section, there are 4 levels of tickets.

In the Production Queue you will mainly see:

  • Urgent
  • High
  • Medium

Always take the Urgent tickets first. Never have more than three tickets at a time when working to ensure you do not get overwhelmed with work, and to ensure there is a fair distribution of titles for the other PA's.

After you take ownership of the ticket for your selected title in RT, you can download the documents for production from CyberDuck.

Each title has 2 documents. The original ebook (EPUB, Kindle [.azw3], or PDF) and the converted Word file (.doc or .docx.) If there are any documents missing contact the Production Coordinator.

See Getting Started for the complete directions for taking a ticket, uploading/downloading to CyberDuck, and assigning a ticket back to the Production Coordinator.

Overview of Reformat Editing Workflow

This section will explain the basic workflow of reformatting a book.

We are not editors. We reformat the layout of ebooks so they are more accessible to people with print disabilities. All the guidelines in this wiki are taken from standards created by DAISY and WC3, as well as NNELS in-house testing. These guidelines are subject to change, and you will be kept apprised of any changes as they occur. If you want to learn more about these standards contact the Production Coordinator. We are always happy to teach you more!

The first step is to set up Microsoft Word for production.

You will first set up the layout of Word, and then set the document properties.

See Setting up MS Word in the Getting Started Section for detailed written instructions.

Here is a quick video showing you how this is done!

The show style guides function outlined in the video is only available through Mac.

Reformatting a Word Document: Applying Styles

Once you have Word set up properly you will be able to begin reformatting the document.

The first step is to clear all formatting in the document:

  • Make sure the Style Pane is open
  • Select all of the text
    • COMMAND+A for Mac
    • CTRL+A for Windows PC
  • Select the clear formatting button located at the top of the Apply a Style box in the Style Pane

Here is a quick video showing you how this is done!

Now you can start applying styles as needed. To learn more go to Understanding and Using Styles, and Understanding and Using Headings.

Each section of a standard book is formatted as per the wiki instructions. The Books Sections of the eText wiki show you how, and is divided by the sections found in most books.

Not every book will have all these sections, and that is okay. Some books may have sections that are not covered in the wiki. When in doubt, ask!
Remember to have the original ebook open so you can reference it for formatting. This helps with quotes, emphasis, asides, etc. If in doubt, ask!

The rest of the wiki is divided up for your convenience. If anything is missing, or unclear, post a question in the Q&A section!

Overview of Sections on eText Wiki

Below is a breakdown of some of the main sections you will be using in your work.

The Introduction section includes most of the information we included in this orientation for you to refer back to as needed.

The Books section is where to find documentation on how to format each section of a book (as described above.)

The Formatting section shows you how to tackle most reformatting tasks.

The Finding & Fixing Issues and Errors section shows you how to use Regex and Find and Replace to fix issues and errors in the document quickly and efficiently.

If you know of a way to quickly fix something with Regex or Find and Replace please add it to the respective wiki page and let the Production Coordinator know that you have made the change. If you are not comfortable with editing the wiki, simply contact the Production Coordinator and they will do it for you.

The Kinds of Books section goes over specific genres of books that require different formatting.

These sections are constantly being revisited, tested, and revised. If there is a section you wish to help further develop, or add, please reach to the Production Assistant.

The Reference Centre includes a list of external links for further education and reading.


This has been an introduction to the general workflow for a Production Assistant, along with some highlights of the wiki.

The Production Coordinator will be setting up regular meetings with you to help facilitate your training.

Never be shy to ask anything, or reach out if you are struggling. It can be difficult working remotely, but we are all here to support one another!

public/nnels/etext/pa-editing.txt · Last modified: 2022/11/24 09:28 by rachel.osolen