In which Eddy, Dixie, and Matthew discuss the process of making a product for Onyx Path, from initial pitch to final printed product.
- Pitches - what is the book intended to do? What's the value to the reader?
- Cold pitches vs pitches from a known quantity
- Pugmire pitch as an example
- Outlines and hiring the freelance project developer
- What traits do we look for in a developer?
- Steffie de Vaan as an example of a great new developer
- Then we contract writers
- Some writers are unsuitable, but that's not the same as "bad"
- Matthew interrupts to say he never interrupts
- We often assume a writer is specialized, when that may not be the case
- Then on to team planning, research, and first drafts
- Collaboration is often key during the first draft stage
- Matthew uses the Contagion Chronicle as an example
- The first draft is not literally the first thing you write - there's an amount of polish needed
- Eddy uses Dystopia Rising as an example of redlines, and how work on that project differs from Contagion Chronicle
- Lexicon can be a real pain in the ass
- Redlines as a teaching tool for writers
- Then the final drafts go off to development
- Dixie talks about the editing process, and the kinds of things she edits for
- We sing the praises of the Chicago Manual of Style
- Dixie confesses to Googling style questions, while Matthew talks a bit about American vs British English
- You can't turn editor brain off
- The one-sided conversation between the editor and developer, but that's changing
- Style evolves, however, as Dixie mentions on the 20th anniversary books
- Meanwhile, art notes and layout
- The errata phase, because we're not perfect
- Finally, indexing and printer proofs!
- Why we take the time to make sure the book is as good as it can be
- Matthew explains how he got his Twitter handle
- Eddy tries to wrap things up, but Matthew steals the mic to issue a challenge to Dixie
- Next episode, we interview the boss, Rich Thomas!