Soooo glad we caught that one...

You know the old saying: "two heads are better than one" or the notion that it is always good to get a "second set of eyes" on something? Well both of those clichés were proven to be valid big time in our final proofing stages of Mastering MEP. Page proofs is the final stage of the process for me as the author of a book. The composition team works up the pages as they will look in the final layout in the actual printed book. They prepare a series of PDF proofs and send them to me for review. When I get them, I have the opportunity to review them, point out any errors and make last minute changes. Usually in the proofing phase, we try to avoid any serious editing as it would delay the schedule. However, the proofing phase gives us the opportunity to take one last look at the pages before they go to press. And if necessary, make any critical corrections of anything discovered. Well, thank goodness I decided to share the proofs with my co-authors this time. While I was busy focusing on the overall look of the pages and looking for problems with the artwork (which is usually where I focus most of my efforts in proof review), my co-author Gregg discovered that the header on all left-hand pages had a “tiny” error.

The title of the book is listed as: Mastering AutoCAD Architecture 2010 Manufacturing, Engineering, and Plumbing.

Ouch.

Way to enhance your credibility with your readers. Sure, we know what MEP stands for… Needless to say I fired off a “stop the presses” email to team.

What a great catch Gregg. Saved me a flood of emails, that’s for sure…