By Tammy Hopf

Procedure: A sequence of activities, tasks, steps, decisions, calculations and processes, that when undertaken in the sequence laid down produces the desired result, product, or outcome.

Do you remember setting up your first VCR? I do. The instruction manual seemed to be written in another language—and so many steps!

I tossed it aside, thinking, “All those steps can’t be that important.”

Later, after much frustration and fiddling, the sound was still not coming out of the TV speakers and the time indicator was frantically blinking “12:00.”

Exasperated, I called my friend. After reading the instruction manual, he had my VCR up and running in no time.

In the same way that I was unfamiliar with setting up my first VCR, the procedure for publishing a book is unfamiliar to most. And just like that VCR manufacturer, WinePress Publishing has procedures in place to make the process of publishing your book as smooth as possible.

We’ve developed methods that produce the desired result: your book professionally in print. The entire process, from the manuscript submission guidelines, to how to fill out an “Action Required Sheet,” to reviewing the book throughout the different steps, is all part of the procedure to safely guide your book through the publishing process.

When your project manager requests certain materials or asks for a particular form to be filled out, it is because it is an important part of the publishing procedure. It’s our way of ensuring that the annoying time indicator stops flashing and that you can hear the sound come out of the speakers. Your help in following the proper procedures will result in your professionally published book that we all can be proud of.

As a project manager, Tammy Hopf is the first port of call for everything concerning the actual production and printing of your book. She also directs authors to any other department they may need.

Tammy has worked with WinePress Publishing Group since 1999 and has been a project manager for seven years. As the liaison between authors and the design, typesetting, editing, and other production departments, she helps coordinate all the different aspects that transform a manuscript into a beautiful book. She enjoys working with authors to make their dreams a reality.