Client:
Barbour Publishing

Product:
Trade book/Reference

Services:
Project Management, Editorial, Typesetting

Situation:
Based on the success of 500 Questions and Answers from the Bible, which Livingstone also produced, Barbour asked Livingstone to develop and produce another popular reference book using a similar four-color format with quick, easy-to-access information. Livingstone responded with the Handbook of World Religions, taking a snapshot look at 50 different world religions using Christianity as the lens for studying these belief systems. Each religion begins with a chart that compares and contrasts that religion’s beliefs with historic Christianity in terms of God’s nature, its stance on Jesus Christ, human nature, human need, salvation, and other key tenets.

Solution:

The Livingstone team

• Conceptualized the project and worked interactively with Barbour’s team to finalize the list of religions to be included, the format, and the tone of each article.
• Worked with freelance writer Len Woods as the main author, providing him with key Web site information, source books, and other resources to gather information.
• Developed the book’s approach with Len Woods to provide articles on each religion that, while not exhaustive in nature, would give a balanced overview.
• Gathered appropriate art to accompany each article. Worked with Barbour’s team for art approval and selection.
• Managed the editorial process, including the editing, copyediting, and proofreading before providing a final MS for Barbour’s review.
• Typeset MS, working with Barbour’s design template and adjusting it where necessary to fit the various elements on the page. Worked interactively with typesetter to achieve the page count of 272 pages.
• Provided typeset pages for Barbour’s review and comment.
• Ran quality control checks on all pages at every typesetting stage.
• Developed front and back matter, including an introduction to the book and its philosophy from the author and a sources and photo credit list in the back.
• Prepared final, high-resolution PDFs and sent the PDFs to a specified printer.