Traditional Book Focus
I write long traditional books with hundreds of black and white text pages. Adobe's focus as a graphics company may be why it misses some important issues for people like me. Editing hundreds of pages of text and incorporating feedback is extremely difficult.
To accomplish this I have to get the full layout correct with many chapters all in individual files and then create a PDF version of the book. of course, when viewed two up the pages don' align properly if I don't insert a blank page as the first page using DC. Simple fix, give me a proofing copy to eliminate this step.
Second, when I get that edited pdf file back I have to put the two side by side and go through the entire book chapter file by chapter file and painstakingly match the feedback to the chapter. Of course, you only let me view my pages two up so I have to tediously use my mouse to move back and forth even on my 32 inch screen. Let me view my pages in editing mode, one at a time and scroll down just with the arrow keys.
Better yet, build a proofing copy of the book where I see all elements of the book together at one time and allow me to make all edits there.
Even better yet, interactively layer the PDF edits I receive in this proofing copy so I have everything I need right in one document view to make all the edits.
You need to give me more power to work on the book as a book and stop limiting me to working file by file. I have lots of chapters, front matter, TOC, Glossary, appendix, marketing pages, etc. It is a massive pain to deal with each of these as an independent file with independent formatting, even if you have improved the syncing of styles and master pages. I need one book wide set of styles and master pages.
Finally, to end my editing driven mad rant, built on the editing copy discussed above, give me a full index generating tool with the ability to build a master multi-book list of terms. The only thing worse than editing a 300 page book is building the index. Your concept of coding each instance of the word manually in a 300 page document isn't even doable at this scale.
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Brian Donahue
commented
The new acrobat will possibly help you too. I'd read up on that. You can new sett a pdf to review, then accept changes directly into your indesign 2019 document.
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Brian Donahue
commented
If you only have b/w type and no heavy graphics, why wouldn't you just build the book in one indd document? Why the need for multiple docs, unless you have multiple people needing to be editing files at the same time?
Seems a much easier workflow to live in one document than bouncing all over the place and potentially messing up the page count.
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Brian R. E.
commented
I particularly second the need for a full index generating tool!
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Lindsey Thomas Martin
commented
Something very like your suggestion, 'interactively layer the PDF edits … in this proofing copy' is under consideration as 'Make InDesign be able to import/Export comments from/to PDF'. Please add your vote to that request.
Your request for a 'proofing copy' I am not clear about. I do much the same sort of work as you and have found that the Book Panel, despite its many shortcomings, gives one adequate control of the pagination of exported proofs. Perhaps I don't understand what you want. Is it what we used to call galley proofs, i.e., proofs of material typeset but not paginated?