Preparing a Volume for Submission
Provisional offer to publish
On acceptance of a proposal, the editor will be sent by the Secretary a copy of the Editorial Guidelines and a questionnaire relating to publication right. Any queries relating to publication right must be addressed at this stage, after which the Trustees will make a provisional offer to publish the volume. The offer to publish is contingent on the volume being prepared in accordance with the Editorial Guidelines, the resolution of any questions relating to copyright, and the approval of the moderator and General Editor.
Appointment of a moderator
When a volume proposal has been accepted by the Editorial Committee, a moderator will be appointed. The moderator will usually be a member of the committee but may in some cases be an external appointee. They will make early contact with the editor, will monitor progress regularly and offer guidance and support during the preparation of the volume. Once the volume is complete, they will conduct an initial review of the edition.
Editors are encouraged to make steady and reasonable progress towards completing the preparation of their volume by the submission date indicated in the provisional offer to publish. Progress reports will be requested by the moderator in advance of the meetings of the Editorial Committee held in January, April and October each year.
Volume preparation
The editor is encouraged to send to the moderator a sample of the volume at an early point. The purpose is to allow the moderator to review and to provide feedback on the general principles of the edition and for these and any other general issues to be agreed before work on the volume proceeds further.
For volumes with two editors, it is the responsibility of the editors to liaise regularly in order to agree matters relating to the division of labour, and to ensure consistency and continuity.
Editors are asked to refer to the Editorial Guidelines and to conform to the guidelines where appropriate, as well as to refer to recent MB editions of similar music, as they prepare their edition. Any exceptions to the guidelines should be agreed with the moderator, who may consult the General Editor or Editorial Committee where necessary.
Before sending the completed volume to the moderator, the editor should do the following:
Check that the letterpress and music is complete
Check that the music and letterpress (including the Textual Commentary) conform to the Editorial Guidelines, except in any matters for which an exception has been agreed with the moderator
Ensure that the letterpress and music have been read for sense and accuracy, including a thorough check of the Textual Commentary against the music
Check that the letterpress and music are formatted appropriately and consistently
The moderator will review the volume and may return it to the editor for revision. When the text has been agreed and the volume has been approved by the moderator, it will be sent to the General Editor for further review. The Secretary will at this point request from the editor hi-res images and reproduction permissions, as well as any other necessary permissions.