For publishers, most manuscripts are still submitted using MS Word. Proofreading and the formatting process also continue to take place in this program.
This approach results in significant loss of time and chaos:
With the traditional process, each new version of a document’s changes must be tracked and numerous versions collated.
It is often difficult and time-consuming for editors to track whether their proposed changes have been seen and accepted by authors.
The final manuscript is painstakingly converted into a format which must seamlessly fit into a professional publishing solution.
The team facilitating the project do not work in parallel, but rather one after the other which prolongs the project timeline.
SMASHDOCs is a completely new, web-based word processing solution which eases the task of proofreading and formatting of manuscripts for all parties – easier than with MS Word or Google Docs. For publishers, its ready-to-print configuration makes it simple to finalize manuscripts into any desired format with a click of a button.
All document members work together on a document via a web browser. It’s effortless to collaborate with time delay or simultaneously if desired.
Therefore the process—from manuscript submission to publishing the final version—accelerates due to the immediate involvement of the entire team.
In contrast to conventional word processing solutions such as MS Word or Google Docs, SMASHDOCs does not produce new versions of a document when changes are made. Rather it automatically notes changes within an individual section made to texts, tables, and images.
The complete change and comment history of each section can be tracked with just a click.
Version chaos, sending emails with Word attachments back and forth and sending paper copies per post is finally a thing of the past.
Thanks to our patented “Adaptive Redlining” technology, there is no need to compare document versions manually to track changes and comments.
When new changes and/or comments in a document are made SMASHDOCs informs the user by highlighting each change automatically and guiding the user through the document. This also works in the cases when the user works simultaneously with others on a document.
Publishers can easily integrate their format specifications into the modular concept SMASHDOCs provides, so that documents in editor can be formatted according to the specifications of the publisher.
Converting files from a Word document to a production-ready XML format or an InDesign file takes hours. But with SMASHDOCs, this process happens within seconds.
Thanks to the flexible data management, the content of a document can be exported at any time into any desired data format (HTML, XML, InDesign, etc.). Even the individual data structure of the publisher can be taken into account so that, for example, an XML file exported from SMASHDOCs can seamlessly fit into a professional publishing system.
Conversion lasting for hours is now a thing of the past since SMASHDOCs exports data in just a few seconds.
In addition, SMASHDOCs can effortlessly transfer and/or receive data directly through an interface from other systems.
1. Create
Word-based manuscripts easily import to SMASHDOCs.
SMASHDOCs can be used as authoring platform where authors write on their own or in collaboration with others, sharing progress with editors, staff, and friends. When the final version of the manuscript is ready, it can be quickly submitted for review to a publisher.
2. Review
The author’s manuscript is reviewed by all parties within SMASHDOCs simultaneously or time-delayed to finalize content and formatting.
SMASHDOCs can be used in conjunction with external services like a spell-check software following a certain standard or even a professional linguistic-check software. These services can be utilized in the creation phase to minimize effort in the review process.
3. Produce
SMASHDOCs is built to readily produce a professionally designed preview of a Word, PDF, HTML document, perfectly structured XML etc. Even InDesign files and e-books can be quickly generated. With SMASHDOCs, producing the final result has never been so simple.
SMASHDOCs no ordinary word processor.
| SMASHDOCs | MS Word File | MS Word Online | Google Docs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Versioning approach | per paragraph | document versions = the well-known chaos | document versions = the well-known chaos (this time online) | document versions = the well-known chaos (this time online) |
| Automatic highlighting of new changes per user („Adaptive Redlining“) | yes | no | no | no |
| Automatic highlighting of comments with news per user | yes | no | no | no |
| Recognizability of accepted/deleted proposed changes | yes | no | no | no |
| Confidential comments that are visible only for selected users | yes | no | no | no |
| Reporting | yes | no | no | no |
| Templates (centrally configurable and manageable) | yes | yes, but not centrally configurable and manageable | yes, but not centrally configurable and manageable | yes, but not centrally configurable and manageable |
| Installation | "Private Cloud on a server at smartwork solutions or On Premise on your own server" | storage on a computer / server of your choice | only Public Cloud with Microsoft | only Public Cloud with Google |
| Data storage/data protection | Germany | Depending where it is saved | Germany, but with US mother company | USA |
| InDesign export using publisher's templates | yes | no | no | no |
| XML export in accordance to the publisher's DTD | yes | no | no | no |
| Individual adjustments, for example roles/rights, workflows, exports, etc. | yes | no | no | no |
SMASHDOCs is the ideal text-processing solution for publishers who wish to optimize their processes and remain ahead of the competition
