Best Practices for Readers
Commonly Used Industry Terms/Shorthand:
ms—manuscript (plural: mss)
pass—a version of the typeset manuscript (often abbreviated with a number, according to the stage the project is in: 1p, 2p, etc.)
art—illustrations, photographs, graphics, and design elements incorporated in a book project
crash—a project with a highly time-sensitive production schedule
graf—shorthand for paragraph
stet—“let it stand”; an indication to ignore changes and revert back to the prior version of the text
General Best Practices:
Please do not wait until the last minute to open the manuscript. Especially if you are new to authenticity reads, use the first day to gauge your reviewing speed and to plan out your work time.
Please be proactive in your communication and let the editor know as soon as possible if you will have trouble meeting your deadline.
Please do not copyedit or proofread the manuscript.
Unless you have a prearranged agreement with the editor, please do not do your work on a cloud-based app (e.g., Google Docs). Please stick to the agreed-upon file format. If you need specific accommodations, please make sure to communicate those needs up-front.
Please anticipate one round of follow-up queries from the editor/author once you submit your notes. Any queries that require you to do additional labor (e.g., a follow-up read), however, entitle you to a separate contract and payment.
Please do not solicit the author or editor on their social media feeds, email accounts, or websites.
Please consult your editorial liaison regarding queries about acknowledgments and/or listing your work for Penguin Random House on your resume, CV, or website.
Preparing/Providing Feedback for Editors/Authors:
Please share your thoughts on the manuscript overall, especially if you like certain lines, passages, or representations that are done well, or if there are elements that are of concern and need to be brought to the editor’s/author’s attention.
Be as specific as possible when providing feedback. Make it clear if you are making a global recommendation to all instances of a term used in a manuscript, for example, or if you are referring to a specific instance. If you are writing a letter to the editor or a general write-up of your observations, referencing page/chapter numbers is helpful.
If you know of any resources that might be useful for the editor/author, especially ones that support your comments, please feel free to mention them in your notes.
Please try to professionalize your language.
We recognize that you might not have editorial/literary experience—and that’s okay! Even though you’re speaking from personal experience, remove “I feel like”–type language from your notes, as that undermines your feedback.
Please be mindful of the tone of your feedback.
Please assume that the editor will pass along your feedback to the author as is. While we do not want you to sanitize or censor your words, please keep in mind that we are consulting you in order to help the author and the work. If something is problematic, please flag it—and explain why. Merely pointing out problems without including explanations or examples does not constitute a high-quality read. We are all at different stages on our journeys, and you might be the first frame of reference for the editor/author, so please be gracious! If you feel like you are doing too much emotional labor and need to evaluate, please reach out.
Please remove your personal judgments of the author and/or work from your feedback. If you have strong objections to the premise of the work and cannot separate those sentiments from your feedback, please contact the editor to address your concerns.
If you want to flag something that is outside of the focus area(s) for which you’ve been asked to read, please use your best judgment.
Do not spend time flagging everything that is outside of the predetermined focus area(s). If you find yourself doing so, reach out to the editor to see if this is worth your time and energy.
If you strongly feel that something needs to be addressed, please remember that the editor/author may view it as unsolicited feedback. While some might welcome additional feedback, others will not.
An example of how to approach this kind of feedback: “This is unrelated to the focus area(s) for which I’ve been asked to read, so please feel free to stet, but . . .”
Confirm Receipt of the Contract:
Your editorial liaison should be sending you the contract agreement using a secure email send, which sometimes gets caught in spam filters. If you’re having trouble finding it, please check your spam folder. Please email your editorial liaison to confirm that you have received it.
Preparing Your Invoice:
Draft your invoice once you have finished your read and submitted your notes.
Make sure to submit all of the requisite financial forms before sending your invoice. If you are not enrolled in our payment system as a vendor, your payment will be delayed.
Include the following details (required elements are in bold):
Vendor name, remit address
Vendor # (assigned from Accounts Payable)
Purchase order # (if applicable)
Invoice # (determined by you)
Invoice date
Title of work
Author of work
ISBN/WBS Code
Type of work performed (e.g., authenticity read, cookbook read)
Billed to:
Penguin Random House
400 Hahn Road
Westminster, MD 21157
Attn: Accounts Payable
[Imprint/Division]
[Name of divisional contact]
[Divisional contact’s email]
Description of the work performed
Total dollar amount owed
Here is a sample invoice template.
Email your invoice to Accounts Payable (einvoicing@randomhouse.com).
For Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group reads, cc Melissa Yoon (myoon@penguinrandomhouse.com).
For Penguin Publishing Group reads, cc the editor.
For Penguin Young Readers reads, cc the editor.
For Random House Children’s Books reads, cc the editor.
For Random House Publishing Group reads, cc the editor.
For Zeitgeist reads, cc Bethany Reis (breis@penguinrandomhouse.com).
