On 16/06/15 11:49, Bob Newell wrote:
"Julian Burgos" <jul...@hafro.is> writes:
b) I write the manuscript in org-mode. Then I send the org-mode file to
my coauthor. Because the org-mode file is just a text file, my coauthor
can use Word to edit it. I ask him/her *not* to use "track changes" and
to save the edited version also as a text file. Then, when I receive it I
use ediff in emacs to compare both documents and incorporate the edits I
want.
Simple is best, and I wish I had thought of this simple idea before I
took an 87,000 word novel that I wrote in org-mode, output as ODT,
converted to DOCX, and then sent to an editor. I got back all the track
changes stuff and even worse, margin notes, and punctuation (like quotes
and ellipses) changed over to Word-ish characters.
It wasn't utterly useless but it created a lot of extra work, which
still isn't over. Next time I'll do as per above, tell her to just edit
the thing directly, write her notes in-line, and keep it as pure ASCII.
I really believe she thinks I was going to use Word to publish the
novel. Failure to communicate on my part. I could say lack of judgment
on her part but that's unfair; in her world, most everyone uses Word at
some stage in the process.
I used this method when working with an editor on the last edition of my
book on banking law: almost 300,000 words. I had a few special
constructs that I asked her not to meddle with, and she put editors
notes in-line. It worked a treat although the publisher actually
required Word files at the end.
Cheers,
Alan
--
Alan L Tyree http://www2.austlii.edu.au/~alan
Tel: 04 2748 6206 sip:typh...@iptel.org
