The publishing workflow

Concept	All publications start with an initial idea. This might come from the author, who will then pitch it to a publisher or decide to self-publish. Or it might come from the publisher, who then commissions an author to write to a brief
Planning	Even the shortest documents benefit from being well planned. What is the intention of the text? Who is the audience? How much should it cost to produce? When is it needed by? Who are the stakeholders? How will it be published?
First draft	The first draft of anything is likely to be rough and unfinished. It will still need a lot of work! The important thing at this stage is to get all the ideas down, and worry about the finer details and the polishing later on.
Development	The development stage is where the editorial input starts to get hands-on. Text may be cut and moved around to fit the concept or the changing needs of the publisher. It can also be adapted for clearer expression.
Final draft	The author produces the final draft, based on input from whoever commissioned the text, and perhaps other stakeholders. There will still be work to do, but the text will be in a much more finished state.
Copy-editing/line-editing	This stage is all about getting the manuscript ready for publication, tailoring it to the audience's needs. Editors ensure consistency, readability and accuracy, improving the flow and tone of the text.
Layout design	Editors are not usually involved in laying out the text themselves (although some do offer typesetting). Some copyeditors also work in layout, cutting and fitting text using software such as InDesign.
Proofreading	Proofreading is all about giving text the final polish. By this stage it should look and read like the finished article, but will still require an objective check to ensure there are no glaring errors, and that it is as close to perfect as possible.
Publication	The final stage is where the document is sent out into the world, whether in electronic or print format. Editors may still be involved at this stage in tracking and implementing any necessary changes to future editions.