How to convert Indesign file to paratext? Pls guide me

[vanathim77401565]

Pls guide me, I have indesign file given by client, client asked me to convert it into parattext. pls tell me how to do it

[jmlevy]

Hi, can you explain what is “parattext”?

[Derek Cross]

I hadn’t heard of the term “Paratext” before, so I looked it up and, for others who might be able to help, here‘s the description:

1. ParatextParatext is a concept in literary interpretation. The main text of published authors is often surrounded by other material supplied by editors, printers, and publishers, which is known as the paratext. These added elements form a frame for the main text, and can change the reception of a text or its interpretation by the public. Paratext is most often associated with books, as they typically include a cover, title, front matter, back matter footnotes, and many other materials not crafted by the author. Other editorial decisions can also fall into the category of paratext, such as the formatting or typography. Because of their close association with the text, it seems that authors should be given the final say about paratextual materials, but often that is not the case. One recent example of controversy surrounding paratext is the case of the young adult novel Liar, which was initially published with an image of a white girl on the cover, although the narrator of the story was identified in the text as black. The concept of paratext is closely related to the concept of hypotext, which is the earlier text that serves as a source for the current text.

I suppose you’d use text frames with a different Paragraph Style, from the rest of the text, to insert as needed throughout the document.

[jmlevy]

The French version of wikipedia about paratext I had read before seems more theorical…

[Jongware]

Anyway, it does not appear to be something InDesign does at all.

I bet that client does not have any idea what this is about. That's a known problem with Hot New Exciting buzz words; "convert into paratext" is a non-utterance.

[vinny38]

I don't know if we all have been through this, but I must admit I have:

Pretending to understand what the client is talking about while not having a clue, just to avoid to look non-professional...

I am more experienced now, and maybe more humble about it...

You're not supposed to know everything: just ask your client to clarify his needs, there's nothing to be ashamed of.