Version Control

Here’s a question for any book writers hanging out on this blog (feel free to email if you don’t want to post). I’ve got a versioning issue.

The mp3 book is made up of several long chapters. In two cases, which I’m presently about to deal with, I’ve provided condensed, edited, shortened versions for others’ edited books. Now I’m at the point where I’ve made revisions that I like to the chapter and revisions I like to the versions-for-others.

I know about MS Word’s “compare function” and all that, but is there actually an efficient way to get your changes back into the “master” version that’s not so clunky? This is more a writing technique question than a technology question. I think I will just have to do what I’ve always done, which is walk through both versions simultaneously on my screen. But I imagine someone has thought up a better way.

UPDATE: With no good suggestions (and none from the other book-writers at the Center) I did it the old fashioned way. It hurt, but it worked. Now I must bring on the axe.