Editors have two primary functions which sometimes overlap: finding/selecting manuscripts, then polishing them for publication. Acquisitions editors perform the first chore. The approach they adopt depends on several factors. The idea for a college text, for example, usually originates inside the publishing house; the acquisition editor’s job is then to choose a suitable author to produce the manuscript. In a trade book division, on the other hand, the acquisitions editor may be more passive, carefully reading manuscripts and queries that are mailed in, then recommending the best of these for development as a book. In the former case, the acquisitions editor may be knowledgeable in a given area (economics, perhaps, or one of the sciences) while the second type might be more of a generalist. Copyeditors, who whip the manuscript into shape for the press, must possess a superb background in English and bring to their work high standards of accuracy and thoroughness along with a remarkable attention to detail.