We’re on the Tour de Writing, discussing the long road every writer faces. Last time we were in the mountains of pre-publishing, where the air is rarefied and few make it to the top. But now you stand on top of Mt. I-got-published. What’s the next stage?
Writing Tip for Today: The publisher offers a contract and you agree. You will receive usually 1/2 your total advance, less the standard 15% agent take. First novel advances are usually in the 3-5000 dollar range. But hold on a minute, cowboy. Your work has just begun. Here are some of the stages you’ll pass through before the book hits the shelves.
- Approximately 6 months before your book is slated for release, you’ll be paired with an editor for what’s known as the substantive edit or macro-edit. In larger houses, this is a different person than the editor who acquired your book. The book you thought was perfect when they contracted it now becomes a maze of revisions and tweaks. The substantive editor makes suggestions on improving the overall story arc, character arc and other elements of structure. You may be asked to rewrite big hunks, add or delete whole chapters or sections and/or rethink the climax.
- After the substantive edit, you’ll usually have a different copy or line editor, who smooths out prose, fixes grammatical and spelling errors and perfects the formatting.
- Next come the proofs or galley copies. In the 21st century this may be a pdf document. But essentially this is your chance for last minute changes and error-corrections.
- Meanwhile, I’m assuming the publisher signs off on the changes and is satisfied with your rewrites. This is a very important stage. The other half of your advance depends on your turning in an acceptable manuscript.
- Now you wait for the advance reader copies, right? No! As the release date comes closer you are busy lining up endorsements and influencers, planning promotion and developing a marketing plan with in-house publicists and possibly a freelance PR firm too. Presales are often an indication of how well the book will do after its release.
Next: A New Book’s Life.
Sounds exciting and exhausting! Not to mention stressful. Ah the life of a published writer. Question: Do you have to travel to the editor’s office at all or is everything done via email these days?
Linda here–These days everything except actual galleys are done via email. Some publishers are still mailing hard-copy galleys. This too may go the way of the typewriter. But if you get a chance to meet your editor, grab it!