Publishing process

Pepper653 · Mar 15, 2006

I'm now completely confused on the publishing process. I thought once your agent sold your book to a publisher, it was just a matter of time before getting published.

I met a woman, who met an Agent the summer of 05. The agent signed her a month later. For the next few months the agent suggested some revisions. The writer completed them and the agent sold the book to a publishing company a few months later. The publishing company signed her and paid her a advance. She was really excited because it was announced the book would be available in book stores early 07'.

I recently spoke to her again and the editor of the publishing company still has her doing revisions of this manuscript and it doesn't look like it will be finished any time soon. This is rewrite number 4, per the editors request.

Why would they announce a date when it's not finished. What happens if the author doesn't finish the revisions in time.

You would think once they paid an advance and announced a date, that would be it. :Shrug:

aghast · Mar 15, 2006

revision, rewrite, editing are part of the process and the author is contractually obligated to complete all revisions on time, why do you think once they paid an advance and annouce a pub date the author doesnt have to do anything else?

Pepper653 · Mar 15, 2006

I guess I was thinking it because, I don't have clue how this works LOL!!

Thanks for the response, you said the key words, "contractually obligated to complete all revisions on time,".

I guess they would have to put that in the contract. I'm now wondering if she realized how much editing/rewriting would be required. She's really been freaking out about it.

You've enlightened me LOL!!

The publishing company can love your manuscript enough to offer you a contract. That doesn't necessarily mean it's finished.

blacbird · Mar 15, 2006

It's actually even less certain. Until physical book-shaped objects come off the delivery truck at the back entrance to the bookstore, it might never be released. There's more than one horror story of contracts cancelled at every step of "the process."

John Grisham needs to write a novel titled "The Process", about legal aspects of this business.

caw.

Prosthetic Foreheads · Mar 15, 2006

blacbird said:
John Grisham needs to write a novel titled "The Process", about legal aspects of this business.

I guess he would be the one for the job. That way we could know what every single person who appears in the story is thinking at any given moment. A silly thing like POV wouldn't get in the way of knowing everyone's motives.

Jamesaritchie · Mar 15, 2006

From my experience, editors will ask you to rewrite and revise until they think the novel is as good as it can be, but it's pretty rare for a publisher to announce a publication date with a first novel that isn't finished, isn't up to par. That's asking for trouble. It's one thing to do this with an experienced writer you know can and will deliver, but for a firsttime writer it's taking a big chance.

In my experiences, it's also fairly rare for an editor to ask for four rewrites, or to sign a first time writer who has a novel that needs so much rewriting.

But it does all depend on the shape of the book. Many novels do not have to be rewritten at all, and simple editing does the job. For an editor to take on a first novel that needs so many rewrites usually means there's something about the novel the editor thinks givs it huge potential

One thing I have seen remarkably often is an editor asking for rewrites that pretty much completely undo everything the agant had the writer change.

maestrowork · Mar 15, 2006

blacbird said:
It's actually even less certain. Until physical book-shaped objects come off the delivery truck at the back entrance to the bookstore, it might never be released. There's more than one horror story of contracts cancelled at every step of "the process."

That would be correct. Books get aborted for many different reasons. Just because you have a contract in hand doesn't mean it would definitely be released. I'd told myself that I wouldn't believe it until I saw the book in stores.

Don't count your chicks before they hatch.

Vomaxx · Mar 15, 2006

Of course, the publisher is out the advance until the book is published and makes some money, so publishers will usually release a book they have bought. But the whole process is, indeed, fraught with pitfalls.

It's very odd the company would announce a publication date if the book was not ready to go. Maybe a last-minute editor change put things back at square one?

maestrowork · Mar 15, 2006

It's not unusual for a publisher to announce a release date in advance. But many things could go wrong between now and then, and things have to change.

Just like any big projects.

The initial release date for The Pacific Between was November 2005. Then the process got tied up in the production stage, and the release date was moved back to January 2006. Then there were more hiccups, and it was further moved to February. I was biting my lips and my tongue the whole time, and not until I saw it in the stores.

Jamesaritchie · Mar 15, 2006

maestrowork said:
It's not unusual for a publisher to announce a release date in advance. But many things could go wrong between now and then, and things have to change.

Just like any big projects.

The initial release date for The Pacific Between was November 2005. Then the process got tied up in the production stage, and the release date was moved back to January 2006. Then there were more hiccups, and it was further moved to February. I was biting my lips and my tongue the whole time, and not until I saw it in the stores.

It's unusual for first novels that still need a lot of work, at least with very large publishers. Release dates get changed, but it's rare that a release date is set before a first novel is in shape to be released.

Tish Davidson · Mar 15, 2006

maestrowork said:
That would be correct. Books get aborted for many different reasons. Just because you have a contract in hand doesn't mean it would definitely be released. I'd told myself that I wouldn't believe it until I saw the book in stores.

Don't count your chicks before they hatch.

Amen Brother! One of my books just aborted. It was a middle school book on influenza. I had finished it and done revisions to meet the editor's requirements and collected various staged advances, and it was headed to the copyeditor/fact checker when suddenly my editor left and the book got a new editor. While I was doing revisions, biird flu appeared in the news and the new editor decided that since bird flu was now a hot topic, they didn't want a book about plain old historical influenza. The publisher decided to eat the advance and take a different approach with a different author. I got to keep the advance.

willietheshakes · Mar 16, 2006

I think the tricky phrase here is 'was announced'. My reading of the original post seemed to indicate that the acquiring editor was aiming for a spring 07 release date, and that revisions were working toward that. Unless the book has been catalogued, it probably hasn't been 'announced', and most publishers are only now looking at formally locking in their spring 07 list - it's probably been tentatively scheduled. Round about now they'll be deciding if it's likely to make the spring 07 list or if it needs to be pushed back.

Lauri B · Mar 16, 2006

I bet willie has it right--we often acquire books that we've tentatively slated for a season and year, but depending on how the revisions shape up (or market changes warrant, or like Trish's experience, something happens that makes the book more or less relevant), the book can be pushed up or back. Sometimes when an editor pulls at a thread in a manuscript to tidy it up, the thread unravels the whole thing and major revisions are in order.

cwfgal · Mar 16, 2006

willietheshakes said:
I think the tricky phrase here is 'was announced'. My reading of the original post seemed to indicate that the acquiring editor was aiming for a spring 07 release date, and that revisions were working toward that. Unless the book has been catalogued, it probably hasn't been 'announced', and most publishers are only now looking at formally locking in their spring 07 list - it's probably been tentatively scheduled. Round about now they'll be deciding if it's likely to make the spring 07 list or if it needs to be pushed back.

Yup. I'm guessing the editor told the writer they were aiming for such-and-such a date for release and the writer took that as gospel.

Beth

Publishing process

Pepper653

aghast

Pepper653

blacbird

Prosthetic Foreheads

Jamesaritchie

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Vomaxx

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Jamesaritchie

Tish Davidson

willietheshakes

Gentleman. Scholar. Bastard.

Lauri B

I Heart Mac

cwfgal

On the rocks