What happens to your book at the publishers?

The editor may in fact lose out, for any number of reasons: Somebody else brings in a similar project that the acquisitions committee considers superior. Nobody else likes your book. Your editor shot down somebody's pet project last month, and now internal politics have your book on the chopping block. Such things happen.

In my own situation, my editor used everything I'd sent her up to that time. She sent what I'd written of Evernight, my outline for the entire book, my guesswork about how to structure following series at various lengths (3 books, 7 books, unending) and my vampire mythology.

The board at Harper Collins was not convinced at first -- and rightly so, given that I was a first-time writer trying to sell on proposal. They asked me to make substantial revisions. Fortunately, I'd already seen that the revisions they wanted were changes I wanted to make myself. So I went in, worked on it and did even more than they asked, and sent it back. That time, the board okayed the publication.

I don't know how it works all the time, but that's how it worked for me.

Personally, I don't know, but I asked a similar question on this thread: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67326

Personal politics I'm sure is a big factor. It governed virtually every office meeting I ever went to (back in my previous life). You have to pray that the editor who has taken a shining to you is a popular person on his/her way up the greasy pole.

Once your project disappears into the corporate decision-making mincer, all you can do is rub the belly of your lucky buddah, assume it ain't gonna happen and get on with something else.

I asked the exact question to a published friend of mine and she sent me to the following links:

http://www.underdown.org/acquisition-process.htm

http://www.bksp.org/secondarypages/articles/agentseditors/Agent007.htm

http://www.michaelhyatt.com/fromwhereisit/2007/03/five_publishing.html

It never ends, does it?

This is a very complex matter. In other words, It Depends. Specifically:

1) It depends on the publisher.
2) It depends on the editor and how much clout the editor has.
3) It depends on who your agent is.
4) It depends on the imprint, and how much freedom the imprint has within the publishing house.
5) It depends on the makeup of the current list.
6) It depends on whether you, or your competition have a celebrity attached to the project.
7) It depends on whether you are previosuly published and your sales record.
8) It depends on whether you are newsworthy, photogenic, or happen to know Britney Spears.
9) It depends on your race, age, background, and perceived sexual orientation.
10) It depends on the phase of the Moon on the day of submisssion, and the current aspects between Mercury or Jupiter and any planet in your third house (which governs publishing).
11) It depends on whether you have sold your soul to any number of demons, including both Beelzebub and Binky Urban.
12) It depends on luck. A lot.

Hope that clarifies things and makes it clear how your particular circumstance will work out!
9) It depends on

And if they REALLY like it all the publishing houses approve it in a day and your book goes to auction.

First they get an intern to cut all the words out of it. Then they vacuum it up and bring a monkey into reassemble it. Finally they charge the labor to the costs subtracted before they start paying the author. Delays in publishing are always the monkey's fault.

ORION said:

And if they REALLY like it all the publishing houses approve it in a day and your book goes to auction.

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Or, more precisely, if the right people REALLY like it...

ClaudiaGray said:

Your editor shot down somebody's pet project last month, and now internal politics have your book on the chopping block. Such things happen.

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This kind of thing is the reason agents will sometimes insist on a contractual clause that allows them to withdraw the book in question if the editor who selected it leaves the publisher before the book is published.

Interestingly, I've just been going through this process. At my publishers (Faber), first off there was an editorial meeting, at which my editor presented my proposal. He had to get the agreement of all his colleagues before it was then taken to an acquisition meeting where the actual money side of it was thrashed out. Things didn't quite work out the way he had hoped, or led me to expect. Basically, he gave the impression that he would acquire two more books from me (they've already had two, one published, one due out next year). In the event he came back with an offer for one more book, albeit with an increased advance from last time. Someone else in the company (the MD) over-ruled him. Still, I'm happy. And soon I will be very busy!

My experience is a little different. I had sent my story to the publisher and it was turned down. A couple of months passed by and I had gotten another book published so I began working on that. Then another few months passed by. I forgot who I sent my manuscript to so I ended up sending to the same publisher where another person recieved it and liked it. She accepted the story. The owner saw this and since the contract had already been sent to me, there was nothing that could be done so the owner asked if I could change the ending which was the reason it had been turned down the first time. I had no problem with this and began making my changes right away, before returning the contract.

That was back in May. Now five rounds of edits later (the editor worked one area at a time), the person who accepted the manuscript now has a chance to edit it herself. She emailed me today and asked me to call her. This is how she works with all her edits. We talked for a little while about the book.

She said she could tell it was my first erotica and asked if I had intended it to be erotica. I was actually trying to write romance which explained the ending lol. She only had read the first few pages the first time and liked the story and since then it had been changed so there were a few questions about that. We discussed a few things and she made a few suggestions that would really bring more impact to the story. She told me that she is brutal when it comes to edits and not to get discouraged by them because it isn't personal, its the story's best interest. I agree with that.

As we talked, I told her a few things that she hadn't known about the story because she didn't read that much into it yet and her voice sounded like she was interested. I will know more when I get her edits back next week. I'm anxious to get this done but at the same time, I'm learning through these edits so I would like to take this slowly so things are done right.

Being a pretty new company, this was the first time this had ever happened with them so they weren't prepared for it. I think now, they will discuss the books before they accept them to make sure its right for them. I'm sure it will happen again but atleast they will be more prepared for it lol. I'm just glad I was published. All it took was one person to like it and now more people like it in the company so it worked out for the best.

Amber

amber_grosjean said:

Now five rounds of edits later (the editor worked one area at a time), the person who accepted the manuscript now has a chance to edit it herself. She emailed me today and asked me to call her. This is how she works with all her edits. We talked for a little while about the book....She told me that she is brutal when it comes to edits and not to get discouraged by them because it isn't personal, its the story's best interest. I agree with that.

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Five rounds of edits and now there's a new editor preparing brutal cuts? What sort of things are they asking you to do to the MS?

roger said:

In the event he came back with an offer for one more book, albeit with an increased advance from last time.

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Seems like a good thing to me nonetheless! Congrats!

Here's an additional bit of info on the subject.

ORION said:

And if they REALLY like it all the publishing houses approve it in a day and your book goes to auction.

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ahem .... *cough* showoff! *cough*


Nah, just kidding. You're livin' the dream! Lottery was excellent, especially the ending & how it all turned out ... is the next one in the works yet?