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Enhance Your Publishing
IQ
By Marilyn Henderson
That editor has
had the manuscript of your novel for three months and you haven't
heard a word. There's no excuse. Or is there?
Most writers
have only a vague idea of how a publishing company works. That
knowledge can be very helpful to your career as a writer, however,
and the sooner you understand how the process works, the better.
These few insights will give you a more realistic picture and
a better appreciation of the other side of the desk.
Here's how the
big publishers whose names you'd love to see printed on the spine
of your hardcover book operate. Smaller publishing houses follow
scaled-down versions that fit their size and staff.
The
Pitch
When an editor
likes your novel, she (it could as easily be "he", of
course) must present the book at the weekly editorial meeting.
Editors, possibly the publisher, and representatives from the
art and sales departments attend the meeting.
Your editor has
about two minutes to "pitch" the book she is recommending.
Like the plot statement or log line you develop to answer an agent
or editor's question, "What's your book about?", her pitch is aimed at rousing excitement in those
at the meeting so they agree the company should publish the book.
Everyone at the
meeting has a vote. If there are objections, such as "Not
another serial killer" from the sales department, or "We've
done enough swastika covers to start World War III" from
the art department, she does her best to refute them. She may
have persuaded another editor to read the manuscript and support
her at the meeting. If she makes the book sound like a winner
and refutes any objections, others may want to read the book before
a final decision is made. The decision includes how much to offer
the writer as an advance, and other terms of the contract.
Now the editor
writes the letter that has you jumping for joy, or she calls your
agent and discusses it with him, and he calls you. You, of course,
accept.
The advance offered
for a first novel by an unknown author is usually $10-15,000.
Not a lot for the many months you labored over the book, granted.
But look at what the publishing company has already invested on
your behalf: personnel time (mailroom, editors
and other employees who took part in the decision process), plus
the advance they are now offering you. Sure, you and your novel
are worth much more, but from here on, you need to prove it.
Editing
and Galley Proofs
Now the editing
process begins. Once the contract is signed and counter-signed,
a slot is determined for the book to go to press. Unless there's
a special reason the book should be ready to sell quickly, the
release date is usually a year to 18 months from the date the
contract is signed, so the editing and various other departments
can fit it into their schedules.
Your editor reads
it again for content and marks anything she has a question about.
A copy editor corrects mistakes in grammar, spelling, repetitions,
changes in earlier facts (someone's blue eyes turning brown) and
other discrepancies. She may answer some of the editor's questions
or attach notes asking you to clarify or cite sources for information.
She creates a style sheet to keep track of characters' names and
how you spell them, their physical traits such as eye and hair
color, specific locations, etc.
You get this
"corrected manuscript" next. You read it and pay attention
to the corrections so you can become familiar with the proof marks
and use them. Any marks you make on the corrected manuscript must
be done in a different color ink than the editors' marks. If questions
are attached, you answer them, either by making the change on
the manuscript or attaching your reply to the editor's note. You
do not remove notes that come with the package, since the editor
needs them for reference.
For example,
I once got a note from a copy editor saying she had consulted
a professor of Spanish to verify a line of Spanish dialogue I
had my detective say to his wife. The professor suggested a rewrite
in grammatically perfect Spanish. I sent a reply to the editor
saying my LA cop was a Mexican-American
street cop who had worked his way up
through the ranks and would not talk to his wife of ten years
in perfect Spanish when she woke him up early to respond to a
homicide call. They would communicate in an easy, natural way
as they had for more than ten years. I added that I had asked
a Mexican-American friend to translate the English version of
what I wanted my detective to say into everyday Spanish, and my
own Spanish was good enough to know he hadn't changed the meaning.
The editor left the line as I had written it.
Since your book
is now in production, you must return the corrected manuscript
within the time limit set, usually two to four weeks. The book
goes back to the editing department and is corrected to include
the changes. Today, all publishing houses are computerized. The
document is corrected on the computer and proofread carefully,
since it becomes the source of all future copies. An ISBN, Library
of Congress number and other identifying information are added
to the back of the title page. The author's dedication and other
introductory material are put in place to complete the package.
The printer runs the entire book off for a final proofreading.
You receive a
copy of the new print-out or "galley proof". The pages
are now book-size and set up exactly the way they will appear
in the finished book. They are usually folded in "signatures"
for easy handling. You proofread the galleys one last time. You
are not allowed to make story or arbitrary changes at this point.
You can, however, note typos that were missed earlier by the proofreader,
changes that weren't picked up from the first edit, or errors
that may have been introduced when the last edits were made. Your
book is now in the hands of the printer, not the editors. Most
houses have a strict limit on changes that are introduced by the
author (i.e., not the typesetter's fault), and you may be charged
for any beyond a certain amount.
While all this
is going on, the art department is creating the cover art. This
is shown at editorial meetings, but you don't get to see it or
have any input.
Into
the Bookstores
The sales department
has also been at work. Your book is listed in the monthly new
releases brochure. The lead book for the month, the one getting
promo money, is on the front cover, the second lead on the back
cover. The rest, and some earlier releases, are inside. There
may be a small picture of the cover along with the ISBN, retail
price, and a brief paragraph about the storyline. An order form
is included in the catalogue. These are sent to bookstores, wholesalers,
distributors, etc. for ordering purposes. Company sales reps also
carry them so they can discuss books with buyers.
When the scheduled
print run date of your book arrives, the presses roll. Boxes of
your finished book are stacked on pallets, ready for shipment.
Books are shipped
before the announced launch date so stores have them on the shelves,
ready to sell, when the book is announced. If you've ever wondered
how popular authors hit #1 on the bestsellers list the moment
their books are in the stores, the answer is the big national
lists are based on the number of books shipped, not those already
sold to consumers.
Chains place
initial orders for all their stores. The size of the store as
well as the expected popularity of the title determines the number
of books ordered. Barnes & Noble, for example, has three categories,
A, B and C. "A" stores are
the largest, "C" the smallest. Initial shipments are
based on category.
Your advance
is exactly that, an advance. The company is betting your book
will sell enough copies for them to earn that money, and more,
back. It's an advance against the royalties you will earn, which
means you do not get another payment until it earns back the $10-15,000
for the company and thensome.
Some writers
mistakenly assume that the publishing company gets the 90% of
the selling price left over after your royalty is paid. Not quite.
Matter of fact, not by a long shot.
In addition to
office, printing and warehouse expenses, several other people
take their cuts off the top, which in this case is the selling
price. The publisher ships books to the distributor, who "sells"
them (with return privileges) to the wholesaler (at another discount),
who sells them to bookstores and shops with return privileges,
and the bookstores and shops sell them to customers at the cover
price. The stores make only the percent of difference in price
between what they paid the wholesaler or distributor, and the
amount they got for the book.
Don't even try
to do the math on that; it's mind boggling and means your book
can sell for a lot of different prices depending on who buys where.
Just as the publisher's profit on each sale is based on the actual
amount they receive for the sale, so does your royalty. Instead
of 10% of the $20 printed on the cover, your royalty may be whittled
down to less than a dollar per book. Yes, that's right. Royalties
are paid on the selling price the publisher receives. [Editor's
note: In some cases you may be able to negotiate a royalty rate
on "selling price" rather than on "net." The
percentage will usually be lower, but the actual return may be
higher.]
You generally
won't get your first royalty statement until the book has been
out for 18 months. Even then, the publisher may hold back as much
as 40% against returns since a large number of books may still
be in the payment or return grace period extended by the wholesaler
or distributor.
If paperback
rights have sold, the mass-market edition usually comes out about
this time. You also should have your second book finished and
be ready to start the process all over again.
If you participated
in marketing and promoting the first book, and it sold well, the
same house and editor will probably accept and publish your second
one. But never forget that publishing is a business. If a book
doesn't sell through (pay back its advance), you will have a harder
time selling the house your next one.
Hard as all this
seems, it's worth it. Being published by a major house means prestige
for you and the book. It can be a big step forward in your career.
It isn't an easy way, however, to break into the ranks of published
authors.
Come to think
of it, there is no easy way. You just have to keep learning and
writing, and be willing to work your
way up by selling to smaller markets first, if necessary, while
growing into the big time.
If you dream
about seeing your book in the #1 spot on those bestseller lists,
knowing as much as possible about the publishing business will
help you learn how to market and promote your book successfully
and build your career.
This Article was found at:
http://www.articleblast.com/
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