The Editorial Process

Lately I've been hearing a number of misconceptions about what happens to a book when it gets bought by a publisher (small or large). I hear:

1. "Editors don't edit anymore."
2. "Why does it take so long for the next book to come out?"

I will answer both in a post about the whole editorial process.

1. Myth: Editors don't edit anymore.

Well, I can't speak for all authors everywhere, but it certainly isn't true for ME. In the past eight years, I've worked with seven different editors, and each one, trust me, edited my work. (This goes for both gigantic New York houses and small e-press.)

2. Why does it take so long for the next book to come out?

Because though an author might write a book in a few months (or a few years, depending on the author and the book), it takes print houses nine to 18 months to process the book into print form; e-houses a bit less (if the book is e-released alone first).

Let me start at the beginning:

• The manuscript is accepted by the publishing house.
  
  The editor chats with the agent or author about what the publisher is offering, author/agent accepts, champagne is broached.
  
  The contracts department then works up a contract according to what editor and agent/author have discussed and sends contract to agent/author.
  
  Agent and/or author go back and forth a few times with the publisher until the contract is hammered out.
  
  At a print house, once the contract has been signed by the author, the publisher sends out a check for *part* of the agreed-upon advance. (Most e-houses do not pay advances.) Advances are usually split into three or more parts: 1. Signing the contract; 2. delivery of first book; 3. (possible) delivery of synopsis for subsequent book; 4. delivery of subsequent books; 5. (possible) publication; and 6. (possible) when published hardback book goes into softback or mass market
  
  Standard time between contract signing and your first check: four to six weeks.
  
  
• Manuscript
  
  If the editor had the manuscript in hand when the contract went out, the book can be scheduled in the publisher's list of books coming out in the next year or so.
  
  If the editor purchased on a partial (synopsis/chapters), contract will indicate when the full book is due.
  
  
• Editing/Revisions
  
  Once the editor has the full ms. he/she reads it. She then contacts you via phone or email to discuss the book and possible changes. Sometimes these changes are minimal; sometimes deep.
  
  The editor then sends you back the ms. for revisions, usually with a letter asking questions, suggesting changes, asking for clarification. A due date is set for when revisions should be returned. (Some editors skip the chat and simply send the ms. back to you with the letter.)
  
  Note that at this point, the ms. is not considered "accepted." If the editor thinks the book is a mess even when you turn it back in, she can still reject it, and you won't get the rest of your advance (contracts vary as to how long you have to fix the book or write something else.)
  
  Standard time for aquiring editor to read book and send back revisions: a few weeks to a few months.
  
  
• Author revises the book.
  
  Depending on how extensive requested revisions are, this can take you an hour to two full weeks.
  
  Now--lest you think suddenly all control is wrested from you, and the book is being written by a "committee," and the world has gone all swirly and green; not at all.
  
  If you don't agree with changes your editor has proposed, you can certainly argue. I often do. This shouldn't be a heated, screaming match; it should be a reasoned discussion about what is best for the book. Editors are not always right; neither are authors.
  
  Keep in mind you are very close to the book at this point. An editor is reading it for the first time. Things are going to jump at her that you never saw (or your critique group never saw). This does not mean that the editor is perfect, and you should do whatever he says; nor does it mean it's time to go all diva and scream that no one understands your gift.
  
  Anyway, that's revisions.
  
  Standard time you are given for revisions: two to four weeks
  
  You turn in the book, the editor adores what you've done, and they send you the D&A (Delivery and Acceptance) advance.
  
  Standard time to get your D&A advance after acceptance: six weeks to 60 days.
  
  
• Copyedits
  
  Next, the book is sent to a copyeditor, usually a freelancer; sometimes someone in-house. That person does line edits; that is, she or he marks corrections to grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and asks questions about sentences or story points that are unclear.
  
  Standard time for freelance copyeditors: Two to four weeks
  
  Most houses let you look at the copyedits and answer the copyeditor's queries. Some houses take the CE manuscript and send it to production without you seeing it, but this makes me squirrelly, so I always ask to see the CEs.
  
  You go through the ms. one more time, curse at the copyeditor for changing your words, change them back, correct other errors, answer the queries, concede that the CE has caught things you missed.
  
  Standard time for you to look at the CEs: Two weeks.
  
  
• Proofs
  
  Once you have messed with the copyedited ms., your inhouse editor goes over it again then sends it back to Production to be put into page proofs. These proofs are close to what you're going to see in the final copy.
  
  Standard time from CEs to proofs: Two to four weeks.
  
  You get sent either a printout or a PDF file, which you then proofread.
  
  Most houses also send the proofs to a freelance proofreader at the same time. Between you and the proofreader, the typos should all get caught. (Note I say should.)
  
  Reading page proofs is my favorite part. The book is so finished that I can't change the story--I can now just read it as a story. I also like to make sure I've caught every problem I possibly can. That's my OCD talking.
  
  Standard time you get to look at proofs: Two to three weeks (Often less, because time is marching on)
  
  
• Book to printers
  
  By now, the book has a cover (usually before you've done the revisions, because it needs to be in the catalog a long time in advance) and a blurb. This plus the manuscript gets sent to the printers for the final book.
  
  Standard time at printers: Six to eight weeks.
  
  There you have it. The book comes of the press and is warehoused and sent out to booksellers nationwide (or pubbed on an ebook site). If you are owed a pub advance, you get it four to eight weeks later. For ebook houses, your royalties start rolling in six to eight weeks after the book is posted (depending on the pub's payment schedule).

Mileage can vary, of course!

While the pub house is doing this for your book, they're doing it for many, many other authors at the same time, which adds to the time. Smaller houses with fewer authors might have a shorter time frame.

E-book houses put out books anywhere from four to six months after author turns in the ms., because they don't have to schedule time at the printers and wait for that process.

The e-book house I write for uses a similar editing process except:
1. I don't get paid until the book is published and starts to earn royalties.
2. The line editing and proofs are done in one step.
3. I usually don't get a cover until the book is a few weeks away from publication.

More notes:

Everything I'm talking about here are the mechanics of getting a book to print. I have skipped the conversations with my editor about the back blurb and the cover, me seeing the cover and either gushing or weeping, the covers being printed and the marketing team going out to sell the books to the distributors with lovely covers in hand.

So...books are still put through the wringer, and you can see why it takes such a long time to process them.

Caveat: I speak only from my own experience writing for NY houses and e-houses, and as an editor at medium-sized nonfiction presses.

Small Press, Epress, Vanity--what are they?

There's been a great deal of controversy lately at RWA concerning "recognition" for publishers as well as what kind of books can be entered in the RITA contest.

While I'm not going into the controversy (I have my opinion, but it's being discussed very well elsewhere), it occurred to me that newer authors might not know what the heck they're talking about. What is meant by "non-vanity, non-subsidy" press? What's an e-publisher? What's the difference between small press and e-press, and what does it mean when people talk about "New York"?

Vanity press: Vanity publishing is different from self-publishing. In vanity publishing, you send your ms. and a sum of money to the publisher, who then does all the editing (if any), creates the cover, prints the book, and sends you back a carton or twenty of published, bound books. There is no "acquisition" process--anyone can publish at these presses as long as you pay (some are fairly inexpensive; some can run into thousands and thousands of dollars.) Vanity press can be useful if you want to publish your great-grandmother's diary or your child's picture book as a gift for family members (some presses specialize in "gift books"). If you dream of becoming a big-name, NYT novelist, this is not the way to go.

Subsidy press: Subsidy is much like vanity publishing although the press might pick up some of the costs (e.g., it pays an editor but you pay for the cover and the printing.)

Self-publishing: Self-publishing differs from vanity press because you are essentially becoming a publishing company. You pay for everything, yes, but it's in your hands to hire an editor, hire a proofreader, hire a printer, design the cover or hire a cover artist, and decide how to market it. Self-publishing works well with books that will sell to niche audiences--regional cookbooks, regional histories, how-tos, etc. (mostly nonfiction). Self-published authors have been quite successful, although I think it's a rare author who is successful in self-published fiction. It can be done, but it's rare. Most readers looking for fiction hit Walmart or B&N.

In these three types of publishing, self-publishing is the most respected. Tip: If you have vanity-published a book, never mention that in a query letter to an agent or editor, unless it's become an NYT bestseller (which is not very likely).

Note also that with these types of publishing options, you must distribute, market, and sell the book yourself. If you are fantastic at hand-selling, love to get out with the public and press your book into as many hands as you can, you go for it. It's not for me, but some people are good at it.

E-press: E-publishing has been around for ten or so years now, and now every major publisher has started putting out their list in e-. When someone talks about an e-publisher or e-pub, they mean publishing houses who release e-book originals, bringing a print copy out months later in a secondary process. They sell the e-books from their own website or partner with distribution points like Fictionwise, Sony, Kindle, and the like.

Examples of highly successful e-book publishers are Ellora's Cave, Samhain, and Loose ID (pronounced "Lucid"). I submitted a ms. to an e-publisher about five years ago to see what it was all about, and was pleasantly surprised at both the income and the quality of the press. (The submitted book is still selling, btw). Please note that all e-presses are not created equal. Before you submit to e-presses, purchase their books, look over their website, talk to authors who write for them, ask questions about their contracts. Object strenuously to contracts that pay royalties on "Net Receipts". Or get an agent and let her object strenuously for you. Stick to your guns on this or don't be surprised if you get ripped off.

Small Press: When most people say "small press," they mean presses that print a limited run of nicely bound hardback books. Small presses can be quite prestigious. Poisoned Pen press, a mystery publisher, has produced novels that win top mystery awards and have been optioned for TV mini-series. Avalon press and Walker are well-known in the library industry, and produce quality titles. Small presses don't pay very high advances ($1000 is typical), nor are their print runs large (2000-10,000 is typical). However, small presses can then sell mass market rights to a larger house, getting you more distribution and more $$. Small presses usually cater to a niche market (e.g., the mystery genre; library market; nonfiction only; etc.). I've not published with small press, but authors tell me they have a homey, intimate atmosphere.

NY House: When people refer to a "NY House" or simply "New York," they mean the big dogs of the publishing industry with big offices in New York City: Random House, Penguin, HarperCollins, HQ/Sil, Simon & Schuster, as well as a few independent houses like Dorchester and Kensington. NY pubs can pay million dollar advances and get your book shelved in every supermarket, bookstore, library, and mass merchandiser in the country and around the world. Note that they can also pay you $1000 and send 20,000 books to a few bookstores only. The NY House is where the big distribution happens, where the big money rolls around, and where authors get famous. My biggest advice about NY: Get an agent. You can sell a book without one, but please have someone by your side after that!

Another thing to remember: While small press and e-press (and even self-publishing) can be a stepping stone to a NY House, please realize that vanity/subsidy press is not. It's a rare, rare, rare, rare occurrence for a vanity author to make it. I'm sure everyone can point to one instance where it's happened (that's what "rare" means). Point to twenty or thirty, and I might start believing.

And one more thing:

It's perfectly fine to want a career in small press or e-press! I know authors who are happy as clams writing for two or three e-presses or sticking with their small press. Writing isn't always about money and glamour. And you can make money at an e-press (Hint: The key is backlist.)

I think I've covered the bases here--if not, or you have questions, let me know!