A Year in the Life of a
Novel:
What Happens After the Contract is Signed
Copyright © 2006 by Shirley Kennett
Individual use only - please do not reprint or repost without author's
permission
January 2005
Celebrate
Send your agent a thank you
card or gift
Turn in final version of
manuscript, if not already in the hands of the editor
Get editor assigned - may
not be the acquiring editor - introduce yourself and establish a working
relationship
Begin collecting a mailing
list of bookstores and individuals for promotion
Supply any needed permissions to editor for quotes used inside your manuscript
Continue work on proposal
for your next book, which will be done under a deadline
Contact possible sources of jacket quotes
for permission to send a manuscript to them
February 2005
Turn in revised manuscript
as negotiated with editor
Book placed on production schedule
Pub Date set at January 1, 2006
Author sends out manuscript copies (unbound) for advance quotes - let recipients know the deadline for submitting quotes
Consider setting up a web
site, if you don't already have one
Get written permission from publisher's
legal/contracts department to use a book excerpt on your web site
March 2005
Receive payment of advance for first book
Plan on spending those
dollars on promotion
Make contact with the
publicist assigned to you and determine what, if any, promotion will be done
Begin design of your
promotional mailing
Plan giveaway items, order
them if possible
Study proofreading marks -
you'll need to understand those squiggles if you don't already
You did make sure that your
contract specified review of the copyedited manuscript and not just the
galleys, didn't you?
Remind your editor that you would like to
review/correct the jacket text
April 2005
Continue to work on that
time-consuming promotional mailing
Turn in jacket quotes to the
editor
Turn in photo and bio for
book jacket if requested
Send proposal for second
book to agent to get feedback
Review jacket text and offer
suggestions
DROP EVERYTHING! The copyedited
manuscript has arrived for your review. You have ten days to respond.
Return the entire manuscript by air courier with your corrections marked.
May 2005
Send thank you notes to
authors who have provided quotes
Jacket design (artwork and
text) finalized
Order any promotional items
that incorporate the jacket design, such as postcards or bookmarks
Revise proposal for second book and send
it off to your agent again
June 2005
Yikes! Editor resigns
and moves to a different publishing house
Your book is now an orphan
waiting for reassignment
Introduce yourself to the
newly-assigned editor and start all over building a working relationship
Confirm the publication
schedule
Yikes! Release date
has been postponed three months until April 1, 2006 due to new editor's workload
Begin cultivating a local bookstore.
Contact the manager directly. It will become your "home store"
July 2005
Contract signed for second
book with a deadline of May 1, 2006
Send a thank you card to
your agent
Celebrate, then get back to
work adding chapters to your second manuscript
Request Advance Reading Copies (ARCs) for
your own use. Ask for 100. You might get half that many.
August 2005
Begin thinking about a
proposal for your third book
Work on getting your web
site linked to others and listed in search engines
Get frustrated - New York City's
publishing industry virtually closes down this month for vacations
September 2005
Finalize your mailing list
and assemble the promotional mailing
Work on that second book
manuscript (you are a writer, remember?)
Don't forget to drop in on
your home store from time to time, and actually buy a few books. Talk to
the manager.
Receive advance for second
book - probably only half of it. The other half will come after you deliver the
completed manuscript.
DROP EVERYTHING! Galley proofs have
arrived for your review. Fax back only the corrected pages within seven
days
October 2005
Book appears in the publisher's catalog for the first half of 2006
Printed of uncorrected ARCs
or bound galleys - ARCs have your cover art on the front, bound galleys have
plain covers. You'll get one or the other, not both.
Marketing department starts
to promote your book to book buyers
Orders begin to be placed
for the book
Begin scheduling convention appearances for 2006
Schedule a pub party at your home store,
with refreshments and local publicity. You may have to split costs with
the manager. The pub party should be your first signing in your home town.
November 2005
First print run determined,
ideally by adding up actual advance orders for the book
Corrected galleys sent to
print for final printing and binding
Author receives ARCs for own
use
Author sets up signings for April/May 2006
Take a short vacation now if possible.
Relax and do nothing. Have some turkey. Let out waistband.
December 2005
Promotional mailing sent
out, including the advance jacket quotes you obtained
Send ARCs to selected
recipients
Hand-deliver an ARC to your
home store
ARCs sent by publicist to some review
sources and bookstores - coordinate so you don't duplicate effort
January 2006
Churn
out chapters of second book - no writer's block
allowed, you're on deadline
Grow a thick skin in
preparation for seeing your book reviews
Reviews appear in trade
journals late this month - Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal
Publicist sends early copies of actual
book to consumer media (newspapers and magazines) for review
February 2006
Send out a second
promotional mailing incorporating the glowing reviews you have received from
trade journals
Books shipped to distributor
late this month
Order additional copies of
your book directly from the publisher at the author's discount, usually 40%.
You'll need them for promotion and saving as collectibles
Send complete press kits to
stores where signings are scheduled
Send synopsis of third book to agent for
review and comments
March 2006
Your copies of your first
book arrive - dance in the streets!
Send signed copies of your
book to all who contributed a quote
Hand-deliver a signed copy
to your home store. Buy a book while you're there.
Books shipped to stores by
mid-March
Reviews begin to appear in
the consumer media
Revise synopsis for third
book
See your book on the shelf for the first
time near the end of the month. Walk on air. Kiss clerks.
April 2006
Signings! Enjoy your
pub party!
Send a gracious thank you
note after each signing
Greet your adoring fans, but
be prepared for a few signings with zero turnout. Getting people to know
your book is out there is hard, and getting them to part with dollars is harder.
Don't forget to turn in completed
manuscript for your second book in time for the May 1st deadline. You're a
writing professional, and you don't miss deadlines.
May 2006
Bookstore signings and other
appearances continue. If you are touring, build some down time into your
schedule.
Sign contract for your third book, with a deadline of February 1, 2007
Thank your agent - go ahead,
send that gift basket of fine wines! You treat your business partners well,
don't you?
Make revisions to your
second book as requested by the editor
Begin chapters of your third
book
Stash away a couple of boxes of your first
book in the basement as future collectibles. Save your ARCs, too.
June 2006
Make time for conferences
and conventions, to network with fans and writers. Face time very
important.
You're beginning to live
your dream
Stay grounded in the
realities of the writing business. You may be plowing advances from the
first three or more of your books right back into promotion to build readership.
Don't quit the day job too soon.
Everything in publishing takes longer than you expect! That's why this "Year in the Life of a Novel" turned out to take eighteen months.