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A Year in the Life of a Novel:
What Happens After the Contract is Signed
Copyright © 2005 by Shirley Kennett
Individual use only - please do not reprint or repost without author's
permission
You
sign a contract December 31, 2004!
Here’s what you have to look forward to in the months to come.
January 2005
Celebrate
Send your agent a thank you card or gift
Turn in final version of manuscript, if it's 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 getting quotes in
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, but don't get too attached to it
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 actually get half that many, if you're lucky.
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.
