A Manuscript Goes Through All of THAT?

Ever wondered what a manuscript goes through before it ends up in the bookstores? Each publisher has its own process. Here's a glimpse (given to me by an editor of a major publishing house) of the GENERAL process from receiving a manuscript to publication:

TIME LINE - 3 MONTHS: Your Manuscript in the Hands of an Editor

• An Editor reads your manuscript. If it has promise, it's passed to other editors.
  

• The question is asked: Does the proposal meet our needs?

Goes to Publishing Board:

• An Editor assembles the proposal, sample, and author bio.

• Talks to marketing

• Prepares sales info

• Presents the product to board

TIME LINE - 1 to 2 MONTHS: Contract with the Author

• Set up tentative schedule for production

• Get costs from production. Stateside or overseas?

• Get marketing projections

• Approve the budget

• Send contract to author

TIME LINE - 7 MONTHS: Launch the Product

• Discuss with design the kind of illustrations, format and style

• Discuss with marketing the best approach for marketing with other books in the line.

• THE WORK---Complete the following:
  

1. Approvals for art/title/cover
2. Edits (work with author)
3. Proofreading
4. Corrections
5. Register Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data
6. Put in sales catalog
7. Final budget approval
8. Transmit to production


TIME LINE - 5 to 6 months:

Production:

• Scan the art and put on disc

• Send all to printer

• Check color proofs

• Print and bind book---preview copy is sent to publisher

• Release book

Promotion:

• Put final marketing plans in place

• Print out material for sales representatives

• Sales conference: Promote next season's products to sales force

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Average time line = 18 months. It can take as long as 2 years depending on the publisher. WHEW! What a process. So, if YOUR book has been published, all I can say is

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!