alg | (no subject)

Good morning! I have been awake since six am, and wow! It is a beautiful day. I have the windows open, and there is a wonderful cold breeze blowing in. My bedroom window faces Manhattan, which means it faces the water, even though I can't see the water, and I get wonderful breezes -- although when it's freezing outside and the wind chill is, like, negative seventy-million, it's not so much fun.

(All I want this morning is a cup of coffee and a Danish. Wow, how bad do I want a Danish? Pretty badly. Instead I had a crescent roll. Not quite as good, but what's a girl to do?)

I want to thank again everyone who provided me with links and stories on Monday -- that was awfully nice of you guys and I really appreciate it! I am well on my way to recovering (especially now that my dentist has called in a new prescription for me, and I have much stronger painkillers, phew).

Now that I can focus for longer than 500 words, I am ready to write more about demystifying publishing.

I am really glad that these entries are helping y'all. And I am flattered that so many people are reading them -- I know I tend to be pedantic and long-winded, so it's amazing to me that you guys can get through these entries. *g*

I do want to remind you that these answers are by no means universal. Remember the first rule: Don't be an idiot.

Publishing is Hard!

Writing is an art, but publishing is a business -- and here are a few basic suggestions on how to navigate that business. Complete with explanations of various departments within a publishing company, and how they all work together to make your book. And, of course, my witty and charming commentary!

Thanks for reading; I hope this has helped at least some of you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

When do you send the chocolates?

When the book comes out? Or when they're working on it?

I usually try to send a thank-you card when it comes out, but I keep in touch with them and thank them a lot when they're working on it, too. They seem to appreciate both. And the back-and-forth means that I am more likely to be consulted if there's a judgment call that they think will matter to me, which is a nice side effect.

The problem with chocolates is that the book has to move through a whole bunch of people over the span of a couple of months, so who gets the chocolate is up in the air. It always seems to end up with the copyediting department, and never with the production department... ;-)

There will be at least six people in four different departments working on your book behind the scenes (copyediting, text design, cover design, and manufacturing departments; copyeditor, managing/production editor, text designer, art director, cover designer, production/manufacturing manager, and assorted assistants working on it).

Ideally, ask your editor to find out the names of the above people and then thank them by name in the acks. Someone in copyediting or text design will spot it and will immediately tell everyone else, because it will be so unusual. "Hey! This author is thanking us!"

Or, barring getting their names, just say "Big thank-you to the Art, Design, Copyediting, and Manufacturing Departments, without whom this would still be a manuscript and not the lovely object you hold in your hands."

Disclosure: I'm a text design and prepress manager. ;-)

Hm. Good question. My authors who are conscious of these things tend to send thank you notes with their page proof corrections, because it's when they see everything, maps and design and all. One or two remember to thank production on their ack page, which production always appreciates. And a few send chocolate/whatever during the winter holidays (production always suffers then because all the other departments receive pelf except them).