Writing a book is just the beginning

 So it's May 1, and spring has really sprung here in Connecticut. The trees are blooming and sprouting leaves, the air is warmer and full of birdsong—and I'm waiting for my editor's edits on A Defiant Woman, which should be coming in next week. 

Writing a book is just the start of a process. When I submitted my manuscript to the publisher, it went to my editor for her first look and first edits. These are not necessarily detailed line or copy edits—although I will expect some of that—but I will be getting her thoughts about the book, whether there's anything that needs tweaking or changing—or something a little more drastic. I'm hoping it's not the latter and I can address any concerns she might have with ease. Once I've addressed everything, the manuscript then goes to a copy editor for the aforementioned detailed line edits (spelling and grammar)—as well as making sure there's continuity. Sometimes fact checking comes into play at this stage as well. There could be a couple of rounds of copy edits before the book is typeset (so it looks the way it will look once printed) and I have to go over the PDF to make sure it's transferred properly to that format. There can be more than one round of this as well, depending on what's found. But the fun of seeing the PDF is that it really seems like it's a real book.

In the meantime, a cover is designed (and I already have that, but it's not ready to be revealed...in due time! And it's fabulous!), jacket copy is written, blurbs from other authors are compiled, and everything goes up on the usual sites for pre-order. My publicist will begin submitting for reviews, and we'll start figuring out possible event venues once the book is published.

This is why it can take a year from submitting a manuscript to seeing it in print. There are a lot of T's to cross and I's to dot. Some things can be done simultaneously, but overall, there's a lot of planning and work to be done—and we want the book to be absolutely perfect when it goes out into the world and into readers' hands.

Some of this is out of my hands, though, which is why I've already started researching and thinking about the next book. Because writing the last book is always just a segue into writing the next book.

Happy spring!