Publishing gets a bad rap sometimes. Too many people see the people within the industry—the literary agents, editors, booksellers, etc.—as overly picky gatekeepers, armed with a “no” for every unsuspecting writer who approaches them.
But that’s really not who we are. We, just like you, really, really like books. So we don’t think it’s fun to say no to books. In fact, we’d much prefer to say yes. We live for those big hearty yeses, where we all clap each other on the back and congratulate ourselves and burst with excitement for that one book we love.
This month I’m running a series on how the publishing process works and how to successfully navigate each stage of the journey, with zero bewilderment and maximum fun.
This last and final stage of the process is the longest (after building a platform, that is), and it typically starts about 6 months before publication of your book. This is when the marketing and publicity teams at publishers typically kick into gear and begin planning the promotional campaigns for the next season. This is also when you should begin acting on the promotional plan you brainstormed over the last 6 months. (You did take that time after manuscript delivery to brainstorm your promo plan, right? Right.)
There are a lot of moving pieces to any good promotional campaign, and since you’ll be working both with your own team and your publisher’s team, you’ll want to get organized. Organization = optimal results. So go ahead: calendars out, everyone! Now assign every single appearance, interview, or to-do to a date on the calendar. This will help you not only see the big picture, but it will also help you divvy up your work over the weeks and weeks, so you don’t get completely overwhelmed. (After all, you’ll want to keep up your usual platform-building activities during this time, too.)
Next, hone in on the preorder phase, which is typically 1-3 months prior to publication. Preorders have become a huge deal in the publishing world in recent years, and it’s the best place to create snowballing momentum for your book. Here’s how it works:
An existing fan preorders your book because they know it will be awesome (because you’ve been giving them previews over the past year, of course) —-> Your Amazon ranking spikes, then other retailers see that your book is popular and order more copies —-> Your publisher sees that your book is popular with retailers and diverts more resources to your book, the title that’s taking off —> You use that help to reach an even broader segment of potential readers —> More people hear about your book, are enthralled (because your concept is so great, right?) then buy the book —> Your Amazon ranking stays strong and retailers reorder to stay stocked on your book —> And so on until you’ve conquered the world and can buy a new cat to replace that old one who didn’t appreciate you before you were a bestselling author.
The 4 Questions You Should Be Able to Answer at This Stage:
How I Found the Harper Lee Manuscript (Op-Ed by Tonja Carter, Lee’s attorney, in TheWall Street Journal): The story behind the rediscovery of Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman just gets curiouser and curiouser. A rifling through of valuable papers with no supervision? An envelope that hasn’t been opened in 50 years? A possible third or even fourth manuscript? Sometimes I’ve believed as many as twelve impossible things before breakfast, but this ain’t one of those times.
The Great Gift of Reading Aloud (Meghan Cox Gurdon for The Wall Street Journal): “To curl up with children and a good book has long been one of the great civilizing practices of domestic life, an almost magical entry point to the larger world of literature.” And even if you don’t have your own little ones, organizations exist all over the country that allow you to curl up with some kids and read a good book to them. (Jarrett and I read to kiddos in our neighborhood through the wonderful The Reading Connection, but Reach Out and Read runs literary programs across the country.)
Dr. Seuss Book: Yes, They Found It in a Box (Alexandra Alter for The New York Times): Why is this the year of discovering long lost books by beloved authors? (Not that I’m complaining.) As Alter describes: “But alongside the orphaned sketches was a more complete project labeled “The Pet Shop,” 16 black-and-white illustrations, with text that he had typed on paper and taped to the drawings. The pages were stained and yellowed, but the story was all there, in Dr. Seuss’ unmistakable rollicking rhymes. ‘We didn’t know that we had such a treasure,’ said the assistant…” Oh, the places we’ll find books.
This month I’m running a series on how the publishing process works and how to successfully navigate each stage of the journey, with zero bewilderment and maximum fun.
Now your proposal is with editors, and the waiting game begins. But the truth is, if you have a spectacular author platform and a unique yet commercial book concept, this part of the process will be more fun than terrifying. Really—I promise! Any agent will tell you that the very best part of agenting is having a project that everyone wants. We live for these moments of having editors gush to us about how much they love an author (we’re like proud parents!). And if an editor is also able to convince the rest of his/her team that this is a must-have project, then one day you will receive The Call.
On that lucky, hard-won day, your agent will say the words we most love to say: “You have an offer on your book.” Cue the happy dancing, fist pumping, and champagne showers. Even your cat will be slightly impressed.
Once you’ve decided to accept the offer and signed the contract (your agent should spearhead the negotiations, and this process is too complex to get into here), you’ll officially be through the doors! That’s when the next adventure begins: actually writing and producing your book.
The 4 Questions You Should Be Able to Answer at This Stage:
