I heavily debated posting this. I might still take it down, because I’ve long ago decided that the internet doesn’t need my “wisdom.” Also, I am bitter and jaded. However, we keep getting repeated questions and there is some weird erroneous stuff floating out there. With that caveat, here is the basic primer on who does what. If for some bizarre reason, you see some value in this and want to keep it for reference, here is the PDF.
It might have typos in it. Writing it was stressful, leave me alone. If you are a trad author and want something included in the PDF or this post, drop me a line through the contact form.
Manuscript – the file you are working on. Complete manuscript – finished work of fiction that has not been through professional edits.
ARC/Galley – Advance Reader Copy. File the publishers send out for early reviews. Usually, post-copyedit but before the proofread. See below.
Developmental/Content edit – the edit that focuses on storytelling: plot, pacing, characterization, etc. The content edit takes the longest to get and the longest to get through. This is the time to make large changes if needed.
Copyedit – the edit that focuses on grammar, punctuation, fact checking, and narrative inconsistencies. Clunky sentences, unclear sentences, mutating names, eye color, people sitting down after they already sat down – all of that gets corrected here. Last chance to make significant alterations.
Proofread – final chance to fix minor mistakes. Do NOT make significant alterations at this stage. Every time you mess with your sentences, you are introducing errors that the copyeditor will not see. Also, the typography has been set at this stage, and the book has been prepped for printing. Minor fixes only, unless something really must be corrected.
The publishing house will often state that they will charge you money if you make too many edits at this stage. The wording can be found under the Editing Section of your contract and will read something like:
The cost of the Proprietor’s alterations in the proofs in excess of ten percent (10%) of the initial setting cost will be charged against the Proprietor’s royalty account, except that the Proprietor will not be charged for corrections arising from the typesetter’s failure to accurately reproduce the copy-edited manuscript.
I’ve never had it happen, but I saw it once. The author rewrote significant parts of the book and repunctuated almost every compound sentence. It is very rare, so don’t stress out about this and fix what must be fixed, but keep your corrections small.
If you are rephrasing sentences at this stage, try to keep the number of characters the same, so you don’t screw up the paragraph layout. If you add too much, the paragraph will run over and it’s a bigger fix on their end.
Yes: “Her dress was white.” (20 characters) -> “She wore white.” (15 characters.)
No: “Her dress was white.” (20 characters) – > “She wore a white gown that was the color of fresh snow that fell at the first hint of winter in the month of Freezeyourbuttoff.” (128 characters.)
To quickly find out the number of characters, highlight the problem in Word and click on the word count in the bottom left corner. Include spaces in your count.
People
People you usually have contact with are marked with *
Content editor*– the person who does the content edit. When you are published by a traditional publishing house, your primary editor does your content edit. That editor is your main point of contact. They do not work for you. They work for the publishing house. You are not an employer and employee, but colleagues and peers. If you are coming from the selfpublished side, there may be a tone shift here.
Your content editor is your advocate, and they usually know what they are doing. They are invested in your book’s success. They want the book to be a commercial and critical achievement. The function of the content editor is to shape the manuscript and identify problematic areas. They may suggest extensive changes, and they may propose solutions that will not work for you. If this happens, don’t panic. Address the problems themselves, even if you fix them in a way that the editor didn’t anticipate. As long as the problem goes away, most editors will be fine with it.
Occasionally, you will get an editor who will insist on their way or the highway. The buck stops with you. You can refuse to make edits but consider this route very carefully. Most of the time, if you don’t make the changes they suggest, the book will likely still get published. Cases where the book was pulled because of editorial differences are very rare and are usually initiated by the writer, but the publishing house has the power to cancel the book.
Look at your contract under something like Deliverables or Delivery of the Manuscript. The wording will be something like:
This is a very old contract boilerplate. Note that they reserved the right to edit your manuscript whether you like it or not. Your agent should get this clause crossed out.
What happens if you received an extremely light or no content edit: yes, this happens occasionally, especially if the editor has a large volume of manuscripts lined up. If the content editor checked out, there is not much you can do. Trust that you wrote a good book and perhaps look for a new publishing partner for the next contract.
Editorial Assistant* – this is the assistant of your editor. This person is very helpful. If you need admin things, like updated files or clarification of schedule, this is the person to ask.
Managing editor* – this editor is incredibly important. This is the person who puts everything together: copyedit, proofread, etc. This is the deadline person, the on-top-of-everything person, and you may see their comments in the manuscript, which they will read several times, often saving your bacon when you mess up and nobody else catches it.
Copyeditor – the person who does the copyedit. Usually a contractor. Most of the time copyedits are outsourced. If you get a good one, always request them back. If you get a bad one, ask to switch.
More corrections is usually better than less, even if it makes you want to scream, because at least you know they scrubbed the manuscript. If you get a copyedit that is superlight, you are in trouble. You can hire your own CE to edit on top of the publisher’s subpar copyedit. The publishing house will not care. If you scan the copyedit, and it is light, and you see a typo on page three they missed, you need to email the editor and ask if there is any additional time you can request to go through it. Usually, they can get you an extra week or two, although not always. Then you run to your favorite freelancer and chuck the manuscript at them.
People get very upset when this happens, because the publishing house takes a huge percentage of the profit and the expectation is that they will provide quality edits. Bottom line on this: you can waste a lot of energy being upset, or you can hire a freelancer. Since your name is on the cover, everything is your fault, and the readers will not care that the publisher’s CE fell down on the job. They will only care that the book has errors that detract from their experience.
Proofreader – usually a contractor. If you have your own private beta readers, now is the time to throw the manuscript at them and ask them if they snag on anything typo-wise. This is the final scrub before publication.
Art director – the person in charge of your cover. Check your contract. If it says cover approval, you can veto the cover. If it says cover consult, you can offer an opinion, but they will go on without you. Everybody else’s opinion often overrides yours. The wording will be something like:
The Publisher will consult with the Proprietor concerning the following, but the Publisher’s decision with respect to such matters will be final:
upon the Proprietor’s written request, the cover concept of the Publisher’s initial edition of the Work;
An email is a written request, and trad publishing houses will absolutely talk to you about the cover.
There is a very limited amount of influence you can exert here. Once they paid for the cover, they like to stick to it. Yes, you can occasionally get them to change it, but I’ve known people who flew to New York to make personal appeals and still failed. Take it from someone who has had more than one cover mocked by the readers: it is what it is. Fight the good fight but save your energy. If the book has commercial appeal, word of the mouth will compensate for the damage of the ugly cover.
Cover artist – person who creates the cover image.
Cover design – person who creates overall look and adds typography to your cover.
Editorial designer – person who creates the layout and determines typography.
Publicity* – the person who arranges publicity that does not require money. Interviews, ARCs, social, etc. Book tour – publicity. Maybe be named as publicist, director of publicity, etc.
Marketing* – the person that is responsible for ads and other advertisement that requires money. Incentive boxes for preorders – marketing. Usually, marketing manager or director.
NOTE: marketing and publicity spheres overlap. Sometimes marketing will ask for an interview, and publicity will ask for commissioned art. When posting information on your website, such as “For review copies, contact NAME,” list the publicist, not the marketing manager.
Marketing and publicity are an iceberg. Authors do not see 80% of it. Sometimes that iceberg is tiny. I remember when “online promotion” meant your editor would mention the book title on their Twitter. Yes, you do still need promote on your own. Not, it’s not fair. The world is mean and publishing is meaner.
What to do when there is a conflict: go to your agent. They take their 15%. Let them earn it.
Gratitude Etiquette: get a lot of questions about this for some reason. It is always nice to acknowledge people who worked on the manuscript. Ask the publishing house, and they will give you a list. You are under no obligation to thank people if you don’t like what they did for your book. This is fully your prerogative.
Business gifts are nice but are never expected. If you send nothing at all, nobody will notice or be upset. A handwritten card is always appreciated. If you are sending gifts for the holidays, try to find out what people like. Don’t just send chocolate. Everyone sends chocolate. Sometimes people like cheese or will request a small donation in their name to their favorite charity. Please check to make sure that you are donating to the causes your recipient supports.
I need tea now. Oy.
first?
Certified 🙂
2nd again?
The first game is a fun challenge, but many of our friends don’t necessarily understand or enjoy it, and understandably want to get to the actual on-topic discussion.
As an accommodation for everyone, we won’t be doing seconds and fifths and all the rest from now on 🙂 Thank you all for your understanding.
Thank God! I didn’t want to stop reading the comments, but it irritates me so much.
Me too! I’d be even happier to dispense with “first” as well.
+ infinity
Co-signed
I remember doing it some 20 years ago. Probably says a lot about my age. I celebrate it being limited, thanks Mod R!
Mod R: Nine-hundred-and-fifty-second?
I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was just kidding! I hope you got at least a little smile out of this and apologize if you did not! 😜
(And thanks for this entry Ilona…I always wondered who all the people behind the scenes of a book were. So interesting, and I can see even more clearly why it means so much for you to work with a good publisher!)
I did smile at this. I love the ‘first’ game because it’s a sense of childhood whimsy!
Thank you! I find your posts on business end of writing really interesting. It is a bit of a mysterious process to me. Very few people talk about it to general public and those that do are either instant success stories or total failures. I truly appreciate a chance to learn more (or anything at all really) on how publishing works.
+1
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Great sneak peak to the powers that rule behind. Than You 🙂
Please don’t delete the post. I find this kind of information (even though I’m not a writer) really interesting. Nerd alert? 😂
+1 Nerd here too! 😁
lol, very likely. Well rounded nerd here, if being a nerd in many different directions equals well rounded.
+1
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Thank you very much for this! I love your books, and so appreciate all you share with us on your blog. Including, and especially, the work you do to ensure the comment section is moderated. This is one of the few places on the internet where I read the comments, and it makes my life better. An example – some years ago you asked for slipper recommendations. After my own dogs started to bark, I remembered the post, and got some recommendations from the comments section. (I am now a Vionic wearer). Please do not doubt that you bring joy, as well as value, into our lives. ❤️
Thanks for the refresher since I was trying to explain to someone all the work goes into publishing.
Interesting, as always. Keep your pdf available when all these questions arise again, as you know they inevitably will, hehe
Thank you for this. My son is writing a manuscript and he is asking all sorts of questions. I know have some answers!!
I have been waiting for yrs for you to do another book in the innkeeper series. I love everything you guys write.
The Innkeeper series will continue 🙂 and is slated to have at least one more full-length novel as finale.
At the moment, there are no official release dates or plans as all the work time is dedicated to traditional publishing projects like the Maggie the Undying series https://ilona-andrews.com/maggie-the-undying-2/
Oh, yay. I too adore the Innkeeper series.
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Love Innkeepers 🥰
Thank you, HA and Mod R! I hope I didn’t inadvertently open a box with my comment/question a few posts back. I appreciate the time it takes to educate and inform, as well as keep all us from hoisting our heisting ferrets high and charging off into the Void. Definitely saving this PDF locally to help a few friends on their journeys. I hope the reward tea is rewarding. 🙂
Thank you for posting this – it’s really interesting!
I’m sending the pdf to my kid who works contractually for a traditional publisher as a copyeditor on manuscripts translated from German into English for a U.S. based audience. She receives a first round translated manuscript in English, which she then further edits for both grammar/ punctuation/ consistency and for idiom and geographical/ cultural references. In a genre like romance, there can be a significant amount of cultural editing, which may veer into content editing territory. She loves it.
Thank you for your concern and generosity to readers and writers alike. Articles like this one offer rare insight and encouragement we may find nowhere else. Make of us fans for life.
Oh, yes — drink all the tea. This is SUPER helpful. The BDH appreciates your wisdom.
It would probably help if I drank some tea, too, wouldn’t it? Yunnan noir in a “Team Oxford Comma” mug in honor of the post.
Thank you. This was educational.
LOL.
This was a funny reminder that I had a skill in college that is useless to me now. Friends would come to me for help (pre-personal computer) because I could edit a page so it ended on the same word. Invaluable when you found a mistake on page three of a typed ten page paper.
That is a talent!
Can’t help wondering, is Freezeyorbuttoff month January or February?
Yes.
Around here, it could be October, November, December, January, February, March, and/or April
You forgot May, June and September… (Northern hemisphere. I presume for southern hemisphere the months would be reversed.)
The saying around here used to be: “There are 12 months in the year – 10 months of winter and 2 months of poor sledding.”
The other one was: “Summer? Oh yes, we played baseball that day.”
lol Do you live in the Arctic circle? I live in NW Montana, just south of the Canada border in the Bitterroot Range, so it gets cooler in May, June, and September but not cold. Granted, I had a teammate in Wilmington, NC who was cold when the temperature fell below 70 degrees.
Just saying I really appreciate your “don’t just send chocolate.” Receiving chocolate as a “thank you” gift would just annoy me, and not make me feel thanked. I don’t like chocolate, so getting it would feel worse than getting nothing. Further, you should never send anything edible without knowledge of allergies/restrictions/preferences.
Agreed 100%. I’m allergic to coconut and palm. You would not believe the amount of food and hygiene products that contain coconut. I can not eat most sweets and have to be careful even with products like cheese or bread. And people always bring one food as gifts. Even with alcohols it can be a hit and miss (like cordials). The ingredients list does not always say whether it contains coconut and there are some ingredients derived from coconut with which you can’t always tell from the name. What is weird is that people look funny at you when you say you will not risk eating it, as if you were problematic for no reason. It’s a nightmare and it’s even worse for those allergic to nuts.
I’ll second the notion to research allergies before sending anything edible.
I feel ya. I’m allergic to garlic, including when it’s in the air. If u smell garlic, I’m getting hives and mild(so far) breathing issues. It’s in an appalling number of foods and venues. And it contaminates anything nearby. At a certain point it’s just not worth taking a chance. And yes, ppl DO act as if you trying to stay safe is a personal affront, ugh! For me, the smell of garlic in the air=invisible poison cloud. The consequences of eating the wrong thing can b pretty bad, so I do wish ppl would refrain from choosing to take offense to someone else’s necessary caution.
We had a binder at the restaurant where I worked that listed all the ingredients for everything we served. Once, the allergen was lemon, far down on list, but still in the menu item. The customer did not order that item. Safety first, always!!
Indeed, I have a nice who is allergic to chocolate. It is rather frustrating how many biscuits are supposedly made better by the addition of chocolate – and that’s for me as well as my niece as I’m picky about my chocolate.
“the month of Freezeyourbuttoff”
O.M.G. – I laughed so hard!! 🤣🤣🤣
Writing and publishing are hard,and as I’ve said before, I’ll stick to reading!! 📚
+1 !!
+1
Thank you! Your posts on the business side of things are so interesting!
Very interesting and useful, thank you!
I got thanked in a book for some little thing I did and I literally swooned.
It seems like the second surgery went well, that’s great! This was a very informative listing of the behind-the-scenes work of making a book, thank you. I hope all is well, and you are getting ready for your Christmas extravaganza.
Thanks for this. I’ve written similar but less helpful ones for people who were bugging me about this, and now I can throw yours at them!
This is amazing in that it is both complete yet completely logical and makes sense, even to those of us who haven’t used trad publishing. Very insightful for me.
thanks!
This is all so interesting. Thank you for putting this post together. I have a question:
In the Libby app (used for checking out ebooks from the library), the bookmark option is a colored tab. Do you know the person who is responsible for choosing the color of the book’s bookmark tab? Would that be the editorial designer? Or is it someone on the side of the Libby app?
I would be astonished if that’s not built into the Libby app.
it’s so interesting to get these little peeks into your world. Author Gail Carriger does this too a little bit and it’s fun to see!
Could I ask where in this today’s deluxe / special editions come in? Getting a special edition from Waterstones or the book boxes would certainly increase sales, so I wondered if this might fall under marketing.
Special editions and their functions (renewed hype, collectability, fan engagement, retail partnerships, opportunity to extend into accessories, merch, original art etc) are a side of marketing endeavour, yes 🙂
Special editions are its own weird beast. So, they are either done through the author, for self-published works, or through the publisher. When going through the publisher, the money earned goes into the royalty pot. Special editions are already edited, so the focus is usually on art, layout, foil treatment, etc.
Thank you both, Moderator R and Ilona, that’s really interesting.
I am surprised you have been able to keep your sanity after all of that which goes in publishing both written and audio books.
Wow. Fascinating.
Oh, it sounds like you had a stressful day/week/month. Thank you for the illuminating description and enjoy your tea.
very informative
The House Andrews books are always well-edited, which I appreciate very much.
It is so jarring to read wrong names or misspelled words when you’re lost in a story- throws you right back out to reality.
Thank you for the time you spend on satisfying the BDH questions and giving product suggestions. I have new tea and yarn based on your posts. I’m sure you have a list of book plans, but you don’t always get what you don’t ask for so here is my humble request.
Please give us a vampire wedding and closure on Dina’s parents.
Please give us more Julie (Aurelia) and Derrick.
Please give us Arabella’s grown up story.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful talents with us. Your stories are never repetitive and your world building is exceptional.
🙂 All of the stories you mention are planned for sequels, no worries.
Very happy news indeed!
I’m content to be just a reader and avid supporter of the writers whose works I devour. I know my limits, and have no interest in entering the literary fray. However, I did find this post informative and interesting, so I appreciate you for taking time and energy to share your knowledge with us.
My former employer used to have a celebration of gratitude in November (before they got bought out and forgot the principles and standards on which the company was founded-but I digress). I still practice my month of gratitude. One of the many things for which I am grateful are your books and wisdom. HA and ModR, you are amazing. Thank you!
Thanks for that info! Eye opening for me.
This is so incredibly generous of you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and your experience. I want to write. Instead, I find myself just making a huge amount of notes. Thank you for your guidance. Here’s to hoping I’ll get it right one day and be able to take advantage of this knowledge.
Thx. Very informative and I got a glimpse of what y’all go through to get me my lovely book (smile). Thank you for doing what you do. I need these works of art. I have a jones for great storytelling. Love you both.
I love this post- so informative, thank you!
Love the behind-the-scenes look, thank you Ilona.
I don’t have any strong feelings about people noticing they’re first, etc. Harmless fun. And I suppose it would be a surprise to find no comments. It might feel like the newsletter came straight to you, before anyone else. Like it’s your lucky day.
The “First” comment will stay 🙂 , only the subsequent ones will be removed for ease of access to the on-topic discussions ( fifth, 30th! etc)
This is incredibly useful. Thank you.
I forwarded this to a friend who was just offered a three book deal by a major publisher. He was completely unfamiliar with what you said here and offered his thanks to you. You have mine too. It’s much easier to deal with a friend who isn’t totally paranoid all the time because he knows nothing about publishing!
Wow, so many people and steps, and all I have to is buy the book and read!
Thanks Ilona, that was really enlightening!
The final thought about the handwritten card – so utterly, utterly true! I’ve got a little box that I keep the cards my students have given me throughout my career – usually only one or two per year, sometimes not even that, but the ones where they’ve written a little message beyond the thank you the card has printed on it? They absolutely mean so much; and from the exam years they’ve written them before they get their final results…
…taking the time to say Thank You means so much, and sometimes we forget that!
I had trouble learning to read at first, but when it clicked, my babysitting money couldn’t keep up and Scholastic was my favorite time of year. I read a book, quite literally, cover to cover (even digital books). My struggle helped me develop a deep appreciation for the people who write books and a curiosity about the publishing process from an early age.
My point is: not for nothing, but when I read a book that has a cover that is nothing like the content, or I find weird shifts in narrative, eye color, continuity, typos, etc., my first thought isn’t, “this author sucks.” It’s, “this author got screwed.” Also, if we didn’t want your wisdom, we wouldn’t be members of the BDH. What is a book? To me, it’s the author’s imagination filtered through their perspective.
Sorry, forgot something. It exceedingly hypocritical for a publisher to pass blame on an author for errors considering the golden rule of editing is, “You cannot edit your own work.”
I appreciate the whimsy of the first game. Thank you for this post on traditional publishing!
I’m sorry people mocked your book covers. I hope you know it just reveals who THEY are and is not about your talent as writers. Don’t let it get in the way of the adoration from millions of fans (like me) who appreciate and enjoy your writing. Thanks for all you do.