Are book deadlines normally agreed between writer/s and publisher or imposed by publisher? And are there any consequences for missing them? Is there a way to negotiate deadlines that is mental health-friendly to the author?
The deadlines are negotiated at contract stage in broad terms, meaning the contract states that the publisher will bring the book to publication in a certain amount of time or will be in breach. The actual deadlines are more of an administrative task that’s usually communicated by the editor. Initial deadlines are agreed on, meaning the writer agrees to turn in the manuscript by a set date and the editor informs the writer about the date of publication.
Breaking deadlines must be avoided at all costs. There are many ways a writer can damage your relationship with the publisher. You can be difficult and unpleasant to work with. You can be resistant to editorial changes. You can refuse to go on tour. You can badmouth the publisher in public. Of all those sins, none are worse than not delivering on time.
Once the book is placed on schedule, there is an entire team of people that’s assigned to deal with it. You have the editor who is the main editorial force, the managing editor who coordinates everything and does editorial passes as well, the copyeditor who corrects inconsistencies and grammatical mistakes, the proofreader who looks over the final manuscript, the text designer, the formatting specialist, the cover artist, the art director, the cover designer, the marketing department, the publicity department… I think that’s everyone. Everybody has blocked out time to work on this book.
You don’t deliver on time, and that entire chain collapses like dominoes. There is a hole in the schedule. Something has to fill it. Some other book has to be rushed through this production gauntlet. Not only that, but your book is pushed back months. Everyone is disappointed. The publisher, the fans, your bank account… If we missed a deadline, you can be confident that a catastrophe of some sort has occurred.
Yesterday Kid 2 found a stray elderly chichi. She’s been running around her neighborhood for weeks, probably months, and yesterday this poor dog tried to walk into someone’s house because she was at the end of her rope. They refused to take her, which I don’t blame them for. It’s a family with small children and a slew of pets, and this dog will need a lot of care. Of course, Kid 2 picked her up and brought her over.
She has an infected eye, infected teeth, an injured paw, ear mites, and fleas. She is emaciated so badly that when you pick her up, you can feel all of her ribs and they are like toothpicks, but her belly is swollen because she has an entire swarm of worms in there. We’ve used up every drop of good will with our vet and managed to get her in this morning even thought they are full. She will need everything, the X-rays, the bloodwork, the works.
My plan today was to not work, because we are all stressed out and worried she might have heart problems. Hard to write witty dialogue when you are wondering if the little pitiful dog is okay. She is panting a lot. Could be anxiety, could be heart trouble, could be something worse. Dog pants are like baby cries. They could mean anything.
Now that I have written this post, I am going to go and work, because I’ve successfully guilt tripped myself. It’s good. Work is good.
As to the deadline negotiations, publishers really hate to lose a book once they’ve paid for it. Most of the time they will wait for the author to turn it in. How long depends on the author. This is the point where sales come into play. If you sell okay and you miss too many deadlines, your contract will not be renewed. If you are GRRM or Patrick Rothfuss, the publisher will literally wait for years because these authors will make them a ton of money. Jim Butcher’s Skin Game, #15 in Dresden files came out in 2014. Peace Talks, #16, was published in 2020. I bet you anything that Ace was thrilled to get it. 🙂
Don’t miss deadlines. It’s bad. And the guilt will gnaw on you for months.
In terms of missed deadlines and books, can you imagine George RR Martin’s publisher w Game of Thrones?
Thank you for your mercy concerning the dog. We are in rural NM and there are too many “drop offs, let them survive in the wild.” Which they cannot and do not. No matter what happens, the pup will feel cared for and will get food. Sometimes that is all you can offer, but it will be enough and more than the pup had.
Hope the ChiChi will be fine. She was very lucky to have run across Kid 2 after having been dumped on the streets for so long.
Another problem with missing manuscript delivery is the current printing market in the US. Demand is high and there’s not enough printing capacity, so we in the production department (coordinating with editorial, art, etc) preschedule books and hold press time for them. When a book runs so late, it’s very difficult to move it to another time in the printer’s schedule because it’s already booked up. I speak to traditional offset printing, not digital on-demand printing though.
It’s good that your vet knows you well and when the vet knows exactly what that dog needs, you’ll be notified. My vet also knows me well from the cat rescues I have done, and I get that, too. But no matter what happens with that dog, it will be safe and secure and fed and watered and patted with love from now forward, and that’s what counts. If it’s too sick to go on, at least it will get an easy “out” from the vet and not suffer anymore. Congratulations on raising your children to understand the value of the lives of animals and to care about them so much.
I do hope you can meet your deadlines as they approach. I have chomped through the bit, waiting for Ruby Fever. I know you cannot rush perfection, but I keep hoping it will hurry up and be released. I just wish it would be easier for you to write. Many good wishes coming your way from here.
You are such good people !!!
Poor pup. That reminds me of adopting my ginger girls.
I had returned from my sister’s funeral, to the news my cat of 21 years was at the point of no return. And so the next day we took her in to be with her as we said our goodbyes.
The house was just so… miserable and dark, and psychologically so much was on last days of bother my sister, and my cat.
I realized then, that when I was stressed my coping mechanism had been cat time. Playing with kitty, petting kitty snuggles with kitty.
After a while, the family and I decided we wanted to find two new cats to offer a forever home.
Clear the Shelters was right around the corner so we went looking. (I think it’s this weekend this year!). Took 9 shelters before I found our duo. I just wanted a bonded pair, any age from kitten to senior.
In the first month they had 27 appointments between them with the vet: fleas worms, kennel cough needing daily nebulization treatments (one week for one cat, the next weekyhe other hot sick with it). We nearly lost the one she was so sick. I sat with her in the bathroom, shower running to steam the room hoping it’d help her as I held her wrapped in a towel on my lap, rubbing her ears. Luckily she pulled through, and they just had their 6 year adoption anniversary. ♡
It’s hard when animals are hurting, whether you’ve had them for a lifetime, or you’ve just met. I hope the poor dog feels better soon.
Whoops meant to post the image with my comments
Jim Butcher is my second favorite author. His Codex Alera series is the awesome sauce.
Y’all are doggy angels ❤️
Bless you
Send us pictures from the chichi please. What is a chichi?
It is a Chihuahua mixed breed dog ????
Interesting info! On authors I’m most disappointed by though…. Patrick Rothfuss ugh. I wish I never read any of his books sadly. Why market a series as completed and then not have it done?
That chichi is undoubtedly very happy to have a warm home and good food with people who care. And while every one of us in the BDH wants it to recover and live a long life with you, you will be doing what we Jewish people call a mitzvah whether the chichi lives 2 weeks or 2 years, because now it is safe, vetted, fed, and loved. I have worked with dog rescue and that’s no small thing. You are good people.
Of course I am one of those who have been waiting for George RR Martin and Patrick Rothfuss to finally, finally deliver their books haha. I don’t even know if I’ll still buy those books because it’s been that long.
I waited for Jim Butcher’s Peace Talks and that took so long that I’ve forgotten a lot of the characters and storylines already.
I’m so happy you guys are fairly prolific when it comes to the book releases.
I waited so long for Stephen King’s Dark Tower books I think I went to college, got married, had a kid and forgot what I was waiting for…????
A different Roland!
Bill Waterson, who does the Calvin and Hobbes cartoons, says that the monster drooling under Calvin’s bed showed up in his subconscious and represents his printing deadline. It’s this scary overwhelming thing that you know is there, but no one else can see.
And bless you for taking the dog. Dogs are people. When you help when it blesses you forever. Compassion is a act with lasting substance in the universe.
Not only are you all the most excellent authors but you should receive knighthood for trying to save the chichi. The world would be a sadder place without you and your family in it.
We have ALL heard these descriptives
most of us have used them of our selves, close mind meld associates, admired comebacks quiptsters < there may be no such word.
Probllama Probllama Probllama
I of IA just liked saying it, so around she walked, after her x-stitching
Probllama Probllama Probllama
After reading today’s post on the chi & hopping to mi browser to see how she looked, feeling good l popped back to my inbox where, what to my wondering eyes did appear,
Two posts back . . . but
Probllama ???? . . . Yes, I am not a well person, I freely admit that sick & twisted could apply without any
Probllama ????
U know it took me all this time, even after the visual to get that oh well no Probllama ???? ???? ????
I read the update about the Chihuahua, I just want to tell you, you have a great heart! Any human being that can be so considerate with a dog is a great human being, you and your family members and all the people who helped Lola are great human beings.
A hug and my best wishes ♥️
Anybody know how one becomes a copyeditor or proofreader? Cuz it pretty much sounds like one of those “get paid to do what you love” jobs for me. Hell, sometimes I do it for free in my kindle notes, just for the fun of it! ????
Also, extra love to House Andrews for taking in the stray Chihuahua. Stories like that help renew my faith in humanity ????
Hey Megan,
This might help ???? https://ilona-andrews.com/2019/audio-hips-and-other-things/