I am, even as I write this, looking at an Advance Reader Copy, or ARC, of my book. The whole point of this Debut Diary series is to show debut writers not yet at this stage what it really feels like to publish your first book. So how does this moment feel? Well, at risk ofContinue reading “Debut Diary, Part 6: ARCs”
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Debut Diary, Part 5: Page Proofs
I received the book design document last week. This is a PDF that shows the book as it will appear in print. My job was to read it through, note any issues, and get them back to the editor. These are also called “page proofs” sometimes. I did find some errors, but they were mine–continuityContinue reading “Debut Diary, Part 5: Page Proofs”
Debut Diary, Part 4: Edits
I’ve been going through the edits on The Widening Gyre, and there is one thing that is true of both teaching and writing: You never stop learning. I’ve learned that I have a bad habit of creating clusters of sentences with the construction “Someone does something AS something else happens.” As my editor said, there’s nothing inherentlyContinue reading “Debut Diary, Part 4: Edits”
Debut Diary, Part 3: The Cover
Yesterday, I received an email from my editor. Yes, I still love to say “my editor.” Anyway, I thought it was going to be my edits, but no–it was cover design ideas. He presented me with two, told me his preference, and asked for mine. I’ve thought about this moment a lot, even before IContinue reading “Debut Diary, Part 3: The Cover”
Debut Diary, Part 2: The Contract
A few days after I sent my acceptance of the terms the publisher was offering, they sent me the boilerplate for their contract. A boilerplate is standardized language used in contracts. Every publisher has their own. It’s essentially the same thing you’ll see in the contract. This is where the negotiation happens. So I read overContinue reading “Debut Diary, Part 2: The Contract”
Debut Diary, Part 1: Getting an Offer
Ever since I got the offer on my novel, I’ve felt a mix of exhilaration and crushing fear. I thought it might be fun to write a series of posts explaining the process and how I’ve felt during it. I’m going to call this series “What it’s Really Like,” because when we’re working towards publishingContinue reading “Debut Diary, Part 1: Getting an Offer”