Rushing a book to market without understanding all the consequences of your decision is about as bright as marrying someone you meet in Las Vegas after a fifteen-hour drinking binge. Even if the reasons behind the rush seem legitimate, beware of the beer-goggle effect—your book won’t look nearly as attractive when it comes off the press as it does in your head when you’re deciding to skip vital steps in the publication process. There are three areas where rushing will come back to haunt you with particular vengeance:

Editing
Your content has to deliver the goods. Editing isn’t just about making sure your book is free of typos and grammatical errors—it’s the part of the process that focuses on sharpening the reading experience for your customers. If you don’t invest the time and money to have experienced book editors work with your book, success in this industry will be an uphill battle. Don’t try to justify your rush by duping yourself into believing that you can save time-consuming editorial work for the second edition or the next printing. Crappy books don’t go into multiple print runs or second editions. It’s like not showering before a first date and thinking that you can always wash up for the second date—unless you’re meeting the Vegas drunk from the scenario above, there’s no way you’re getting the second date, stinky. It’s worth the delay in your book launch to work with an editor who can help you develop a rock-solid title, unique hooks, a smart structure, and a compelling voice. If you rush the editorial process, you’ll compromise the integrity of your work for short-term gains. Is a goal like having books in time for one event really worth that?

Design and Printing
While powerful marketing, a strong author platform, and compelling content are essential for a book to succeed, production quality is equally important. And yet there are countless articles that downplay the importance of quality, often making the obtuse argument that anyone with Photoshop or InDesign can throw a book together in no time, or that the difference between top quality and bottom quality is negligible due to advances in technology. Both assertions are appalling fallacies. The quality of your design and printing determines what kind of first impression your book will make. Retail buyers, book reviewers, and consumer make gut decisions based on this first impression, so while good quality costs money and takes time, this is not an area in which it is okay to be either cheap or hasty.

Sales and Publicity
Sometimes, we’re at the mercy of others. Pitching your book to retail buyers and media outlets is one of those times. If you want to sell your books in bookstores or other trade outlets like Costco and Wal-Mart, know that it takes almost twelve months to get your books ready for distribution. This time is spent setting up the title in wholesale and retail systems, presenting to buyers, and preparing the logistics for an on-time launch. And there’s similar time sensitivity inherent in a proper publicity campaign. You only have one book launch, and if you don’t get advance review copies to reviewers at least four months prior to publication, your print campaign has virtually no shot at success.

Deciding to produce a book on an abbreviated timeframe may be possible from a purely logistical standpoint, but you shouldn’t rush your book launch unless you’re prepared to have a product that isn’t set up to reach its full potential. So take a breath and slow down. The book of your dreams will wait for you. If you follow the rules and wait too, the launch will be much more special. If you know what I mean.

Award-winning author Jay Lake, whose books include Green, Mainspring, Madness of a Flower, Death of a Starship and others, including multiple short stories and other projects, wrote a blog post entitled “What my publisher does for me, and why I won’t just quit” to give fellow authors and aspiring authors a firsthand glimpse of the traditional publishing process through a timeline that spans over 32 months. (That’s right, over the course of nearly three years.) While his post is partially a response to the difficulties between Macmillan and Amazon on ebook pricing (read more about that conflict at Wired.com) and the changing model of publishing in general, it is also an eye-opening explanation of the collaborative process that takes place within publishing companies to produce books in any format. And while the face of publishing (and its internal clockwork) is changing at an increasingly rapid pace, the work that goes into producing a book has stayed very much the same for large publishers.

An excerpt from his post below:

Month 16 — Editorial assistant sends hardback page proofs to author.

Month 16 — Editorial assistant receives hardback page proofs from author.

Month 17 — Typesetter makes proof changes.

Month 18 — Proofing editor reviews changes.

Month 18 — Hardback printing goes to press.

Month 19 — Hardback printing goes to warehouse.

Month 21 — Hardback printing released to distribution

Month 22 — Hardback printing goes on sale.

Month 22 — Finance issues publication check to author via agent. (Payment 3 of 3 in typical contracts today.)

Month 24 — Production editor confirms press time slot for book.

Month 24 — Production editor turns manuscript over to book designer.

Month 24 — Book designer sends mass market paperback book to typesetter.

Month 25 — Typesetter does initial layout for mass market paperback release.

Month 26 — Editorial assistant sends mass market paperback page proofs to author.

Read the full article here.

Publishing, Avant-Garde

Assuming that you read any manner of blog or online journal—including this one—then you are more likely than not familiar with the concept. However, for the less initiated, we’ll turn to the trustworthy Wikipedia for a complete definition:

A blog (a contraction of the term “web log”) is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs.

Popular hosts and providers of blogs and online journals include Blogger, WordPress, Typepad, LiveJournal, Movable Type and Blogware. Some are free, some paid, and each offers a different mixture of features, applications, widgets and communities. It’s a matter of preference that determines which provider you use.

The reason I want to spotlight blogs and online journals for writers is their twofold function: a place from which to build a platform as a writer, and a place in which to showcase your work.

As to platform—it has become expected, if not an unwritten rule, that a writer should continuously develop a web presence. This is an extremely important aspect of platform-building, especially as more and more people every year begin to rely upon the Internet as a source of information for all things, including entertainment. Which means books. Which means you.

You can find some great information about the basics of blogging (and specifically author blogging) here:

• wikiHow: How to Start a Blog, 8 Steps (with video)
• ABA Feature Comparison of Major Blog Providers
• Online Journalism’s Review: Are you using the right blogging tool?
• Petrona: An overlong post about blog providers
• Daily Blog Tips: Copyright Law, 12 Dos and Don’ts
• Lorelle on Blogging: Should Authors Blog?
• Marketing Tools for Authors, Writers, and Entrepreneurs: Why Should Authors Blog?
• suite 101: Blogging is a Marketing Tool for Writers
• Bob Baker’s Full-Time Author Blog

The focus of this article is the ‘showcasing your work’ aspect. This is as equally applicable to established authors as it is to beginners. What it means is that people can visit your blog and get a taste of your writing style, tone, background, genre. Essentially, they can get a feel for you.

I’ve visited author blogs that have posted writing across the gamut: excerpts of published novels, segments from drafts of unpublished ones, research for nonfiction works, character descriptions, story outlines, book trailers, audiobook links, e-books, and more. This is in addition to observations about writing, art, culture, the business of publishing, and posts on everyday life. In essence, blogs act as public journals of the creative process of writing.

A few examples of author blogs:

• The Temp, The Actress and the Writer (Adrienne Kress)
• Neil Gaiman’s Journal
• Laurell K. Hamilton
• Seth’s Blog (Seth Godin)
• Tess Gerritsen’s Blog
• Mad Woman in the Forest (Laurie Halse Anderson)
• A Writer’s Life (Lee Goldberg)

You can find more comprehensive lists at Technorati, Author Blogs (under construction as of December 2009), The Internet Writing Journal and The YA Book Blog Directory.

You may be wondering: Does ‘showcasing your work’ on a blog or journal mean that it is considered published?

The general consensus is that for legal purposes, publishing excerpts of your work online is not considered publishing in the traditional sense. While I would not recommend posting the entirety of your unpublished work on your blog (in the event that you do plan on submitting your work to publishers), there are other options for those who are considering a strictly self-publishing route—this includes downloadable or e-book content hosted on your blog. For published authors, it is best to check your publisher’s contract with you before posting to your heart’s content, but small segments to interest potential readers seems to be acceptable pretty much across the spectrum.

Having writing samples posted on your blog in addition to regular ‘blogging’ (the commentary, opinions, links and etc. mentioned above) also allows potential publishers and agents to peruse more examples of your work then you may have sent with a query letter, and lets them know that you are working hard on your platform. In this sense, it is crucial that your blog is active. This does not mean writing a research paper daily. You can segment pieces of your writing and set them to auto-update, or write several posts in advance and then spread them out over the course of a few days or weeks. Once you’ve explored a few approaches, you’ll find a natural rhythm—whether it’s short updates daily or longer pieces once or twice a week. The more you post, the more interesting the posts are, and the more you share, the more followers (and hopefully fans and readers) you will gain. And why say no to any extra chance to refine your writing skills?

In essence, blogs are an invaluable enhancement to your credentials—a portfolio that demonstrates your talents like any other artist, including those in visual and media arts. It’s a resume, a curriculum vitae both artistic and practical. It can be as intimate or business-like as you please. You can share as much or little as you want. The blog is the gift of the contemporary author, so use it to the best of your advantage.

And of course, the Internet has made it extremely easy to garner the opinions of others. When you get a moment, check out this Squidoo list of social networking sites for writers, most of which were specifically built for authors to connect with other writers, editors, readers, and reviewers. It’s easy to sign up and even easier to start getting worthy feedback.

Authors can also connect with other writers in Facebook Groups like this and Twitter groups like this and this.

The contest officially begins in January 2010, and submissions to the contest must be submitted to Greenleaf Book Group on or by March 29, 2010. Submissions must be less than 5,000 words.

The contest is designed to get young people writing creatively—and give the winners the first taste of being published (and a credit that could help them as they look toward college.) We’ll be donating a portion of the profit from sales of the anthology to a local non-profit organization, to be determined by the start of the contest. Interested schools and non-profits should contact Chris McRay at chris@greenleafbookgroup.com or 512.891.6100.

If you’re in the central Texas area, we’d love to have you join us on the first four Sundays in August at BookPeople (603 N. Lamar, Austin, Texas). Sessions cost $15 each or $45 for all four. Attendance is limited to 60 people per session. To reserve a seat call (512) 472-5050 or visit BookPeople.

It’s going to be a fun, educational event—one we hope will untangle some of the complexities of getting a book produced, distributed, and marketed, as well as answer any questions on the publishing industry attendees have, whether basic or advanced. Be sure to visit our Facebook page, and if you’re the Twittering type, you can tweet about Austin Publishing University with the hashtag #apu09.

Descriptions of the four sessions of APU after the jump.

__________

SESSION 1 – Ins & Outs: The Industry Overview
Sunday, August 2, 2009 1:00 – 2:30 pm
The publishing industry presents many business models for authors, each with its own set of pros and cons. This class will walk you through the industry and give you the tools you need to choose the best path for your project. Plus, you will gain a basic understanding of what it takes to successfully create and market content in the retail marketplace. Learn the ins and outs of traditional publishing, self-publishing, print-on-demand publishing, and hybrid models—and how to avoid publishing pitfalls along the way.

SESSION 2 – Hot Topic: Content is King
Sunday, August 9, 2009 1:00 – 2:30 pm

So you know you want to write a book, but the blank page is glaring at you and you just don’t know how to begin. Come learn some useful techniques for structuring the writing process, getting past the terrifying first blank page, and presenting your ideas in a compelling and engaging manner.

SESSION 3 – Killer Covers: Boosting Sales by Design
Sunday, August 16, 2009 1:00 – 2:30 pm

Book jackets serve a number of purposes that are essential to the success of your book. This class will teach you how to make informed decisions about your covers by examining a variety of topics including genre appropriateness, the role of research, concept and tone, using photography and/or illustration, branding a series, endorsements, author photos, printing technology, retail durability, Amazon thumbnails, and design trends. We will closely analyze examples of various cover designs including award winning work.

SESSION 4 – Storming the Market: Online, On the Air, and On the Shelves
Sunday, August 23, 2009 1:00 – 2:30 pm

As the old saying goes, it’s easy to write a book: Selling it is hard. This class will discuss how effective marketing strategies, combined with traditional publicity and new media, come together to create a successful book launch. We will review the basic timeline that you should follow, describing what to do before, during, and after your publishing date. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to get the perspective of veteran publishers and retailers from both us at Greenleaf Book Group and BookPeople.

For more information about BookPeople, visit their site, or check out the fantastic interview they gave us a few months ago.

Tip #4: Be Polite—9 Out of 10 Agents and Publishers Prefer It!

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of your book. You think to yourself, “I need to get this published now! Quick! This book is groundbreaking! There’s no time for protocol or politesse!”

Or is there?

Take a deep breath and think about who you’re dealing with. Whether it’s an agent, a publisher, or a distributor you’re inquiring to them for help and you need them on your side. Being demanding, inflexible, or just flat out rude probably won’t get you very far. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re thinking about how to interact with an agent, publisher, or distributor.

1. There are authors who insist that their book will be the big bestseller or the next great American novel. Now that’s not to say yours isn’t, but realize that agents, editors, and submission departments hear the same thing all day long, and insisting on the genius of your book probably won’t win you much notice or favor.

2. Follow-up is important, and persistence is an admirable quality, but pestering probably won’t yield the desired outcome for your book. Remember that many companies and agents have a process in place to review incoming submissions and that they will often notify you of their decision. In the case that there is no notification system in place, be as kind and understanding as possible and try and have a reasonable expectation for wait time.

3. Be polite. Maybe this seems obvious, but I can tell you that a lack of consideration and manners in general is something I experience in our submissions department from time to time. Sometimes it takes that little extra push to get that “accepted” status, and having people on the inside rooting for you can go a long way. Honey catches more flies than vinegar, right?

Think about it from their (our) perspective: would you want to enter into a long-term business relationship with someone who makes your life difficult? I bet not. I would like to acknowledge though, it is a two-way street—agents, publishers, and distributors owe the same respect to authors, and often don’t keep the lines of communication open, as they should.

If you don’t care what your publisher thinks about you, consider your readers—wouldn’t we all rather read books written by nice people?

I’ve read many books, ideas, proposals. A small, but shining few are good, and there is a significant trait that define them as such. The authors know who their audience is, and they write for that audience. Knowing your core audience is essential.

I am the first to admit how deeply personal putting words to paper is for me. It has always been subject to my interests, my thoughts, my ideas, my passions. I write because it fulfills me.

Most authors don’t write for money or fame (or “fortune and glory,” as pulp fiction screen star Indiana Jones would have put it), but because they have a honest love of what they do.

But the authors who find success (as household names or finding a niche of readers who love their work), they realize that writing a book is about creating something that will find an audience, and moreso, something that finds the right audience. It’s about what the audience will love.

It’s not blasphemy or insensitivity, it’s truth. If a writer doesn’t know who wants to read their work, they won’t find an audience. But knowing your audience isn’t the easiest task. There are many considerations, including:

• genre (what type of book is it? Fiction, nonfiction, memoir, sci-fi/fantasy, women’s fiction, popular science?)
• subject (light fare or dark? Happy marriages or abuse? New theories or battling disease?)
• length (short, long or in-between?)
• language (poetic or straightforward, child’s POV or adult’s, fact-filled or completely imaginative?)
• current trends (what is selling? What’s popular at the moment?)
• marketability (can you get this book to your core audience?)

Others arise as well, depending the answers to the above questions.

As an author, it is part of your job to find the answers to these questions, to understand about your core audience. It isn’t enough to write a good book that you think people will like. You have all the fodder you need to know what people like. What’s selling, being talked about, winning awards, popular in social media, or circling through book clubs? (What is most important to you will of course depend on who you’re trying to reach).

I’m not suggesting that your writing becomes impersonal, because that will alienate an audience as surely as will a book they’re not interested in reading. It’s about finding a balance, about shaping your work as you write it and molding it to the needs of your readers while still creating something that you love.

It won’t work every time. Not every idea is meant to be embraced by your readers, as popular and niche writers alike know well. At times, you will always fail to connect. Some writers feel the need to blame the audience, but it is not their failure for having preferences. It just means re-learning your audience, and writing something new.

While you write, the consideration should be that your book is for other people. It’s hard to remember that at times, in the heat of writing, lost in another world. But it is a core component of authorship. You mean very little as an author without a reader—and in the end, why write if you cannot share it with the world?

Then there are the killer lines that I’m talking about. The comments or turns-of-phrase or sentences that are hackneyed clichés or pointless ramblings, useless facts or simply don’t make any sense. Whether in your query letter, marketing materials, biography or synopsis, these five killer lines will mutilate your chances of being published. Or being taken seriously:

ONE: Creating a Genre That Does Not Exist.
You’re a writer. You think about things in new and different ways. We appreciate that. But don’t try to create your own genre. That’s not how the game works. New genres may come about, but usually as a result of reviewers and critics calling them a new genre.

Visit your local bookstore and check out how the aisles are labeled, or look inside book’s flap and see what is listed. Literary fiction. Memoir/biography. Science. Romance. Health & Beauty. New Age. Generally two, maybe three words to describe it. Notice that you do not see any of the following (unless the bookstore owner has a sense of humor):

• A string of descriptive genres shoved together. “Dystopian sci-fi romantic comedy horror”? It may have elements of all these genres, but you need to choose the dominant genre and stick to it.
• Fictional memoir. If it’s a memoir, it’s not fiction (as James Frey has taught us).
• Non-fiction memoir. Refer to the above.
• Fiction novel. A novel is, by its definition, fiction. This is a redundancy. Don’t use it.

TWO: Unrelated Ramblings About You, You, You.
Situation A. You’re a health specialist with a focus on women’s health and you’ve written a book on menopause. Great. Let us know about it. You have a platform for your book and your background will strengthen the book’s chances from a marketing and publicity point of view. It’s valid to create an author’s biography that connects you to your writing.

Situation B. You’re a health specialist with a focus on women’s health and you’ve written a fast-paced WWII thriller about a fighter pilot who ends up in the Bermuda triangle. Unless he crash-lands in the Bermuda triangle’s only hospital and has to save a woman from the brink of death due to female ailments—and this is the major element of the novel—it’s not relevant to write several paragraphs about your experiences as a health specialist, or to give us your résumé. That doesn’t make you qualified to write a WWII thriller about a fighter pilot, nor will it help in your book’s campaign.

Include information that is brief, precise, and relevant to connect you and your book.

THREE: Referring To Yourself as a Bestselling Author… When You Aren’t.
You see it all the time. Books by bestselling authors gracing the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, etc. Stephen King is a bestselling author. Stephanie Meyers is a bestselling author. Eckhart Tolle is a bestselling author (thank you, Oprah). Mr. Such-and-Such with his terribly-designed website proclaiming him to be a bestselling author and his book to be a bestseller? Probably not. If you didn’t already know it, we will check your background, and your book’s numbers. Technology (such as BookScan) is amazing like that. So if you claimed to have sold 100K, and yet your book hasn’t sold one copy on Amazon.com, we’re likely to be a little suspicious.

FOUR: A Title That Would Make Any Reader Cringe.
This probably speaks for itself. With the except of the truly witty and unique who create exceptional titles with strange and/or long names that work, most titles that are irrelevant to the book’s subject, or that explain the book’s subject for seven lines, aren’t going to cut it. Have fun, but be practical: what intrigues a reader and what makes them shake their head in confusion? This is not to say that agents and publishers will not work with you to make a title more effective. But try to make it easier on them.

FIVE: Wait, What?
Misspellings. Strange grammar. Using one word when you meant to use another. Or just plain illegibility. All of these are terrible ideas and indicators to the agent or publisher that you’ve probably put as little care into your manuscript as you have into your supplementary materials. Take the effort to make everything you send clean, professional, and not full of careless errors.

These guidelines are not by any means complete, but please consider them as you are polishing up your final materials to send out to agents and publishers. It will save us all a lot of time and trouble. And as always, best of luck!

Was that a little too gross of a metaphor?

What I mean is that after your first draft, what sits there on the page is oftentimes a jumbled heap of good ideas surrounded by loads of bad writing. You cannot write a perfect first draft. Ever. Just doesn’t happen. And the last thing you want to do is send your first attempt to an agent or a publisher. We’re simply too busy to sift through the muck and wait for your good ideas uncover themselves. We don’t have the time or the patience (as much as we wish we did) to constantly go mining for diamonds in the rough.

What you’ve got is about five pages. Five. The first five pages (and this is double-spaced, size twelve, Times New Roman or Courier, one inch margin, tabbed indent pages) are what it takes for the person reading your manuscript to decide if it’s worth pursuing at all. You might be lucky and get ten pages, or you might be unlucky and get two. But it’s best to assume that if you don’t hook us in at five pages, then your manuscript isn’t where it needs to be.

But be not afraid, for I’m not here to scare you off. I’m here to help you shape your jumbled heap (from the first five pages to the last) into something pretty. And all in five deceptively simple (but really not-so-terrifyingly massive) steps:

ONE: You’ve worked day and night and your eyes are red and you’ve forgotten what sunlight feels like and there’s more coffee than blood running through your veins. You typed the last word of your magnum opus three minutes ago and it’s done. And for a little while, you don’t want to touch it. Watch a movie. Go out with friends. Breathe in the night air. Take a jog. Do whatever you need to do to spend—at minimum—a week away from it (and I’d personally suggest a month). It’ll make you more clear-sighted when you start your revisions.

TWO: Outlining. You may have created a breakdown or outline for your manuscript before you started writing (especially helpful for nonfiction manuscripts, or fiction with multiple plotlines or non-linear storytelling). But if you don’t have one yet, now is the time (if you do, it’s the time to change it to match your manuscript). It will make your revisions much easier if you can break everything down. Divide your manuscript however you like—by chapter, by character, by idea—whatever works. Just make sure you cover the entire thing in detail.

THREE: Revising can be as monumental of a task as you make it. On the other hand, it can be, if not easy, at least manageable. Create a plan of action. Read through each piece of your breakdown or outline individually, looking for three elements (best to do one at a time):

1. Proofreading errors: punctuation, spelling, grammar
2. Developmental errors: characterization, description, background elements, conflicts or lack thereof, ideas without substance
3. Structural errors: lack of continuity or flow, plot problems or questions, lack of conclusions or open ends

Revise the individual pieces, fit said pieces back together, and read it again as a whole. Then repeat.

FOUR: Write these four things for your book: a synopsis, a one-liner, a one-minute pitch, and a query letter.

1. Synopsis: a summary of your book. You can have multiple ones of variable lengths, but try to have a one-page summary of your book’s beginning, middle, end. It doesn’t have to be incredibly detailed, but it should have the major plot elements and thematic ideas, and of course, your main protagonist and antagonist.
2. One-liner: also known as the hook, or the tagline, or the concept, this is the sentence than encapsulates your entire story. If it helps, imagine your book as having a movie poster,  and putting this sentence on the poster.
3. One-minute pitch: a minute’s worth of talking about your book. A paragraph of synopsis, your one-liner, and any other interesting tidbits (books it is similar to, if it has a twist ending, etc). You want to have this pre-prepared, because you never know when you’ll have a short opportunity to pitch your book to someone who has potential interest in it.
4. Query letter: this is the letter you send to potential agents or publishers. It gives the basic information about the book, any relevant information about you as an author, and asks if who you are querying would be interested in the manuscript. These vary depending on the agent or publisher, so check out their websites for guidelines.

Once you have these things, compare them to your manuscript. Do they match? That is, do these descriptions of your manuscript actually match what you’ve written? If you want your manuscript to better reflect your materials, then it’s time to revise. Again.

FIVE: Revise. (Again.) The amount of revisions to your manuscript varies between authors. But know that it is an ongoing process, even when your manuscript has been accepted. (Give editors credit, because they revise for a living!). It is important to be open to changes. This can be a great time to give the manuscript to trusted people: friends, a writer’s group, any fresh set of eyes that can offer insight that is not lathered by niceness or compliments. You want the truth, you have to be harsh and blunt and realistic. That’s why you revise so many times. You slowly but surely shape all the bits and pieces and ideas into a tangible, readable book.

After these steps (and possible repeats of these steps), you still won’t have perfection. But what you will have is a manuscript with a fighting chance at being read all the way through, that shows structure and insight, that can be explained easily and has a clear-cut beginning, middle, and end. And that can (fingers crossed) eventually be published.