Production FAQs

FAQs about the Publication Process

by Stacia Seaman, Consulting Editor

and Radclyffe, Bold Strokes Books

THE PREPARATION PROCESS

Once your contract is signed, you can post an announcement on your Web site and/or electronic mailing lists. Be sure to include a synopsis of your book—the back cover blurb is good for this. Your publisher will want to pre-market your books on the Bold Strokes Books website as well as via email and snail, so you should prepare an excerpt of the work (a 500-1000 word section that gives a flavor of the book or depicts a compelling scene), the back cover blurb, and a short bio of 50 to 100 words.

The publication process has two main components: editing and production. Editing involves content; production, appearance. After your contract is signed, the publisher will provide you with a tentative publication date for your book. That date may be as much as a year in the future (and under certain circumstances, longer), which is about average in the publishing industry. Remember, your “finished” submission is the publisher’s starting point, and most publishers schedule their projects at least a year in advance. Optimal distribution to retail outlets such as Barnes and Noble and Borders requires that promotional materials be provided 10-12 months prior to the release date, which is usually the minimal  time for a title to be placed on the production schedule.

THE EDITING PROCESS

A minimum of seven months before your publication date (the timing will vary depending on the anticipated extent of editing required), the publisher will assign an editor to work with you to prepare your manuscript for publication.

The most important thing to remember about the editing process is that you and the editor have a common goal: to make your manuscript into the best book possible. The editor is not there to criticize you or point out your mistakes; rather, the editor is there to help you improve your manuscript. In our experience, a better relationship between the editor and the author translates into an easier editing process and a better book.

Because there are often many ways to treat words, most publishers rely on a style guide. One of the best-known guides that is used throughout the book publishing industry and which is used at Bold Strokes Books is the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition. This guide is often supplemented by in-house style rules. Bold Strokes has a "House Style Guide" which will be provided. Chicago has sections on such issues as basic grammar; punctuation; the treatment of numbers; capitalization of names and titles; and treatment of compound words. Editors use a style guide to make a particular publisher’s books consistent in spelling and usage.

In addition to a style guide, many publishers also specify a dictionary. The first given spelling of a word in that dictionary is the one the publisher will ask the editors to use. The dictionary used by Bold Strokes’ editors is Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition.

One aspect of the editing process involves putting your manuscript into a publisher-specific format; this includes things like font, smart quotes, em-dashes, formatting ellipses, and things of that nature. Other areas the editor will focus on are correcting any errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation; eliminating any problems in consistency or in the timeline; deepening character development; making dialogue sound realistic; and making suggestions to eliminate problems with pacing or flow.

First Edits: The edited manuscript may come back to you looking like a crime scene.

One of the great features of Microsoft Word is its ability to “track changes,” meaning that any changes made by the editor will appear on the screen. Because these changes usually show up in red, it can appear a bit daunting at first. You’ll want to review the edited manuscript very carefully. The editor may include comments and queries, asking you to clarify a thought or pronoun, rewrite a section to avoid confusion, or expand a section to smooth the pacing. The editor will insist that you use the track changes on all changes during the editing process and NOT make changes to versions that are not actively assigned to you for revision - otherwise, multiple versions of a manuscript may lead to disasters (such as the wrong version being published).

Second Edits: Clean-up round

Depending upon the nature and number of the changes made in the first round of editing, the manuscript may come back to you for review a second time. This is usually a faster process resolving minor issues of timeline, syntax, grammar etc.

THE PRODUCTION PROCESS

Graphics

You will have the opportunity to provide input to the Bold Strokes’ graphic artists in designing a cover. This will occur early in the production schedule so that the cover can be used in promotional materials to publicize your book. The decision as to the final version of the cover will rest with the publisher to ensure consistency in the company's "marketing face."

Typesetting

Once you and your editor have finished editing the manuscript, the editor will forward it to the publisher to be typeset. Any acknowledgments or dedications you’d like to include and a short bio are required at this point so it is a good idea to prepare these soon after the manuscript is accepted. The title page, copyright page, acknowledgment page, and dedication page are collectively referred to as the “front matter,” and the bio and information about the publisher that appears at the back of the book is called the “back matter.”

Typesetting is the process of taking the electronic copy of your manuscript and putting it into book format. The manuscript at this point is often referred to as “proofs,” “page proofs,” or “galley proofs.”

This is an Adobe Acrobat file (.pdf), so you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it. The reader is free, and if you don’t have it you can download it directly from Adobe.

Proofreading

You will be provided an electronic file of the way the book will look when it is printed. The way the book looks in typeset is the way your book will look in print, so YOU will need to proofread it for errors, even though the publisher will have a number of assigned proofreaders to check it as well. YOUR name is on the cover. Make certain it is a work you will be proud to acknowledge. You can never have too many proofreaders.

When you review the page proofs, you are looking for things such as: typographical errors and misspelled words; reversed “smart quotes” and apostrophes; missing italics; and incorrect indentation. While you’re reviewing the page proofs, keep a list of things that need to be corrected. When you’re finished, forward that list to the publisher.

If your publisher uses a specific style guide that dictates things such as punctuation and treatment of compound words (whether they should be one word, two words, or hyphenated), make sure anybody you ask to review your manuscript is familiar with that style guide and does not make changes that go against it. You will be provided with a copy of the executive editor’s style guide with notes on your manuscript for this purpose. Provide it to your proofreaders.

PLEASE NOTE: Editorial changes must be made during the editorial process and NOT during proofreading. This means that all suggestions made by beta readers, writers’ groups, or anyone else you’ve asked to review the manuscript should be incorporated before the manuscript is forwarded to the typesetter. Only minor changes can be incorporated once the book is in proofs. Otherwise the publisher may be forced to reformat the entire manuscript, which costs money, takes time, and may significantly delay the publication of your book.

Once everyone has reviewed the final proofs, the typesetter will forward the manuscript to the publisher for printing.

THE FINAL PRODUCT

Once your book has been placed on the production schedule, it will be assigned an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). This unique number is just what it sounds like—it is used by distributors and bookstores to identify your book. The barcode that appears on the back cover of your book is the ISBN in a machine-readable format; the ISBN usually appears just above it.

After your book has been printed, it will be processed into the Ingram and Baker & Taylor databases (two major book distributors) as well as Books-in-Print. These databases allow readers to buy your books through such sites as Barnes & Noble and Amazon and also allow bookstores (retailers) to order your books.  In addition to the above resources, your book will be distributed by Bella Distribution to Bulldog Books (Australia), and United Kingdom Publishers Group UK (Europe).

To maximize the sale of your PUBLISHED work, Bold Strokes Books asks that authors remove any full length versions of the work (including first drafts containing more than 25% of the finished work) from the Internet upon signing a contract for publication.  We encourage authors to provide excerpts of the published work on their websites and will make these available on the Bold Strokes Books website as well.

Wait – You’re Not Done Yet!

A Note from the Publisher

The day your book is released is REALLY just the beginning. Now, that book has to get into the hands of a reader (hopefully many readers). Bold Strokes Books is committed to marketing and distributing every book it publishes to as wide an audience as possible, but you need to help! Every author needs to get out the word about their new book. Use the Internet groups, use your website (a must in today’s world), call your neighborhood bookstore or better yet – bring them a review copy along with a brief bio  and a copy of your sell sheet from the Bold Strokes Books Press Room – and have your friends in other cities and states drop off a press release at their local GLBTFQ bookstore. Use a tag line on your emails announcing your upcoming titles and directing readers to your and the BSB website.

THE FINAL WORD

Remember – everyone at Bold Strokes Books wants every single book to be a best-seller, and we’ll work with you to make that happen.

For More Information:

Email: bsb@boldstrokesbooks.com