The business of publishing

The Business of Publishing

Publishing is a professional game of rush and wait. At least it is for me. I cycle through periods of super intensive work, where all I do is write (good luck with food and laundry, family!) And then I'm done with a draft, and I have... nothing to do.

I usually send my manuscript off to a critique partner or my agent to read, or if the book's already under contract, it will go to my editor.

Waiting requires So. Much. Patience. I mean, I understand that I just sent a 400+ page manuscript to someone, and they need time to read and think about it before giving me feedback. Plus, they also have 10,000 other things to do, and maaaaybe I am not their Number One Priority. (But why not???)

Sometimes I'll start working on another book, but sometimes, my brain needs a break. Then I try to occupy my time with walks and lots of reading. But you better believe that as soon as I get comments back on a draft, I dive back into editing and ignore everything else! And so the cycle goes.

Go, go, go, WAIT. It's a weird business, and yet I wouldn't trade it for any other.

~evelyn

Book Updates:

Three Kisses, One Midnight (YA) by me, Roshani Chokshi & Sandhya Menon
coming 2022 - draft with our editor, Eileen Rothschild at Wednesday Books

Works-in-Progress:

Project RJ (adult) - Revision finished, sent to agent.

Project Sun (MG) - Draft complete.

Project Whimsy (adult) - on hold.

June Obsession

I've been into notebooks lately, and this one is my favorite. The paper is lovely--smooth and thick--and the spine withstands being bent open so that I can write with the pages flat. There are a ton of colors, too, so I have a lavender notebook for my book ideas, a blue one for my Spanish class notes, and a yellow one for random thoughts. There's something super satisfying about writing by hand in a quality notebook!

READER Q&A

  Q: What advice would you give to a new author who’s trying to make a career out of writing and gain exposure? - Nia P.
A: Find community online, if you like social media. I recommend following some of your favorite authors and interacting with the fellow writers who leave comments. If you follow authors who give writing advice, like Robin LaFevers, Beth Revis, Mary Weber, Nadine Brandes, and Rektok Ross, you'll also find writers in the comments who are eager to share writing tips and build community.

My second recommendation is to attend writing conferences, once in-person events return and if it's in your budget. Some of my best friends to this day were writers I met at SCBWI conferences. We were all in the same place then: unagented, unpublished, just working hard on our manuscripts and trying to learn as much as we could. There's something about spending a weekend together with people who love writing as much as you do, that really brings you close.

I know it can be tempting to try to befriend mega-famous authors, but trust me, their best friends were the ones they made when they were all unpublished, too. When you find connection and kinship with those at the same part of the journey as you, your bonds are stronger, and you get to enjoy the ride together. My first book was published in 2016, and several of my closest writer friends debuted that same year, too. We met when we were unknowns with big dreams, and then we got to make those dreams come true together.

About me:

Evelyn Skye is the New York Times bestselling author of The Crown's Game and other books.

She has a B.A. from Stanford and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Evelyn was once offered a job by the C.I.A., she not-so-secretly wishes she was good enough to be on “World of Dance,” and if you challenge her to a pizza-eating contest, she guarantees she'll win. Evelyn lives in the
San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, daughter, and a dog who sheds more hair than he weighs.