Why an Author Needs to be Done Writing Her Book an Entire Year Before It's Published

So much happens behind the scenes in the publishing business

Hello, lovelies!

How are you? I’m trying not to eat extra sugar in January but my willpower is quivering. Wish me luck…

Anyway! I’m so happy to continue a popular feature of my newsletter—Behind the Scenes. Sometimes I’ll pull back the curtains and show you things like an annotated page of one of my books or the outline for a new manuscript. Other times, I’ll give you a backstage look at the process of publishing fiction. This is going to be fun and hopefully insightful!

Photo by Matias North on Unsplash

Behind the Scenes: Publishing Timelines

I often get asked what I’m working on and when the book will be ready, and most readers are surprised to find out that I have long ago finished the novel they are still waiting for.

So what is taking so long?

In “traditional publishing” — that is, the world of big publishers mostly based in New York like Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, etc. — authors need to be done with their writing and editing about one year before the release date. This is because there is still a lot of work to be done behind-the-scenes.

For example:

• The art department has to design cover art. They might do the work in-house themselves, or they might hire a freelance artist to draw/paint/collage/etc. This takes time, because there will be multiple rounds of ideation, feedback, and revision.

• The actual book cover also needs attention — what color will it be under the dust jacket? Will there be foil imprinting?

• A designer will meticulously choose what font to use — bet you didn’t know this was someone’s job, but how incredible is that? — as well as whether there are any other design elements in the interior of the book, like pretty symbols to denote scene breaks. They will also have to decide on the layout of the text, like how big should the chapter headers be, how narrow are the margins? And someone even has to choose what type of paper to use!

• Publicity teams need plenty of lead-time to reach out to newspapers, magazines, podcasts, book clubs, and other media outlets.

• Marketing teams need time to draw up their plans for advertising, social media, and more.

• The publisher’s sales team needs time to talk to all the bookshops and other retailers across the country and convince them to stock the book in their stores.

• The library team needs time to reach out to all the libraries to hype up the book and try to get it on shelves.

• and so much more that honestly, I probably don’t even know.

That’s why, by the time one of my novels comes out, I’m already neck deep in writing a totally different book. In fact, sometimes I have to re-read my own novel right before its release date, in order to remind myself of what I wrote so that I can talk intelligently about it during my book tour and other appearances!

I don’t mind, though. I think it’s really beautiful that so many people come together to create the books in your hands. Even though the publishers are big corporations, the individuals who work there are all book lovers, and they care so much about the art and craft of making a book.

What a lovely endeavor to be a part of!

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Book Update: What I’m Working On Now

Now that you’ve read the Publishing Timelines explanation, you understand why I’m never working on the book that’s coming out in the current year. One Year Ago in Spain has been done for a while, and I’m onto my next novel, one I’m giving the codename Kindness for now.

For me, some books are super easy to write. Others take a bit more wrangling. Kindness is somewhere in-between: It knows what it wants to be, but I keep getting in its way by over-thinking.

Anyway, I’ve dusted off the zero draft (which I finished in November, I think? I’ve lost track of time). Now I’ve printed it out and am reading through it, making notes in the margins to myself. Once I’m done, I’ll start writing again and bringing this manuscript into “first draft” shape!

»If you missed it, here’s the newsletter where I tell you what One Year Ago in Spain is about, and also where I explain what a “zero draft” is.

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Pre-order ONE YEAR AGO IN SPAIN!

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Reading: What’s on my Nightstand

HIDDEN POTENTIAL by Adam Grant

Hidden Potential by Adam Grant is a non-fiction book about how you don’t have to be a genius to achieve incredible things. In fact, sometimes being recognized as a genius hampers you. I’m really intrigued so far by the mix of psychology with anecdotes about some of the world’s greats.

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Book and Movie Release Calendar: 2024

• March 5th - Damsel movie tie-in paperback edition

• March 8th - Damsel movie releases on Netflix

• May 7th - The Hundred Loves of Juliet summer paperback edition

• July 30th - One Year Ago in Spain - NEW RELEASE

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