The Writing Life: January

I thought I'd do something new this year, which hopefully some of you will find interesting. I love hearing about the writing process with all it entails (I follow the blogs of a number of other authors), so I decided to add monthly updates so y'all could get an idea of what I'm up to, writing biz wise.

Here's what's happening in January. Let's call it "Juggling January"...that should give you an idea of what I'm dealing with!

The thing about being an actively working writer with multiple contracts and deadlines (as opposed to my earlier years where I was doing a book a year for Llewellyn and writing the fiction obsessively, but on my own schedule) is that you are never just working on one book at a time. In my case, I'm not even working with just one publisher.

I spent from December 29th to January 13th (that is to say, LATE last Monday night) madly writing the prequel novella for Berkley. In some ways it was easier than working on a book--it was shorter, for one thing (it came in at just over 19,000 words--the novels tend to be about 110,000) and because it is an intro to the Baba Yaga series, I had already done the world building and character creating. [The novella will take place right before the events in the first book, and should come out about a month before the September release, as an eBook.] But it was also tougher, because I'd never written a novella before, and wasn't quite sure about the pacing, or the amount of story needed for that word count. Also, I was coming off of the holiday rush at the shop, and it was tough to switch gears back to writing.

In the end, I really liked the way Wickedly Magical turned out, and it went off to Leis Pederson, my Berkley editor an hour ago, right on schedule for my January 15th deadline. Whew.

So now I get a break, right? *insert hysterical laughter here* I did take yesterday to work on the bathroom repainting project (more on that in a future blog post).

Today, I got the proofs for my 7th Llewellyn book, The Witch's Broom.

Proofs are the final copy of the manuscript before it goes off to the printer. It is the last chance an author has to catch any mistakes that her editor and the copy editor both missed (and there always are some...the more eyes on a manuscript the better). Usually there is another "final edits" step before this, but my production editor at Llewellyn, the fabulous Becky Zins, said that there were so few issues, she just added them as notes in the proofs.

Because of the way things tend to back up on the desks of overworked and overloaded editors (i.e.--most of them), Becky needs the proofs, with any changes or notes from me, back by January 23rd. Yes, today IS the 15th. Welcome to the wonderful world of publishing. So everything else I was planning to work on now gets pushed back a few days until I can work my way through the manuscript. Hopefully I'll get it done by the end of the day Monday the 20th.

After that, I will be working on the Midsummer book for Llewellyn--this is one in a series of eight books on the sabbats that will all be written by different authors and put out under the Llewellyn name, not ours. It is a small book (35,000 words), but has to contain specific things so they all match. This is what they call a "Work for Hire" project. I get paid a flat fee for doing it, rather than receiving an advance and then royalties like I would with one of my own books. But it should be fun to work on, and I am looking forward to reading the entire series. The appendix is due by the end of the month (since the books will be coming out at different times, Elysia, who is supervising editor on the project, needs to make sure that all the books will coordinate), then the rest of the book will take up February, and probably part of March.

Miscellaneous other writing stuff:

• I was sent an advance look at the cover for Wickedly Dangerous, the first Baba Yaga novel--it is too early to share it, since they will be tweaking a few things, but I can tell you that it ROCKS.
• I also had to send Leis some notes on my ideas for the cover of Wickedly Wonderful, the second book, including a description of the protagonist and some other things. (Because the books are coming out back-to-back, September and December, things are going to come fast and furious for both close together.) And an author picture of myself.
• At Llewellyn, they held the Launch meeting for my current book, which had originally been titled "Wisdom from the Pagan Path," but which Elysia has been calling that Paganwitchykitty book for months, since we knew we were going to have to change it. (Another author came out with a book with a title that was too close.) During the Launch meeting, where they discuss things like final titles, cover ideas, release dates, and such things, the lovely Becky Zins came up with the PERFECT title and subtitle. So this book (which I will be working on revisions for after I finish the Midsummer book) will be called....Everyday Witchcraft: Making Time for Spirit in a Too-Busy World. I love it! What do you think? (This is the one that is a follow-up of sorts to The Goddess is in the Details)
• Any minute now, the revision notes for the 2nd Baba Yaga book are going to land on my desk too. I'm just hoping they hold off until I can catch up on a few of these other things!

So--that's January in a nutshell.  What's on your "must get done" list? And what do you think of the new title?

Copyedits, how they work and such

I spent the last week doing final copyedits on Everyday Witch Book of Rituals, my next book from Llewellyn, coming in October.

Here's what happens: you write a book, send it off to your acquisitions editor, who okays it, sends it off to your production editor, and then...well...nothing, for a long time. That editor, in my case the fabulous Becky Zins, has a bunch of authors, after all.

But eventually, the editor edits, and sends the next-to-final manuscript back to the author, covered with scribbled notes in red pen. [Some editors are doing it electronically these days, but we're not there yet.] Some of those notes are questions, like "Did you really mean this?" or "Could we do X here instead?" Some are comments or explanations, like "I'd like to remove this bit because you said the exact same thing three pages ago. You ninny."

Becky and I have been working together since my second book (this one is #6, is case you haven't been keeping track) and we work really well together. I think she's amazing. She thinks I'm a great author. It's a publishing marriage made in heaven. Of course, that means that she knows I can be depended on to plow through final edits quickly, and so she only sent me the ms about a month before it was due at the printer... But that's okay, since when these things show up on my desk, I just want to get them done and back out anyway.

Here's the interesting thing about rereading your manuscript after a long time has passed: you never know if you are going to be pleased or disappointed. Most authors positively dread this moment of truth, me among them. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Some of the rituals actually moved me to tears, or made me laugh out loud (that's the Croning/Eldering ritual). Hopefully they will have the same effect on my readers.

Now the book is back in Becky's capable hands, where she will make the last few changes, then send it off to the printer. Raise your hands, anyone who is going to run out and buy it! (It's available for pre-order right now, she mentions casually, fooling no one.)

Whew.

Working with editors

No matter what kind of writing you do, at some point or another you will probably work with an editor. Over the course of a long career, you will probably work with quite a few. There will be editors who make you look good, by catching every mistake you make…and editors that don’t. Most of the time you don’t have much choice in the matter; the editor who picks your book is the one you end up working with.At worst, this can be frustrating. At best, they will be enthusiastic about your writing and a joy to work with.

I’m lucky—I’ve got the best editors in the world.

Unlike fiction books, where the person who buys the book is also the person who is your primary editor for the entire process, in non-fiction (or at least at Llewellyn, where I have all my experience) there are two main editors involved: the Acquisitions Editor and the Production Editor.

The Acquisitions Editor, in my case a fantabulous woman named Elysia Gallo, is the person you submit the book to in the first place. She reads the proposal you send, and your sample chapters, and if she likes it, she’ll ask for the rest of the book. If she REALLY likes it, she’ll then take it to an acquisitions meeting and pitch it to the rest of the team. If everyone REALLY likes it, she then offers a contract. And paperwork ensues.

Elysia was the one who bought my first book, bless her little acquistional heart, and all the ones that followed. She has been everything one could hope for in an editor: supportive, enthusiastic, and a strong advocate for my work. But beyond that, she has become a friend.

Now conventional wisdom will tell you that authors and editors—no matter how much they like each other, and no matter how well they get along—can’t really be friends. This is, after all, primarily a business relationship. And to some extent, conventional wisdom isn’t wrong. I know that when we are in negotiations, she HAS to put Llewellyn’s interests first. That’s her job. Business first, friendship second. And I’m okay with that. But the rest of the time, we really are pals, and I know that she has gone to bat for me more than once. And I hope that our relationship will continue long after my time with Llewellyn is over.

For some Acquisitions Editors, the job is more or less over once the contract is signed. But Elysia tends to be more hands on, and frequently offers in-depth feedback and suggestions for the scope, direction, and content of the books. Some authors don’t like this in an AE—but I love it. I want to turn in the best possible book, in a form that is going to make all those higher up on the food chain at Llewellyn happy. Working closely with Elysia helps me to do this. She makes me look good.

Once Elysia and I deem the book finished (a process that usually takes about three months from the time I start writing to the time I finish—almost always well ahead of my official deadline), it gets sent on to the Production Editor. There are a number of PE’s at Llewellyn, but on all but the first book, I have been lucky enough to be paired with Becky Zins. Becky rocks, too.

The PE helps to polish the book. She goes through it word by word and (hopefully) finds anything I screwed up or left out. Eventually, she contacts me via email with her biggest questions, and we usually have a few days of “is this really what you wanted to say?” and “would you mind if I changed this?” exchanges. When she’s done, she sends me the final proofs—which I just got yesterday for WITCHCRAFT ON A SHOESTRING—and it is my job to make sure that it all turned out right.

Like Elysia, Becky is a joy to work with. Her vision of the books has always matched mine EXACTLY; something which is a minor miracle in publishing and for which I thank the gods daily! And unlike most PE’s, she is (as far as I know) the last remaining PE at Llewellyn who also works on the book design itself. All those adorable cats in the EVERYDAY WITCH A TO Z books…her idea.

I have been really fortunate in my editors so far, and hope that this good fortune will continue as I move into the fiction world. But it isn’t all luck—I also work hard to be as good an author for them to collaborate with as I can be. I want them to be singing my praises as loudly as I sing theirs.

Here’s a few basic ways to be a editor’s dream writer:

Always be polite and cooperative. (Yes, that should go without saying—but it doesn’t.)

Always meet or beat your deadlines. (Much of publishing takes a long time, and then you get two days to do the next step. The more lead time you can give an editor, the easier their job is.)

Submit the cleanest copy you can. (Just because it is an editor’s job to clean up your manuscript doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make an effort to find all the typos and other errors yourself. Becky has said she loves to see one of my books land on her desk, because she knows that there will be very little for her to do. That’s what you want to hear!)

Say “thank you” often and loudly. (Editing is one of the behind-the-scenes jobs, and it can be pretty thankless. It never hurts to tell your editor how much you appreciate all the work they put in to make you, the person everyone associates with your book, look good.)

With two books coming out this year, I have spent more time than usual dealing with editors. Which only makes me even more grateful than usual to have two such wonderful ones to work with. Thank you, Elysia and Becky! If I look good, it is all due to you.

Happy Birthday to Me!

A GIFT FOR ME

Yes, today is my birthday. My 50th, to be exact. So people are making a much bigger fuss than usual...which is turning out to be a lot of fun.

Yesterday I got a mystery package from my publishers, Llewellyn. On the front it said : DO NOT OPEN UNTIL YOUR BIRTHDAY. Argh! Torture. I rattled it...nothing. But I was good, and waited until this morning to open it.

Woke up to snow (ah, upstate NY in April), but this cheered me right up!

Here is the front of the card I got--



And on the inside were SIXTEEN signatures and personal messages, from all the folks I've worked with--editors, publicity folks, the lots. I almost cried!

And here is the present that was inside --



And here's what was inside THAT --



50 pieces of chocolate, a wonderful and heartwarming (and only occasionally snarky) A to Z of me, and a cute little kitty.

Not bad for a day that started with snow!

Thanks so much to Elysia Gallo, Becky Zins, and all the other wonderful folks at Llewellyn for making me feel so loved and appreciated. What a wonderful gift!

A GIFT FOR EVERYONE ELSE

I am so overwhelmed with the amount of love I've received; gifts, and cards, and emails, Twitter and Facebook... I decided I want to do something special for everyone who has been so supportive of me. So here's a birthday gift for my readers and fans (you know who you are):
Anyone who goes to www.Llewellyn.com or Amazon and orders one of my books, or preorders one of the two coming out this year--and comes back here and tells me about it--can get a signed copy of Circle, Coven & Grove, my first book, for $5. I'll even pay for the shipping myself. [USA only, please.] You can pay on paypal, so it's easy. So if you've wanted a signed book but haven't been able to make it to one of my events, here's your big chance.

Happy birthday to me, and thanks so very much to everyone for the good wishes!

Check back tomorrow for reports on the rest of today's celebrations,and a link to my guest blog for Candace Havens at GenReality.