Carol - manuscripts & proofing,editting, etc

[LunaLovesHarry at aol.com]

>>Carol responds:
As I said in detail on the main list, there's a lot more to publishing
a book than just producing a manuscript, especially if it's a first
draft that needs to be revised. (She may just be checking for flints
and inconsistencies at this point, an initial read-through before she
revises.) And after she submits the manuscript, there's still the
substantive editing, the copyediting, additional corrections made by
the author based on the editing, setting the edited manuscript in
type, proofreading by both the author and a professional proofreader,
checking and correlating the corrections, setting the corrections in
type, etc. before the final print run, after which the book has to be
bound and distributed. And as I forgot to say on the other list, the
American edition will take even longer (not to mention foreign
editions that have to be translated). Anyway, it's a very
time-consuming process that's virtually impossible for someone who's
never written a book or been involved with publishing to imagine. At
least she doesn't have to worry about permissions like a nonfiction
author! Anyway, if it's a shortish book like PoA and she's at the
revising stage, it might be ready in six months if all goes well. If
it's longer and the twenty chapters are just drafts, it could take
twice that.

Carol <<


Carol,
Thanks for this insightful information.  I had no idea, well a vague idea, 
but not such a detailed description of all that is involved.  Are you in 
publishing?  

"Luna"


"... and you have Luna, who is completely out to lunch, but fantastic.  I 
love Luna."
J.K. Rowling
Edinburg Book Festival, August 2004
(Speaking about the meeting between Skeeter, Hermoine and Luna.)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]