I checked my mail and to my excitement, I found an awaited package from my publisher at Lands Atlantic. Second round of edits for #Sentient.
And no, I wasn’t being sarcastic. I really am excited to have these. My last publisher didn’t edit as thoroughly and I wish he had. Even though the #book was decently written, it could have been smoother. Perhaps the book might have sold better.
Publishing a book isn’t just about the story. It’s about a partnership between author, publisher, and reader. The story must look good or the reader isn’t interested. If that happens, the reader won’t pick up another book by that author. If too many books from one specific publisher come out not looking good, people won’t buy anything from them either. So, it’s in everybody’s best interest to work on the manuscript until it meets a certain level of standards.
This, of course, requires trust. You MUST, MUST, MUST be able to trust your publisher. When my publisher suggests something be changed in my manuscript, I take a good look at it. 99% of the time, she’s correct. The other 1% is because I didn’t clarify something and she misread my intent (but, since she can’t read my mind and what I WANTED to say, it needs to be fixed). Her vision for #Sentient and mine are nearly the same: we want it smooth, easy to read, easy to understand, easy to want another book just like it. And that’s important.
I don’t think I could work with a publisher I couldn’t trust, who didn’t see my manuscript the same way I did. Unfortunately, despite the best screening, you sometimes end up with a publisher like that. First time authors especially. The only thing I found to do was just grin and bear it, and use it on your resume. Then look for another publisher.
Anyway, as I was saying way at the beginning, I have these edits to attend to. If you need me, drop me an email, but don’t expect a response for the next week or so. I #amediting .
Wendy L. Koenig 