Last week, I talked with my editor, Nicole Geiger, for the first time since selling MAY. While we didn’t talk book specifics, I learned about a typical book schedule. As Nicole is wrapping two other books right now, I should expect to receive my schedule in the next few weeks. For now, here’s what I learned:
- Book deadlines are flexible but get tighter toward the end. The “soft deadlines” come early, before getting the book to press. The first “hard date” would be for the galleys.
- For a Fall 2011 book, galleys should be ready to print mid-January 2011. Tricycle prints mid-grade galleys domestically; it takes 2-3 weeks.
- Once the book is done, I’ll be handed off to the marketing and publicity department for the day to day contact with Tricycle.
- I’m to expect my author questionaire fairly early and am to “do it in a timely way but take [my] time.” While my tentative marketing plan lists authors the marketing team is planning to approach for blurbs(one of the most thrilling parts of this whole process!), I’m to also compile a list of “people who would make a difference” in sales: librarians, booksellers, blog reviewers, or other authors I’ve admired from afar.
Here are a few links I’ve found about author questionaires. If you’ve spent sometime thinking through the marketing plan posts I ran a few weeks ago, much of this will be fresh in your minds.
Author Marketing Questionaire
Sample Marketing Questionaire
Author Questionaire
From Chris Webb’s Publishing Blog: Book Marketing for Authors: The Author Questionaire
I loved that series you did so this will be so helpful. Thanks Caroline.
I’m really finding your process interesting and love all the helpful links. Sounds like your publisher is right on the ball!
I’m currently brainstorming for where to send my arc’s.
I love hearing the details! It’s all so exciting. Do you keep pinching yourself? I think I would (pinch myself, not you 🙂 Glad you’ll be sharing your experiences so that we can live vicariously through your success.
Thank you so much for sharing all these details as you go through the journey. You must be *so* excited!
What an exciting journey, Caroline! And you are way cool for sharing it.
Good job Caroline. I clicked on the author questionaire and wow…I’d have a lot of blanks.
All this sounds so exciting, Caroline! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
I grin every time I read your posts – still so excited for you!!
This is really interesting – thanks for keeping us all in the loop 🙂
Thanks, Caroline. I love all the info and links! 🙂
Sounds like you are busy but all so exciting!
Thanks for posting this, it is so informative!
Thanks for the details!!! I love info and links! They are my favorites!!!
How fabulous and exciting!! The questionaire sounds really fun. Thanks for the inside scoop.
Thanks for all the details. It’s really helpful for us unpublished authors. I’m bookmarking this one.
As a struggling writer, I find your blog so helpful. You’re a special person to reach out a cyber hand to help strangers out in the blogverse.
I wish you high sales on your novel when it is published.
If you can squeeze in the time, come check out my blog :
http://rolandyeomans.blogspot.com/
Thank you for caring to make an effort to help, Roland
Congrats! Coming over from Natalie’s. 😉
Thanks so much for this informative post!
And congrats again!
Great information–thanks for sharing it with us!
I’m so excited for you! I know I already told you, but WOW! It’s huge, Caroline! 🙂
How cool to be talking to your editor — I’m so excited for you! Yay!