Guest Blogger – Chloe Neill
June 21, 2010 in Author Interviews
Contest Closed! Congrats to the Winner TMBuzzard.
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The Editing Process
So, as many of my readers know, editing is my LEAST favorite part of the publication process. That’s not to say I don’t love my editor–quite the contrary. She’s fabulous, and always helps transforms my manuscripts into polished stories.
But the actual editing is exacting work on a short deadline, and there’s just a LOT of it. (That’s one reason why it takes so much time from writing to publication. I swear–we’re going as fast as we can!) So, I thought I’d give you an overview of the four stages of the editing process; these are the stages that take place after the manuscript is written and has been submitted to the editor.
1. The Editorial Letter
The first stage of the editing process is big picture: My editor sends me an e-mail with thoughts about the overall arcs of the manuscript (relationship, mystery, series, etc.). The letter might include concerns about pacing (“Things are moving a little too slowly here”) or the heroine being too passive (“Let’s have *her* solve the mystery”). There’s also a rundown of items on specific pages (“Wasn’t this couch blue in the last book?”) and thoughts about moving scenes to other parts of the book (“More Mallory, please!”).
Once I receive the editorial letter, it usually takes 2-4 weeks to make the changes (as the editing work is in addition to writing whatever I’m working on at the time and my day job). When I’m done, I send the manuscript back, and she gets to reading again.
2. The Line Edit
Once my editor has read the manuscript again, she’ll suggest any final plot-related changes, and she’ll actually edit thesentences in the book for grammar. This is usually one of the shorter parts of my editing process, and I may have a week or so to complete the (usually minor) line edits.
3. The Copyedit
The. Worst. Part. Of the Process. Ugh!
Copyeditors have a thankless job; they have to read a manuscript word-by-word and conform the sentences to Chicago Manual of Style requirements. They also make notes about continuity and suggest grammatical and typographical changes. The copyedit is VERY thorough, which means it takes a lot of time to review and, if necessary, make any changes or comment on the copyeditor’s changes. By this time, I’m usually sick of reading the novel. 
4. Page Proofs
We’re nearly done! At the page proofs stage, I get a set of paper pages of the copyset book–in other words, it’s been designed and organized into book form. This is a final chance to fix any minor typographical or spacing errors.
Well, that’s an overview of the editing process. I hope it’s informative. Thanks for reading!
xoxo,
Chloe
Chloe has offered one lucky reader a Twice Bitten Swag Pack (TB bookmark, Firespell bookmark, “I’ve been Twice Bitten” silicone band and CV pen)
Just answer this question: What is the longest you’ve waited for a book to be released?
Contest Ends June 25th at 12am EST.
The longest i ever waited was Lover mine J.R Wards I waited a year.
Hey Chloe! I just love your books =) been a fan since day one! Great post! Thanks for the insights…
the longest I’ve waited… hmmmm… probably more or less an year between the current book and the new one…
though I dying for LJ Smith’s Strange Fate and it has been due out for like 10 years =( hehe
xoxo to you both!
This was really informative! Thanks for the guest post!
As far as waiting for books… I guess the longest I’ve technically had to wait was 7 years. That was the time between when I first read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and the release of The Deathly Hallows
I’m not sure of the exact amount of time but I have to say it was about 3 years, when I started gobbling up Lora Leigh’s Breed series and was desperately waiting for Jonas’ story.
As for waitting on one book I am not sure, have been waitting for almost 20 years for the last book of The Wheel of Time; the end may be in sight as there are only 2 books left to be written and published.
The longest I waited was a couple of years until the last book in the Harry Potter series was written and published.
The longest I’ve waited was over a year for Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews.
Chloe-I just read both your Chicago Vamp books in a row. FANTASTIC!! Took me a day and 1/2. I wish I read slower though. lol Now I have to wait for Twice Bitten.
Brilliant guest post! Chloe’s posts are always so helpful!
The longest I’ve waited for a book to be released… would waiting for the last Harry Potter book to be released count, even though ones before it were notyet released? If so, it would be about…9 years. If that doesn’t count, then I’d say about a year. Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares novels are released yearly. But actually, longer. Jeaniene Frost’s last Night Huntress book Destined for an Early Grave came out last year. The next one won’t be released until at least next year I think. So that’s two years.
Is this contest open internationally? I hope so!
I think the longest I have waited has been about a year and a half. Any longer there is not much information on the book other than there will be one, and if it is a series very rarely do you wait over a year.
I’d say a year – I follow several series that release once a year. ALTHOUGH, I followed Stephen King’s Dark Tower books, and there were several years between those if I recall correctly. Also, now that I’ve read Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, I’ll probably wait years for her next book.
thanks for all the info Chloe!! ohh hope I win
Thank you, Chloe, for the insight! It comes at a great time as I’m just about to go through the editing process for my first published book. (*squee!*)
Ahem, sorry about that.
Longest wait for a book? I’m not sure how long it’s been but I’m still waiting for Melanie Rawn’s next volume of the Exiles series. It’s been about a decade maybe?
Oh that’s an easy one. Five years now waiting on George R R Martin’s A Dance with Dragons. As much as I hate to bag on the authors who keep my addiction fed, Jesus-tap-dancing-Christ… Five freaking years between two books in a series?
This is so easy it is the last book in the clan of the cave bear series. It finally comes out next march I have been waiting years.
I guess about a year waiting from one book in a series to the next. As for which series? There’s just to many to choose from.
love your books!
Hmmm. Lets see. Maybe a year? Ususally a book in a series. Those are the hardest to wait on!
My longest wait is usually a year, when an author only releases one book a year for a series. Ex: I read Blue Diablo – Ann Aguirre April 2009 and waited for Hell Fire in April 2010
the longest i’ve waited is a year. for example Magic Bleeds
Probably about a year. I heard about Jaime Rush’s Touching Darkness last year and it didn’t come our till last month. I didn’t think it would ever come out.
When I was a child, I read Bruce Coville’s Into the Land of the Unicorns. Just this month, some 15 years later, the 4th and final book was released. Have to order it and do some rereading, but I’m sure it will be worth the wait.
Loved this post!! Though I enjoy the editing process to some extent… Maybe cause I haven’t been there with a whole novel yet- which should be harder than short stories. =)
And as for the waiting…. The Harry Potter books, after the 4th one they rest came out every 2 or 3 years-> TORTURE!!! =P hehe
Hmm the longest I am waiting is for Karen Chance’s Cassandra Palmer #5. A year already passed, and its going to come out in Summer 2010!!!!!
shoot. I mean 2011
How totally interesting!
As for waiting … omg Stephen King and his flippin’ Dark Tower series. arggghhh!
I just finished Firday Night Bites this morning. LOVE this series. && can’t wait for Twice Bitten =)
Longest i ever waited for a book was three years for ACHERON by Sherrilyn Kenyon. it was a tortuous agonising wait!!!
Actually, still waiting on the final book in the Eragon series. I think we’re at about 3 or 4 years now…ugh.
The most excrutiating wait, though, has been for Suzanne Collin’s “Mockingjay.” I was lucky enough to read both “The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire” as ARCs, but they are not releasing any ARCs of “Mockingjay” so it’s been more than a year waiting for this one and it’s KILLER!!
I would have to say about a year for Magic Bleeds
I waited for what seemed to be forever ( 3 1/2 years) for Vickie Taylors 3rd book “Legacy of Stone” from the Les Gargouillen Series. I always read series books in order and only after I have the first three books in the series. #2-Flesh and Stone was an 06 book release. So I waited until June of 07 to come (and went) searching for the third book. I sent an email to the author requesting what happened with her book release. I never got a response back. Then a few months later something happened to her website, because it said there was an error and the page no longer existed. I had a friend who worked at Borders who tried to help me with my search in their database which said the book didn’t exist their either. Later, after a few weeks went by I sent a letter to the publisher who released the 2nd book, asking about Legacys release. I also didn’t get a response back from them. Sometime in 08, I found an article ( it was either in Romantic Times or possibly someones blog with the same question) What ever happened? I can’t remember the particulars but that Legacy of Stone was pushed to release in Dec of 08. Again, Dec of 08 came and went, but no book was released. I just decided to leave my other books in the TBR pile and I sorta gave up searching. In December of 09, I was at the mall shopping for Christmas and stopped through at Borders. As plain as day, there it was on the new release table, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Of course I snatched it right up and bought it. Will you believe after all this time of searching and finally having all three books that I still haven’t read this series. I forgot all about it until this question was asked. How funny. I guess I’m going to have to read these after I’m done with Stephanie Rowes “Immortality Series” Have a great day, Stephmartin71(at) yahoo (dot)com
Swag me! …urm that sounds a bit more carnal than intended…
Oops just read the instructions: I was dating my husband when I read Harry potter 4. We had been married for 3 years when the fifth one came out.
maybe about a year
Um the longest I waited for a book is probably 2 years. Although the last book I have been waiting a little over a year for was Magic Bleeds.
Love this series, and the next one is sure to be great.
The longest was 2 years for Echo to the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Great books, but Diana takes years between each of them! They are so good.
Then of course there are the books that you are dying for and usually it is only a year, but feels like a decade!
So far, the longest I’ve wait for a book to be released is Lover Mine by JR Ward. I’m one of thoses suckers who has elected to wait for the MPP. Over a year now!
Have a great day every one!
Kate (aka YzhaBella’s BookShelf)
mleger0546(@)rogers(.)com
Oh this is easy, I’ve been waiting the same amount of time for two books- the last book in the Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean M Auel (The Land of Painted Caves) AND last book of Andre Norton & Mercedes Lackey’s collaborative efforts of the Elven Halfblood series (Elvenbred); which may never get published due to Andre Norton’s death in 2005. Both books came out in 2002 and neither have been published yet. 8 years. How’s that for waiting?