From Contract to Publication – Demystified

Mary-Malone The phone rings…

The moment you’ve dreamed of has arrived…

A publisher is on the other end of the line telling you very calmly that they love your manuscript and want to offer you a book deal…

Do you scream and scare them off indefinitely?

Say yes immediately?

Faint?

Explode into uncontrollable tears?

In truth, a writer’s reaction could be any, all or none of the above. Like most situations in life, individuals differ and reactions vary. All I can offer is a true account of my journey from contract offer to publication.

2005 had been a year of manuscript submissions followed by - unfortunately - a mountain of rejection letters. My initial enthusiasm and self-belief was without doubt curbed each time another rejection landed in the letterbox but thankfully my determination and tenacity rose to the forefront after a bout of fresh tears and self-pity.

Before I move away from the subject of my beloved rejections (a precious folder of slips that will remain in the bottom drawer of my writing bureau as a reminder of my journey to publication), I’d like to officially thank the publishers and agents who took the time to add a line or two on why they had decided against publishing my novel. These invaluable nuggets of information provided the secret recipe to rewriting my script, giving me clear direction on the areas in need of improvement.

In August 2005, however, my luck changed and the call I’d been dreaming of suddenly arrived. The conversation is ingrained in my memory:

Commissioning editor: “Mary, I’ve just finished reading your novel and I’m delighted to say I’m interested in offering you a 3-book publishing deal…”

Me: “Eh, oh, what? Are you sure? Really?”

Commissioning editor – laughing by now: “Yes, really. Can I take it you’re interested?”

Me: “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

What continued was a conversation that sailed entirely over my head. I couldn’t digest the detail. I wanted to call my family and friends, share the news, jump up and down. The publisher finally put me out of my misery, advising she would put everything in writing and forward a draft contract outlining the detail.

Putting down the phone, panic replaced euphoria. Was my life about to change? Would my family’s privacy be invaded? I even went as far as conjuring an image of the paparazzi camping out on my doorstep! But I needn’t have worried. Writers aren’t considered popstar material and getting a book deal, despite the excitement it fired inside me, isn’t tabloid front page news. Thank God.

The day the phone call arrived remains ingrained in my memory. Husband, sons and my mum waited with champagne when I drove in from the office that evening, my favourite song playing loudly in the background. We had reason to celebrate and celebrate we did long into the night!

As promised, the contract duly arrived, the graphic business detail and legal jargon confusing beyond belief. In the absence of a literary agent, I took a deep breath and buried my nose in renowned London agent Carole Blake’s expert guide, ‘From Pitch To Publication’. I studied the pitfalls of contracts, educated myself on rights, royalties and all things financial and re-read the contract with clearer eyes.

Instead of returning a signed contract to my publisher, I submitted an email with my reservations and requests and entered into tender negotiations, all the time terrified I was jeopardising my chances of being published. Contrary to my fears, however, my publisher was happy to negotiate and also explain the parts she was reluctant to change. After a couple of rounds of ‘talks’ (emails), we agreed royalties, deadlines, advances and rights and eventually I signed on the bottom line.

And then, much to my disappointment, the excitement faded and my doubts returned. I had another novel to complete in eight months as well as factoring in a six-week-window of editing and proofreading on my first novel. After a few more e-mails confirming dates and schedules, it was as if I had never received the book deal.

Silence prevailed and hard work set in. Working on the second novel, this time restricted by the knowledge that it would be scrutinised by an editor, I became extremely critical of my work, questioning the value of every line and going over and over each paragraph until rewriting had sucked the life out of many scenes. I was drowning and in need of advice. Unlike the celebrations, this wasn’t something my family or friends could help with. I needed to know how other published writers dealt with this stage of the process.

Emailing a few of my favourite authors, I explained my predicament, outlaying my fears and reservations. Their responses were consoling, each explaining their experience with their first publication and assuring me that the publishing world is unlike any other industry.

The first rush of excitement at contract-signing is followed by deathly silence and loneliness where the writer questions if they’ve dreamt the deal. Then, like a mid-summer thunderstorm, the skies open and your manuscript is forwarded by your editor, filled with editorial comments, suggestions and very usually a tight deadline.

I found myself working day and night to meet the editor’s critique. Never once did I question her advice, grasping instead at her professional know-how and hoping I could improve the next novel and avoid similar pitfalls. I was amazed at the typos I’d missed on my draft, embarrassed at how many times I’d changed the colour of my characters’ eyes and in awe of my editor’s ingenious insight into plot and pace.

Mary_Malone_Books But each hollow or dip was followed closely by a peak. The jacket design arrived by email. What a whoop moment! Seeing my book title – Love Match – and my name underneath made all the hours of writing and editing more than worthwhile, giving me yet another reason to contact almost everyone I knew and share this exciting step of the process. I printed several copies, made the image my profile picture on as many social networks as I could think of, put a copy on the wall over my desk and was actually pathetic enough to paste one over a novel of the same size to see what my book would look like! I’m convinced that lunacy and creativity are closely related – at least in my case.

Writing acknowledgements may sound easy – but for me it was horrendous. How could I thank all those who deserved it without omitting someone? This concern alone cost me several nights’ sleep!

But the tiredness and anxiety were worth it when the first Typesetting version of Love Match arrived. The pages were exactly like those in a book – but needed one last check before it would go to print. Again, fear pitched itself under my skin. Finding every error, reading every line with a ruler underneath to try and highlight extra spaces or badly structured paragraphs, felt like a huge responsibility. Pressure was immense. I hung on to the manuscript longer than intended. Finally I had no choice but let it go.

Waiting for the finished product to arrive, I had plenty to occupy my time. Organising a book launch, contacting as many local media outlets I could think of, consulting with the marketing assistant in the publishing house so we didn’t overlap on public relation efforts and of course buy an outfit for the launch!

Eventually, the day of reckoning arrived and a courier pulled up outside my house with the best delivery I’ve ever received (after my sons of course!) – a cardboard box filled with copies of Love Match. The dream had finally realised. I was a published author.

Of course, this peak was closely followed by another fear – what would people think of my book now it was in the public domain?

But that is a story for another day…

Mary Malone is the best selling author of Love is the Reason (Poolbeg). She lives in Cork with her husband, Pat, and sons, David and Mark. Love Is The Reason is her 4th novel . As well as being an author and freelance journalist, Mary works full time in the Central Statistics Office in Cork.

Mary Malone is a Writing.ie veteran and has contributed several must-see articles for writers and readers alike

How Short Stories Can Lead to Bigger Things
My Journey to ePublishing
Research: How Much Do You Need
What is Genre? Understanding the Publishing Business
The 9 Day Writer's Week
Who Are These People
Starting Your Journey
Agents and Publishers Wishlist
The 8 Point Arc