Working for a Publisher, I Learned What Authors Need to Know

Before the COVID hit, I spent some time working for a small publishing company. I went into it as a writer, not knowing what publishing was all about. I learned a lot. For example, there are approximately 7 million kinds of paper (Okay, I might be exaggerating, but it's a lot!)

My job was to help walk authors through the process from start to finish. Here are a few things I learned that are crucial to writers. 

You need editors. 

I spoke to so many writers who told me that their manuscripts were "already edited." None of them were right. That's because most people have not invested in a professional editor, and editing is often still needed even after a professional has been over the work. 

At a minimum, you need a couple of different types of editors on your team. A developmental editor is one who looks at plot, consistency, story flow, character arcs, and other literary elements of the work. That person may also notice spelling and grammar issues, but that's not really the developmental editor's job. That's why you also need a copyeditor or line editor. That person goes through your manuscript with an eye for those little details like grammar and spelling. 

It's not good enough that your Aunt Bertha was an English teacher or that your mom took an editing course in college. You need a professional eye, and you need someone who is not close to you. A complete stranger is best. 

In addition to your editors, you will definitely want as many eyes as possible to look at your work and provide feedback - that's where Mom and Aunt Bertha can make their contributions. The truth is that even manuscripts that have been edited a dozen times sometimes contain errors. 

The worst thing you can do is rely on your own editing skills. Even if you are a professionally trained editor, you know your own work too well. You're going to miss stuff. 

Graphic artists are highly skilled people. 

Laying out a book is absolutely NOT as easy as dropping some text into a software program... unless you want to have a book that can be recognized as self-published a mile away. Professional graphic designers know how to make books look like they were professionally designed! 

If you're going with a traditional publisher, they will have designers who will lay out your book and make it look gorgeous. If you are self-publishing or cooperatively publishing, you need to get yourself a real-life graphic designer. It's not cheap. I would definitely suggest finding a friend who is trained in graphic design to help you out. If you have an eye for art, you might even take some design classes on your own. But for heaven's sake, don't try to do it without the necessary skills. 

The graphic designers where I worked was incredibly talented. Not only could they turn someone else's vision into reality, but they were also fantastic at coming up with new ideas. That's the kind of designer you want on your team. 

Graphic design is so much more than just the book cover. Pick up a book at a bookstore and flip through the pages. Notice details like chapter layout, headers, and page numbers. If you can, find a self-published book that an untrained author designed. You're going to see a difference. 

An author has to be a marketer. 

This is so hard for writers because so many are introverts (insert Hamilton-style finger-pointing shout-out my fellow introverts!) Unless you are being published by one of the big houses (who has a bunch of money to throw at your book), you are going to be expected to promote and sell your own work. That's true of small traditional publishers, and it's even more true if you are self-publishing. You are going to have to get out there and approach bookstores and make appearances and convince people to let you hold signings. Yeah, you are probably going to have to speak in public and talk to people. A lot of people. About yourself. 

I understand. I am with you. Talking to people is hard. But books don't sell themselves. And you just can't take the JD Salinger route in this day and age. 

So there you have 3 things I learned while working for a publishing company. I actually learned quite a bit more and plan to share it in the future, but this has been enough to digest for one post.