From the Desk
We’ve talked about submissions, what happens after contract, and seasonal lists. Today, we’re going to get into what goes on at our desks to prepare an author and the novel for launch. Have a little peek!
Author bookkeeping: tax and banking information, copyright addresses
The first thing we do is get all the bookkeeping out of the way so we can pay an author their royalties when it’s time. We get their banking information as well as their addresses for payment, publication day gifts, and copyright.
Editing/Production Schedules
At Harpeth Road, we go through developmental edits, line edits, copy edits, and proofreads. We also have to have a final version of the book in advance to allow our audiobook narrators and their editing team time to produce the audiobook version. So as soon as a book is acquired, we begin to build the book’s production schedule, running dates by authors, and then confirming editors and other professionals that will be involved in the production of the book. When we’re done, the author will receive a full production schedule that spans somewhere between eight months and a year or more.
Collaborate with editors and team members on editing strategies for authors
As we’re building the production schedule for each book that we publish, we’re considering which editor’s style will best fit with the needs of the author, whose turnaround timing works for the book, and we consider the various personalities and how they might fit. We also consider what types of editing an author will need, after reading their manuscript. Will the author require extensive developmental editing or will the author need more support at the line level? All of these considerations are important for creating the smoothest production plan.
Author education via our author portal
While we handle the marketing, author promotion is incredibly important to us, so we work with the authors to strip out misinformation and educate them on best practices across all facets of their career. We have a password-protected author portal with pages containing our research regarding each practice and how they can implement these skills to better their career. (We’re also busy writing public posts like these!)
Begin building our art and retail fact sheet information
At Harpeth Road, the author and publisher together complete a fact sheet with all the pertinent information about the book and the author that we’ll use when uploading, pitching, and marketing the book. Everything from pricing and ISBN numbers to author bios and praise for previous novels is included. As soon as the author is contracted, we begin working on this document. We have one for every book.
Cover design process/brand building
Once we’ve gotten through the major edits, we begin brainstorming branding and marketing strategies for that author and his/her novel. This includes packaging and cover design. We complete a document to inform our cover designer, and the designer works with us to collaborate on the best visual direction for the author and her brand.
Audiobook narration and distribution, editing/mastering files, upload
About three months before the book comes out, the audiobook narrators begin recording the book. Many narrators will reach out regarding preferred name pronunciations and formatting at this time. Harpeth Road will get samples of the narrations. Once complete, we receive the final files to upload to Dreamscape Select, our audiobook distributor.
Typesetting – book interiors
We typeset some books with a typesetter, but most of our books are now typeset in-house to allow us to make changes quickly, add enhancements, and update the books as necessary. The typeset files are both ePub and PDF, and the author gets a final check of all files prior to publication. At this stage, we’re buying ISBNs, registering the book for copyright, and getting marketing information together.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this little look behind the curtain! From submissions to typesetting, we’ve gone over eleven things we do all day. We’ve got fourteen more to share! Stay tuned!