Procedure and Work Flow; Or how a Pirate Airship Builds a Book, Step By Step

There has been a lot of chaos aboard the Airship as we work on our new SF anthology. And I have spent the morning staring at my Dread Machine in bemusement, befuddlement and vexation.


What we have here is a failure to communicate.

So, here is how a manuscript becomes a book. Pay attention, ducks, because there will be a test on this (if you're accepted) and I would hate to have to keelhaul anyone else.

1) You, the Author, write a book or short story or whatever, read the guidelines, format it correctly and submit it.

2) We, the Publisher, accept it.

3) We send you a contract and form to fill out. This form has been painstakingly assembled over the course of our experiences with other publishers. Everything we need to know in order to create your author page on our site, to do the cover art and to promote you is on there.

4) You read the contract and ask questions if you have any. You sign it and send it back. We use Echo Sign for this, but you can request a paper contract. You fill out the form. You do not give us a link to you Facebook or Twitter and say "Everything's there." I repeat, YOU FILL OUT THE FORM. This prevents meltdowns from our Web Wizard and Art Department. I'm too old to dodge thrown paint pots and flying pixels as I used to.

5) We work, you wait,

6) We send you content edits. These are places where our editor found holes or thin places, and you need to stitch them up. These will be sent as notes in your  .doc format manuscript, with only a few actual in-line changes.

7) You turn on Track Changes in your word processor and go through the content edits one by one. You can make the suggested change, make a better change of your own, or leave a note that it should stand as is, and edit the text around it to support this.  (there will be a post on this later) You send it back.

8) We work, You wait

9) We send you line edits. These are the grammar, punctuation and spelling errors. They will be done in-line, with the Track Changes on.

10) You go through, with Track Changes still on, and make your line edits and any other edits. You send it back.

11) We work. You wait.

12) We send you a galley proof. This is your last chance to change anything. Read through carefully. No major changes at this time, only minor ones. A sentence can be inserted, but not a whole paragraph. You send it back.

13) We work. You Wait.

14) We send you a shiny .pdf, .epub and .mobi format ebook copy, and two pretty paperbacks. We promote the book, you promote the book.

15) Profit!