AAR

[JulieB]

Not sure if anyone still remembers the long awaited end to the Valdez trilogy, and even less sure that this update actually means anything, but Ms. Valdez has updated her website with news. She says that she is just about finished with Primrose and expects it to be in print by 2013, probably fall.

We may have all heard this before, so I'll take it with a grain of salt, but I am looking forward to this book, whenever it comes out!

[mirole]

JulieB: Thank you for this news. I have been checking her site regularly since the excerpt had come out but was away on vacarion for two weeks so missed the update.

I am thrilled there is news of the book being (nearly) finished.

For those with knowledge of publishing industry: does it really take so long between the end of a book's completion by an author and the book's publishing date - 11-12 months?

It's amazing how different authors' speed of writing is. Just today I was looking at something on Goodreads and came across a romance author who published six titles (including novellas, I assume) this year and there are six titles scheduled to be released next year.

Well, I hope I will enjoy Primrose more than Patience if not as much as Passion.

[Outlandish]

[mirole]

Outlandish: Thanks a lot for your insight.

[Amanda DeWees]

Another factor is where the books are printed. If the publisher has the books printed in China, for example, which they may do to save money, that can mean the books will take weeks or months just to cross the water.

One of the things I love about self-publishing is not having to wait around for ages for my book to achieve readable form.

[angela]

[Elizabeth Rolls]

Generally speaking, publishers put out a set number of books per month. Each book is allocated a slot in a particular month and publishing schedules are set way ahead to allow for potential catastrophes. If the author is absolutely reliable about meeting deadlines, then the slot will quite likely be allocated before the book is finished. But sometimes life just gets in the way - parents die, kids get sick, major cross country move has to be coordinated, or you lose your mind and decide to renovate/rebuild your house, and a deadline may be extended. This might mean that the publishing date gets pushed back and another book will fill the original slot.
Once a manuscript gets to the editor, she has to read it. This is rather different to just reading a book for fun over an afternoon. This is like reading a book to analyse for a major English paper at university. Then she has to write up her thoughts and get back to the author. Repeat process if revisions are requested. Only then do we get to the copy editing stage.
It is important to leave enough time for possible revisions as well as a final copy edit, line edit, whatever. This has to be balanced against however many other books are being revised, or edited at any one time by that publisher, let alone the same editor, and all those stages take time. So although Author A gets her book in on time in the first week of April, her editor may be in the final throes of editing a book for Author B, and may also have Author C's book scheduled to read for revisions in that same week. Author D may have a partial (three chapters, plus synopsis) coming in for assessment as well. She may not get to read Author A's book the moment it hits her desk.

Self publishing can be quicker if the author doesn't have to share editorial time with who-knows-how-many other authors. Unless of course s/he opts to pay for professional editing. To make money I would assume that an editor working this way would have to balance and timetable her client list just like any other editor. Otherwise she could have 20 manuscripts coming home to roost in the same week.
I haven't tried the self-publishing route myself, but I value my editor's input and would hesitate to put a book out there without a professional like her to push me for more.

Just my thoughts, and rather long-winded at that!

Elizabeth

[mirole]

Thanks to everyone who replied to my question and especially Elizabeth.

Now I understand the whole process much better.

[cdnreader]

Thanks for the update Julie. Its been a long wait so hopefully this time we will get a 2013 release date.