The Rubicon was crossed. I’d committed to publishing the novel. Ratio of euphoric to paranoid/neurotic/panic moments? Oh, about 1:1000.
A second circumcision
The Rubicon was crossed. I’d committed to publishing the novel. Ratio of euphoric to paranoid/neurotic/panic moments? Oh, about 1:1000.
Negotiating the contract was relatively straightforward. The publisher had a template and we haggled over the splits of the many potential revenue streams. It’s one of the beguiling facets of this business that, although the contract focused on imminent printed and e-books, it nevertheless also had to cater for the more outlandish hopes for a work of fiction – dramatisation rights, movie options, even a buy-out of the contract itself by a large publisher (most definitely not a hint to Bloomsbury).
With goodwill on both sides, this wasn’t too difficult. Of course, the absence of an agent was something of an exposure but, in the end, I proceeded on the basis that a smaller percentage of something is better than 100% of nothing. APP has a number of publishing options but, gratifyingly, they had such faith in ‘Grosse Fugue’ that the only commitment they required from me was to invest heavily in their marketing plan – not cash, but that rather more precious commodity: self.
And then the editing began. Not for nothing did I choose this particular title. Because that’s how it felt. The book has been reduced by almost 10%, some of it writing that I felt was among the best I’d done (not that this is any way to judge it). I write this through gritted fingertips but the vast majority of what the publisher and her editor said has improved the book, of that I have little doubt. The process has been excruciating, even though the end result is more than adequate compensation. It also identified some errors of fact, such as place names that I’d mistyped and areas where the historical research was not as spot-on as it needed to be.
Losing my original ending (back to the title of this blog again – sorry!), was particularly uncomfortable as I’d lavished a wholly disproportionate amount of writing time on creating a testament discovered after my protagonist had died. I had to concede that the novel now has a far more satisfying ending but there was plenty of wailing and blood, I can assure you.
Editing is so critical and so difficult that, with everyone’s permission, I’ll write about it some more next time.
Ian Phillips is a freelance writer for businesses whose first novel, Grosse Fugue, will be published by Alliance Publishing Press on April 11th. He’s tweeting developments @Ian_at_theWord.
Hi Katie-Ellen.
Real wailing, metaphorical blood (apart from the odd paper cut incurred as I threw a print-out across my room)!
What's weird is that it feels almost impossible now for me to judge anything. I have to rely on the judgement of others. but, yes, it IS exciting!
Hi Ian.
You remarked in an earlier post, that the word count for your book was 94,000. I am interested to hear how long the editing process took. Was it weeks, or months?
I have now reached the crossroads with my first as yet unpublished novel. I have reduced the word count from 146,000 to 138,000. My professional editor and I will now landmark my novel, to make it as tight as possible. Iron out any weaknesses and reduce the word count to an acceptable level. Then I will send my manuscript off to agents and publishers.
Unlike you, I could never negotiate without an agent.
In a few months, I should see the completion of four years of hard work. I made a catalogue of errors in the first two years. I learned the hard way. After much research, I have a better understanding of the aspects of the novel. I feel competent but not confident. I will never be happy with anything that I write.
I share your concerns about the roller-coaster ride regarding the editing process. It could not have been easy to cut passages of text from Grosse Fugee. It tears at my soul to think about it. I fear what you have already experienced, but every word must earn its keep.
It is heartening to hear that the ending to Grosse Fugee has benefited from the editing process. There are examples of authors, that have bitterly regretted not taking more time over the closing chapters to their novels. With the dedication that it takes to write a novel, I believe the time to exercise the most caution, is in the closing stages.
I like the title Grosse Fugee. From what you have said, I believe that it will appeal to artistic minds, and those with a deep sense of history and culture. I hope it will appeal to the mass-market. My intuition tells me your book will do well.
Try to stay calm as you rapidly approach squeaky-bum time.
Wailing - I can imagine, not too much blood I hope in the final birth throes of the book. How excitin' :)