I’ve been working at the University Press of Florida for about a month and a half now, and I think I finally have some sort of grasp on the publishing process. It’s long, complicated and fairly messy most of the time, but the end result is a shiny new book with your name on the cover. That’s pretty much every writers dream. It’s certainly mine. Understanding how the process works will go a long way towards getting yourself published too. So here’s a look at what goes on inside of a publishing company:
- Acquisitions is where the book process officially starts. Here at the UPF we get letters of inquiry from prospective authors or finished manuscripts, and our acquisitions department works with the authors to get the books polished enough to move on in the publishing process. Academic publishing does work differently than fiction publishing though. Most larger publishers won’t accept unsolicited manuscripts. If you are a fiction writer trying to get published, you have to find an agent first. One good place to start your search is the Association of Authors’ Representatives. Everyone has their own submission guidelines, so make sure that you follow them exactly.
- From Acquisitions your book will move on to the editorial department. Most of the shaping of the book is done with acquisitions. Editorial is more about fixing typos and making sure that all of the information is factually correct. As a university publishing company, it’s really important that our books contain all correct information in order to preserve the UPF’s reputation.
- The next step in the process is getting a book peer-reviewed. The UPF requires that the book is reviewed by two other scholars in the field. These peer reviewers are asked to give their general impression of the book, whether or not they think the book is worthy of publishing, and to make any suggestions for improvement that they can think of. The author is given the readers’ reports and given a chance to respond and make any necessary changes to the manuscript. If heavy revision was called for, the process is repeated.
- After the peer review stage, the book is submitted to the UPF’s board of directors for publication approval. Board members are given a packet containing the readers’ reports, the author(s)’ resume, and some comments from the editorial department and then vote on whether or not to approve the manuscript for publishing.
- Once it’s approved by the board, it moves on to the design and production phase. Here a cover is designed for the book and it is formated for publishing so that it is as attractive as possible.
- The book also goes to the marketing department (the one I work in) where a title is finalized. A tip for authors: unless you feel like the suggested titles compromise the integrity of your book, listen to the marketing department about suggestions. Our goal is to make your book as marketable as possible. The text for the back of the book or the inside flap is written. We contact publications we think would be interested in writing a review for the book and sent out the review copies requested, and generally just work hard to make your book as successful as possible.
That’s a rather abbreviated description of the publishing process in a nutshell. It works differently at every company, so make sure that you are familiar with your own publishing company’s policies and procedures. A few tips for authors: Don’t fight your publishing company too hard. They have a vested interest in the success of your book. They’re not going to intentionally ruin your work, and probably know more about how to make it a success than you do. Also, remember that your book is never going to be the only book on someone’s desk. Give your publishing company a little patience and a little grace. We’re always going to get back to you. We care about your book. There’s just only so much time in a day. Authors can get a reputation for being difficult just like anyone else. It makes publishing companies less desirous to work with you.
Confessions of a Publishing Intern 
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