Congratulations! You\u2019ve landed a publisher. But don\u2019t relax, yet. Now, you need to figure out how to work with him or her. Follow this guide and you should enjoy a good working relationship with your publisher for the life of your contract. <\/p>\n
1: Respect his or her time and space<\/strong>. Respond with just the information requested and send just the material required. Do not, for example, inundate the publisher with frequent phone calls. Don\u2019t send several video tapes showing you speaking before the local Rotary Club, the correspondence between yourself and your editor for the last several months or the first eight drafts of your manuscript unless he\/she asks for it.<\/p>\n 2: Be prompt with proofs and rewrites<\/strong>. Ask if there is a deadline. If not, project one for yourself and share it with the publisher. Say, for example, \u201cI can have this to you by the end of the month, is that okay?\u201d Once a deadline is established, do your absolute best to meet it. <\/p>\n 3: Keep yourself in the loop<\/strong>. You deserve respect, too, and respect for an author means being included in the project. I do not suggest calling the publisher every few days to see what\u2019s up. Rather, try to keep an open line of communication with him or her. Ask the publisher to share his\/her calendar with regard to your project. If he says that the galleys won\u2019t be ready until the end of November, don\u2019t call him in September asking if they\u2019re ready. If an unreasonable amount of time goes by without word from the publisher, email him or her and request an update. It is usually okay to call a publisher if there is a valid reason. Obviously, some publishers are more organized and better communicators than others. If certain personality types drive you crazy, you might want to consider who you\u2019re dealing with before making a commitment to a publishing contract. <\/p>\n 4: Be up front with your publisher<\/strong>. If you have a deadline, but you\u2019re having trouble reaching someone who is key to your last chapter, for example, let the publisher know there is a problem and how you plan to rectify it. <\/p>\n 5: Give the publisher your best effort<\/strong>. A new writer wrote to me recently and asked if she should tell the publisher that she plans to hire an editor after he looks at her manuscript. Of course, I told her that she needs to hire that editor before sending her work to the publisher. <\/p>\n To be continued. Tomorrow, I\u2019ll provide 5 more tips for working with your publisher. <\/p>\n You\u2019ll also find information about locating publishers, choosing the right one for your project and working with him in my latest book, Publish Your Book, Proven Strategies and Resources for the Enterprising Author<\/em>. Available at Amazon.com and most other online and downtown bookstores. Also for sale here\u2014along with a FREE sample chapter: http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Congratulations! You\u2019ve landed a publisher. But don\u2019t relax, yet. Now, you need to figure out how to work with him or her. Follow this guide and you should enjoy a good working relationship with your publisher for the life of your contract. 1: Respect his or her time and space. Respond with just the information […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t