In honor of our topic for the week, publishing mythblasters, I've decided to give a little pop quiz to test your knowledge about the publishing business.  Answer true or false to each of these.

1.Most authors have control over the covers of their books.

2.Most authors have control over the titles of their books.

3.Authors write the back cover copy for their books.

4.Most authors possess college degrees in English.

5.Once a book is approved, the author's work is done.

6.Editors frequently fly from New York to their authors' homes to urge them to finish a book under contract.

7.An author's individual self-promotion efforts generally amount to peeing in the ocean.

8.Authors of hardcover books are paid more for their books.

9.Authors of longer books are paid more for their books than are authors of shorter books.

Okay, done with your answers?

1.HAHAHAHAHA!  Most authors do not have control of their covers.  In most contracts, the author is granted input on the cover, but the publisher gets final approval.  Usually, it's only the big name, big money authors who get final approval of the cover.

2.Again False.  The title of a book is considered a marketing tool.  Therefore, the final title of a book can be decided in a committee meeting of editors and marketing.  An author can suggest a title that may be used, but ultimately, it's up to the publisher.

3.Back cover copy is like a title.  It's a marketing tool, so it may not describe the book in the same way an author would choose to describe it.  In fact, sometimes the person who writes the back cover copy has only read PART of the book, so it may not even be accurate.

4.Most authors have not earned college degrees in English. First, a writer needs to be able to tell an interesting story.  Authors come to the keyboard from all kinds of backgrounds with a common drive to express and share a story.

5.Oh, I wish.  Once a book is accepted by the publisher, copy edits are done on the manuscript.  The copy edited manuscript is sent to the author for author comments, revisions, corrections.  After that, the book is type-set into page proofs of how the book will actually look when it is printed.  The page proofs/galleys are sent to the author for further corrections. 

6.I've never heard of this happening in real life and I know some authors who make really big bucks.  Editors will send emails and make phone calls to find out if a writer has finished a book.  Editors will call agents.  After a time, editors will get the legal department involved, but I have never heard of an editor travelling to an author's home to collect a book.  I won't say it has never happened.  I'll just say it's not likely.

7.An author's individual self-promotion efforts generally amount to peeing in the ocean.  Alas, yes.  The most effective book promotion is done from the publisher though co-op (paying for where your book is placed in the store and providing incentives -- coupons, etc...).  There are exceptions to this, but they are few.

8. Authors of hardcover books make more money than authors of paperbacks.  Not necessarily true.  Because of the price difference, there is an opportunity to earn more money with hardcovers, and there's also the opportunity to re-market the book in paperback after its first publication.  Paperback books, in particularly genre paperbacks, however, often have a larger built-in sales volume.

9.  Longer books make more money than shorter books.  Not so.  We are not paid by the word.  Many series romance authors who also write mainstream report that their series books earn more than their mainstream books.  If a mainstream hits the New York Times bestseller list or the USA Today bestseller list, it's fair to say that book will probably do better than most series romance books.

All this business stuff can muddle an author's mind.  So much is beyond our control.  I've learned and continue to learn that the best thing I can focus on is writing the best book I can write. 

"When in doubt, dance."

xo,

Leanne Banks

www.leannebanks.com