The Acquisitions Process

A lot of aspiring authors don't know what happens after the moment they get their agent. Some who do, don't know what comes if they manage to hook the attention of an editor at a publishing house.


How does it work?


What is the process?


What comes next?


The process for the big 6 publishing houses are far more elaborate than the processes are in smaller presses. But the same rules apply, only on a smaller scale.


So what does happen? Well, the editor—let's call her Maddie X—likes your work. Couldn't put it down. Read it in a day. Fantastic! She may still request edits. This is called an R&R (Revise and Resubmit). This is not a no. This is not a failure. This is simply another test.


Maddie X needs to make sure that you—especially those who are first-time authors—are capable of editing the book in a professional way. Needs to see if you are the type of author she can work with. If, in other words, you can meet the marker. 


You'll receive an edit letter (this can be anything between 4 and 20 pages long), and likely you will also receive detailed notes on the hardcopy of your manuscript. Some editors work electronically but most still print out the whole thing and take pen to paper.


So, you go away and make the changes. You resubmit. Editor reads again. If you managed to implement the changes she wanted and she is still happy with the book, she will take it to what we call the Ed Board. The Editor board. (This step won't apply to smaller presses, where it is likely that there will only be a handful of editors and they can chat about this informally over coffee, as we do). Maddie X will gush at great length about your book and about how it fits into the current list. 


When all Editors agree, the book moves into Acquisition. This is the meeting that the editor sweats over. This is where she has to prove to the business minds of the publishing house that your book has what it takes to make the house a profit and to be successful.


Maddie will give each attendee (from Sales, Marketing and Finance) a printout with a short about your book, your name and the name of the novel. This handout will talk about what kind of book it is, what market it is aimed at, whether there are plans for a series, and previous publishing credits (and sales stats if appropriate), your author bio, forthcoming books from rival publishers that are similar, P&L projection (profit and loss), other activities that you—the author—have that may relate to the book, and more. 


If Sales, Marketing and Finance like the book, they will discuss the advance, royalty percentage, and publication date. They will also discuss whether it will be a hardback or a paperback. Once this is a "go" marketing and publicity take over for a while, planning and scheming. This stage includes plans for reviews, marketing, publicity, introductions, author interviews, book tours, etc.


There are many hoops to jump through, that is for sure. With a smaller press, these hoops are less scary, but still present. 


Good luck to all of you! May you make it to acquisition and beyond.