They’re here! The second proofs for The Wicker Man have arrived. Nothing makes you feel like a book will actually happen than seeing the stages unfold. In the meantime I’ve begun seeking an agent for the next book. This is always a tricky process—work a ton on a pitch, send it, and try to forget about it because most agents simply won’t respond. If they do it won’t be for a month or two. And even then they may not like what you’ve written. It’s a weird system. Meanwhile at least I’ve got proofs to read. Proofreading is stressful enough. I’ve read my new book proposal lots of times. It was only after I’d sent it to a couple of agents that I found the typos. You are your own worst editor. Even if you’re an editor.
Still, you feel like proofs arriving should be occasion for a day off work. Like your boss would say, “That’s quite an accomplishment! Why don’t you take a day off to get started with it?” I live in a fantasy world, I guess. The proofs arrive with their shot of adrenaline and then you’ve got to read other people’s ideas for less interesting books (or so it seems). Maybe this is why not so many editors write any more. It’s exhausting. Of course, I’m writing this post instead of reading the proofs. Every diet should have some variety, even the literary kind.
I’m not a fussy author. Some turns of phrase I will fight over, but I know copyeditors mean well. I’ve done some copyediting myself, and I meant well. Authors are people who are in for the long haul. From the time you start working on a book (and if finding an agent is part of the process, you need to add several more months) to completion is generally measured in years. It’s not unusual to get no pay at all for this work. As Ivan Klima wrote: “A truly literary work comes into being as its creator’s cry of protest against the forgetting that looms over him, over his predecessors and his contemporaries alike, and over his time, and the language he speaks. A literary work is something that defies death.” If you can forgive the sexist language, there’s a great deal of truth there. And part of that process is the effort to locate an agent who shares your vision. And, of course, getting proofs back to the publisher on time.
