The State of the Wicket – February
Now, we’ve been getting a lot of mail, Facebook comments, tweets, and so on, asking about the status of Book Eight, the short stories, etc. So I thought I’d give you a quick run-down of what-all I’ve been doing, where it all is at the moment, a short peek at everything, and—most importantly [g]—when things will be published.
For starters, I’m very pleased to announce that The Scottish Prisoner was released on November 29th, 2011. This release also includes a “teaser” chunk from Written in My Own Heart’s Blood (aka Book Eight, or MOHB (aka “Moby,” which is how I refer to it for convenience. I don’t _think_ it will be white, but it will certainly be a whale of a book [cough]). The teaser includes several scenes about different characters.
Now, I do normally work on multiple projects at once; it keeps me from getting writer’s block, and makes me generally more productive. I also think it’s entertaining to write the occasional short piece (novella or short story) that fills in a missing part of someone’s story and/or provides more depth to the overall tale.
The most recent of these short pieces to be published was “Lord John and the Plague of Zombies,” which was published last October—and which gratified me extremely by recently being nominated for an Edgar Award (for best mystery short story of the year—though it’s not all that short, really…)—in an anthology titled DOWN THESE STRANGE STREETS. The anthology is edited by George RR Martin and Gardner Dozois. http://tinyurl.com/Plague-Zombies
I’m presently writing a short story for another anthology (this one titled DANGEROUS WOMEN)—the story is called “Virgins,” and is about Jamie and his not-yet-brother-in-law Ian, as very young mercenaries in France. I don’t have a pub date for this anthology yet, but expect it will be out sometime later this year. I do post occasional brief snippets from “Virgins” (as well as other works-in-progress) on my Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/AuthorDianaGabaldon.
OK– on to Book Eight, which is probably what most people want to know about.
1) WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD is the eighth volume in the main Outlander series. (It’s the sequel to AN ECHO IN THE BONE, where allll the cliffhangers will be picked up. [g])
2) I don’t know yet if WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD is the last book in this series!!
3) I am still writing WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD!!!
A) I hasten to say that most of the mail I get is wonderful, and Much Appreciated! However, I do get a small amount of idiotic email accusing me of having already finished the book, but “hiding” it from the readers, or keeping it off the market “just to be mean” or (of all insane notions) “to drive the price up.” (It ain’t pork bellies, people; the cover price is the same whenever it comes out, and I don’t set it.) I don’t mean to be impolite here, but…geez, guys.
i) Look. Books are
a) written in order to be read, and
b) published in order to make money.
ii) Publishers do not make money from books that are not in bookstores. Ergo….
iii) Publishers want to sell books as soon as the books are ready.
iv) So do authors. What do you think I live on, while I’m supposedly keeping a book off the market to be mean? And why do you think I’d want to be mean to the people who read my books? Sheesh.
4) Right. Now, I hope to finish writing the book around the end of this year.
OK, pay close attention now….
5) The book will not—repeat not—REPEAT NOT!!!—be published on December 31st, even if I finish writing it on December 30th. Why not? Well, because…
A) Books don’t go directly from the author to the bookstore.
B) Books go from the author to the Editor, who
i) reads the manuscript
ii) discusses the manuscript with the author, and
iii) suggests minor revisions that may improve the book
C) The book goes back to the author, who
i) re-reads the manuscript
ii) considers the editor’s comments, and
iii) makes whatever revisions, emendments, or clarifications seem right.
D) The book goes back to the editor, who
i) reads it again
ii) asks any questions that seem necessary, and
iii) sends it to
E) The copy-editor. This is a person whose thankless job is to
i) read the manuscript one…word…at…a…time
ii) find typos or errors in grammar, punctuation, or continuity (one heck of a job, considering the size not only of the individual books, but of the overall series), and
iii) write queries to the author regarding anything questionable, whereupon
F) The book comes back to the author—yes, again—who
i) re-reads the manuscript
ii) answers the copy-editor’s queries, and
iii) alters anything that the copy-editor has changed that the author disagrees with. After which, the author sends it back to
G) The editor—yes, again!—who
i) re-re-reads it
ii) checks that all the copy-editor’s queries have been answered, and sends it to
H) The Typesetter, who sets the manuscript in type, according to the format laid out by
I) The Book-Designer, who
i) decides on the layout of the pages (margins, gutters, headers or footers, page number placement)
ii) chooses a suitable and attractive typeface
iii) decides on the size of the font
iv) chooses or commissions any incidental artwork (endpapers, maps, dingbats—these are the little gizmos that divide chunks of text, but that aren’t chapter or section headings)
v) Designs chapter and Section headings, with artwork, and consults with the
J) Cover Artist, who (reasonably enough) designs or draws or paints or Photo-Shops the cover art, which is then sent to
K) The Printer, who prints the dust-jackets–which include not only the cover art and the author’s photograph and bio, but also “flap copy,” which may be written by either the editor or the author, but is then usually messed about with by
L) The Marketing Department, whose thankless task is to try to figure out how best to sell a book that can’t reasonably be described in terms of any known genre [g], to which end, they
i) try to provide seductive and appealing cover copy to the book
ii) compose advertisements for the book
iii) decide where such advertisements might be most effective (periodicals, newspapers, book-review sections, radio, TV, Facebook, Web)
iv) try to think up novel and entertaining means of promotion, such as having the author appear on Second Life to do a virtual reading, or sending copies of the book to the armed troops in Iraq, or booking the author to appear on Martha Stewart or Emiril Lagasse’s cooking show to demonstrate recipes for unusual foods mentioned in the book.
vi) kill a pigeon in Times Square and examine the entrails in order to determine the most advantageous publishing date for the book.
M) OK. The manuscript itself comes back from the typesetter, is looked at (again) by the editor, and sent back to the author (again! As my husband says, “to a writer, ‘finished’ is a relative concept.”), who anxiously proof-reads the galleys (these are the typeset sheets of the book; they look just like the printed book’s pages, but are not bound), because this is the very last chance to change anything. Meanwhile
N) A number of copies of the galley-proofs are bound—in very cheap plain covers—and sent to
O) The Reviewers. i.e., the bound galleys are sent (by the marketing people, the editor, and/or the author) to the book editors of all major newspapers and periodicals, and to any specialty publication to whom this book might possibly appeal, in hopes of getting preliminary reviews, from which cover quotes can be culled, and/or drumming up name recognition and excitement prior to publication. Frankly, they don’t always bother with this step with my books, because they are in a rush to get them into the bookstores, and it takes several months’ lead-time to get reviews sufficiently prior to publication that they can be quoted on the cover.
P) With luck, the author finds 99.99% of all errors in the galleys (you’re never going to find all of them; the process is asymptotic), and returns the corrected manuscript (for the last time, [pant, puff, gasp, wheeze]) to the editor, who sends it to
(1. The ebook coding happens somewhere in here.)
Q) The Printer, who prints lots of copies (“the print-run” means how many copies) of the “guts” of the book—the actual inside text. These are then shipped to
R) The Bindery, where the guts are bound into their covers, equipped with dust-jackets, and shipped to
S) The Distributors. There are a number of companies—Ingram, and Baker and Taylor, are the largest, but there are a number of smaller ones—whose business is shipping, distributing, and warehousing books. The publisher also ships directly to
T) The Bookstores, but bookstores can only house a limited number of books. Therefore, they draw on distributors’ warehouses to resupply a title that’s selling briskly, because it takes much longer to order directly from the publisher. And at this point, [sigh]…the book finally reaches
U) You, the reader.
And we do hope you like it when you get it—because we sure-God went to a lot of trouble to make it for you. [g]
6) As it happens, Random House (who publishes my books in the US and Canada) prefers to publish my titles in the Fall quarter (between September 1 and December 31). That’s because this is traditionally the biggest sales period in the year, what with the run-up to Christmas, and therefore all the publishers normally release their “big” titles in the Fall. I’m flattered to be among them.
However, if I do finish the manuscript around the end of this year, Random House (and the UK publisher, Orion, and the German publisher, Blanvalet) _may_ decide to release the book earlier in 2013. They probably won’t set a pub date until I deliver the manuscript—which I _HOPE_ (no guarantees, mind you. Stuff Happens) to finish by the end of 2012.
(The other foreign editions—I think we’re now up to 29 countries, including Israel, Croatia, Russia, Greece, and Korea, which is pretty cool—will be out whenever their respective editors and translators finish their production processes, but I’m afraid I can’t predict that at all.)
So—that’s why the English and German-speaking readers will almost certainly get Written in My Own Heart’s Blood _sometime_ in 2013.
When I have a specific publication date, rest assured—I’ll tell you. (Webmaster’s note: WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD has an official publisher release date of June 10, 2014.)
[Amended to add that the photo above is of me sitting down to a well-earned glass of wine at the end of all this...no, really, it's of me at a dinner at Culloden House last summer. Thanks to Judy Lowstuter, who took it!]
Wow! What an in-depth look at the publishing world! Diana thanks for updating us on where the book is in the process but I for one didn’t expect it for a while, as large and complex as your books are you wouldn’t have time to do anything else with your life if you churned out Book 8 to be published this year! I can’t believe people accuse you of hiding a book or somehow preventing it from being published. While I absolutly love your books and devour them when they come out, there are other books out there to read in between!
I just finnished reading An Echo In the Bone, I started with the Firey Cross which I got a a birthday present over 10 years ago and started reading and never finnished. I had read all of the other bookes in the series severel years before.
I am nor hooked again and am eagerly awating the 8th book. I have a small daughter so I don’t have time to read much in the day, so it takes me almost as long to read as it does to write LOL
These books are exellent!!!!!
Thank you Diana!!!
I was sweating there for a minute, thinking you might run out of alphabet before it got to the reader!!!
Anxiously awaiting, but TOTALLY understanding….
Lemme just say that my paychecks are going down the toilet….in a good way. :] Just when I thought that I had read all of the books, a new one appears, and I love it to pieces! I had no idea MOHB was coming until I put two and two together yesterday. That’s my inner nerd coming out by the way…surprise surprise! The folks at Barnes and Noble have synchronized me as the one always ordering your books, because this store only carries paperback, and knowing me, they can’t withstand my reading…(though I have gotten them in paperback too) Haha. As many others have said, this series is too good of a read to put down. Every time someone’s all “What’s your favorite book?” there isn’t a question in my mind. *gigglesnorts* I am a sucker for love stories. I am reading through the series again, and I still get shocked at things like when Claire spots Geillis Duncan’s smallpox vaccination scar. Keep up the good work Ms. Gabaldon! We are all anxiously awaiting MOHB and Je Suis Prest!
Dear Moriah–
I’m truly flattered (and grateful) that you value the books enough to get them in hardcover. Thank you! (And THANK YOU for reminding people that Barnes and Noble can indeed order any of them _in_ hardcover. Though if folk want _signed_ hardcovers, they should order from the Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale (www.poisonedpen.com)–they’re my local bookstore, and I go by there to sign the orders every week or two.
–Diana
Oh oh! I had no idea about this option! I will DEFINITELY be ordering MOHB from your local store for a signed copy! I wish I had done that with all of them! (Assuming you offered signing for all of them!)
…That must be a long day of signing for you! Yikes! Your poor hands!
Dear Megan–
The Poisoned Pen keeps all my books in stock in all formats–hardcover, trade paperback, mass-market paperback, and audiobooks–and I’ll sign any of ‘em, any time. [g]
–Diana
Yay! I’m going to start collecting all signed versions! Thank you!
Wow. Just…wow. I have ravenously read each of the Outlander books over and over and it just keeps getting better. As the niece of a writer (Jean Brashear-great woman!), I sometimes receive a special signed copy, but I always thought that the only way to get one was to either know someone (who knows someone…) or to go to a book-signing in person. What a wonderful gift to your readers! You are blessed with a singular talent, Diana. I am always thoroughly transported into my own personal nirvana when I indulge in your books…my kids ask why I’m smiling when I close the cover, but I just can’t explain it. As a nurse, I thoroughly identify with the medical aspects of life and death; as a mother and wife, I feel each character’s pull on my heartstrings; and as a woman, I enjoy the voyeuristic pleasures of romance and intrigue, of blood and breathlessness, of debauchery and delight that are ingrained on every page. Thank you for sharing your time, your talent and your toe-tingling sense of adventure with me.
Dear Jackie–
What a nice encomium! Thank you! [smile]
–Diana
Oh, my. Whenever do you sleep?
I’m near the end of book seven,and I just had a sad thought,that when these books do end,a lot of people will have lost a lot of friends………… I’m at the part now where Lord John told Claire that the ship was lost……… I just keep thinking…. how on earth are you going to make the last book(whenever that may be…hopefully not for a while) come full circle.
I’ve never known an author as generous with her time as you. I am astounded at your output! It’s almost exhausting to read about it. It’s a nice swift kick in my butt to spend more time writing and not complaining when I have “the block.” Thanks for the high standard you have set for exceptional historical fiction, but also for direct communication with your readers.
Do what you do best Diana. It’s well worth my wait and I just reread the books while I wait. Thank you for all you do! I greatly appreciate the books and your writing.
(((APPLAUSE))) AND WELL SAID! Thank you. I think you are awesome and LOVE your work. I thank you for keeping up and taking the time with your fans. I think you are amazing for doing that.
Thank you for taking the time to explain the publication process! I had no idea how much time and energy goes into the creation of one of your books (or any book, for that matter) AFTER the writing is done. Thank you to you (and your “team”) for your time, energy, and imagination. You’ve all ready given me so many hours of happy reading, and I’m extremely grateful. Good luck with the writing process – I hope it is still as fun for you to write as it is for all of us to read!
“Kill a pigeon in Times Square and examine the entrails in order to determine the most advantageous publishing date for the book.” Wouldn’t want that job! It’s going to be a long year or two of waiting, but will be worth every second once MOBY is in my hot little hands. Thank you for the details, it’s fascinating… makes the waiting a little easier.
Eagerly awaiting MOBY, but in the meantime I’ve decided to start the series over. I’m actually very excited to be reading the series again and I think I’m enjoying it even more this second time around! I hadn’t realized how much I missed the over-all feeling I got from reading these wonderfully marvelous and delicious stories until I dug into Outlander again. Not only do I have that awesome feeling of being swept away into another time and place, but I’m picking up on so many more details that slipped past me the first go-a-round and because of this I have unanswered questions. Would you be able to answer one for me? In the very beginning of Outlander when Frank and Claire are visiting Iverness, Frank describes to Claire what he considered to be a ghost (a large kilted Scott) that was outside looking up at the window of their room. Who is this suppose to be and what is the significance of this occurrence? For the life of me I cannot figure it out and maybe I never will without your help.
As far as your description of the process of publishing a book, all I can say is “wow” because I don’t think that any of us actually knew how involved it actually was. Thank you for enlightening us. I do hope the explanation will help those people that are accusing you of idiotic stuff to get a grip on what’s real.
Michelle
And then when does Davina Porter get her hands on it to make the audible version? She is terrific by the way and brings the whole thing to life – listening to the books over the past 6 months has left me feeling a bit bereft at this point waiting for next. Muchas Gracias!
Dear Laura–
The audiobook recording is usually done as soon as I finish correcting the copy-edited manuscript, since Recorded Books likes to get the audiobook out as close to the printed version as they can. This occasionally means there are tiny differences between the audio and the printed version (if something was changed in the galleys, for instance), but normally, it’s nothing major.
Btw, you might also want to listen to the Lord John books. Jeff Woodman, who does the reading on those, is every bit as good as Davina–and THE SCOTTISH PRISONER was actually done with _two_ readers (Jeff, and Rick Holmes), since the book is in both Lord John’s and Jamie Fraser’s points of view.
–Diana
Just curious…how long does it take Davina to record one of the books? How long is each chunk of time that she is actually sitting there reading (performing)? Does she do a practice read before actually recording? And how does she know when to switch voices, etc? Is it typed out differently so she flows through the text easily?
And forgive me if this has been answered somewhere previously….And forgive me if this would be a more suitable question for Davina herself, as I do not know how to contact her, or if she is even able to be contacted;)
Thanks Diana.
-Heather
I really enjoy your humor, but I also appreciate all of the steps that go into “making” a book. I am going to share this with my teenage daughter who loves to write. I can hardly wait for the next title but since all of the books are so great, when it comes near the time of the next release, I will reread all the earlier titles (except one) and I will feel as if I have come home to an old friend. THANK YOU!
Well, it’s almost 7 o’clock at night and I’m so tired from reading your explanation of what goes on with your writing that I’m thinking about going to bed early.
Please take your time, as most of the other folks here have said, what you write is very well worth waiting for. I’m currently going through 1-7 for the second time and much slower this time so I can savor each word. I allow myself about an hour of reading each morning with my coffee and then I make myself stop and continue on with the rest of my day. I’m retired and could go on reading but, once I’ve gotten my Jamie and Claire fix for the day, I can put one foot in front of the other and do the things I need to do each day!!!! If I get done reading your books before you get MOBY done, I’ll just start at the beginning again. I seem to find something different every day that I missed the first time through!!
Keep on keeping on, Diana, we’ll wait patiently and enjoy your daily lines on Facebook each and every day!!!
As long as you keep us entertained with those wonderful Daily Lines, we can wait for the finished product. It will be worth the long wait, as always. Hopefully, we’ll all be asking about the next book, and the next book….for years to come! Can’t bear the thought of saying goodbye to the characters we’ve all come to love as our own.
Thanks for the entertaining explanation. I love the anticipation of waiting for the next book. I also enjoy re-reading all of the other books in preparation for understanding the new one! Thank you so much for the care and attention to detail and character continuity you put into your books. I am a teacher, and I used a gift card from one of my studens to purchase The Scottish Prisoner. I read it over my winter break and enjoyed it thoroughly! Thanks for the adventures!
Kill a pigeon in Times Square. BWAHAHAHA. Nice.
Also, the wine seems like an excellent suggestion for people who send frantic, nasty emails to an author they purportedly love. Relax. Just obsessively stalk this blog and watch youtube videos of fan-picked-dream-casts like the rest of us.
Diana… Your work is wonderful! I for one, will patiently wait, as hard as it is. This process is Amazing. I honestly had no idea. The quality of your writing is well worth the wait. You will hear no complaints from me. Keep on doing what you do… Much love from Albuquerque!