I know. The readers and budding writers out there think – you pop the champagne and wait for the money to roll in. Er, not exactly. There’s a protracted process after the delivery of a first manuscript, whether the book is pre-sold or not. Sometimes it goes wrong, as the Franzen story below demonstrates.

For the record let me outline how the process goes – for me anyway. Technophiles out there please note: in reality it hasn’t changed much in all the sixteen years I’ve been a novelist.

<!--more-->
<ol>
	<li>Deliver first version of manuscript. <em>This has errors and omissions.</em></li>
	<li>Receive editorial notes from top level editor on what’s good, what’s bad, what could be cut, what might be added in. And usually some excellent advice from your agent too (if not, find another agent).</li>
	<li>Deliver revised manuscript. <em>This has errors and omissions.</em></li>
	<li>Discuss revised manuscript with top level editor. Deliver another rewrite if necessary, and keep on rewriting until we’re happy with it. <em>Once this phase is over all the subsequent edits (with my present publishers) happen on paper or pdf. I no longer own a Word file so there is no possibility of two or more versions being edited simultaneously. </em></li>
	<li>Receive manuscript with queries from line editor (a different editor there to check the fine detail of language, continuity and sense).</li>
	<li>Send back new version of manuscript to meet the line editor’s queries.</li>
	<li>Read new version of manuscript encompassing your changes and OK any recommended ones from line editor.</li>
	<li>Deal with any interim issues.</li>
	<li>Read typeset galley of book, start to finish, checking for all manner of errors, yours, editors and the typesetters. <em>This has errors and omissions.</em></li>
	<li>Return marked up copy of galley with corrections.</li>
	<li>(Optional). If the galley turned out to need a substantial amount of work check a second galley for mistakes. <em>This has errors and omissions.</em></li>
	<li>(Optional). If the publisher produces a bound proof (sometimes known as an ‘arc’ in the US or a ‘superproof’ in the UK) go through that for problems because this really is the last chance you’ll have.</li>
	<li>See finished book in print. <em>Try to not look too closely because you’ll only see something you want to change anyway.</em></li>
</ol>
At least some and possibly all of these steps may be needed if you are published in English by two different imprints in UK and US English. In case you haven’t got the message: this is all a lot of work. By the time the book’s out, usually two years or more after you started it, you’re sick to the death of the sight of the thing. And invariably a lot of this donkey work will turn up when you’re head down in a newer project, one that has a much tighter grip on your imagination.

Moral: publishing is a complex and imperfect business. However clever computers become, however streamlined the delivery process, the simple fact remains: the more skilled eyes run across a work in progress, the better the final book should be.

Steel yourself. This isn’t changing soon.