Improbable Press Blog — Publishing

As a writer for whom book covers have been created and an editor who commissions covers for others, let me tell you something true: We don't always love our book's cover right away. Book Cover Expectations: Let's Go Back In Time When I was a teen, Casey Kasem hosted a weekly top 40 radio show; I listened for years before I finally saw a photo of Kasem himself, and: No. Nope. Nada, that's not what Casey Kasem looks like. Except. Except what did I think he looked like? I don't know. I'd had no idea I even had expectations until...

By Atlin Merrick Just…just go around me. I'm going to be here awhile, stretched out on this grass, staring at the fluffy clouds while I tell youngsters to get off my lawn. Which is to say I am a tiny bit exhausted. O so weary of others doing what I used to do, and now I just want to squirt everyone with this hose I'm not holding and holler "Learn from my mistakes for heaven's sake! I also didn't follow submission guidelines! And do you know what it got me? Don't you walk away while I'm yelling at you!" Submission...

By Atlin Merrick Okay, you’ve signed a contract with a small press and you’re doing the butt-wiggle dance of joy. You probably sent your book to a lot publishers and at last your work found a home. Whether you’re a new writer or have been published before, it’s a relief to know you’ve found someone else who loves your work as much as you do. And—WAIT! Screeching To a Halt: Loving Small Presses That! It’s that I want to bold and italicize:         We love your book, too. I can nearly 100% guarantee that that’s why any small press anywhere...

By Atlin Merrick A writer recently asked what we mean by 'we're editing your book,' and though we've talked about the overall book editing process on this blog, we never covered the nitty gritty of how the editing process goes. We're about to do that right now. How We Edit Your Book You've sent your completed novel to us. We've never seen those words before. We're excited! Though the precise process depends on the editor, for Improbable Press, this is how we edit: While we read, we're making note of big things like 'this story starts too early… begin the...

By Atlin Merrick We don't start off knowing this stuff. When my first books were published I knew nothing about anything. Do I have to make every change the editor asks for? Can they do it if I don't agree? Will they hate me if I disagree? No, no, and no. Edits to Your Beloved Manuscript Every writer is edited. All of us. Oh sure, maybe not the famous ones, but you've read a later work of a superstar, the stuff no editor touches because the writer's too powerful? Yeah, well then you've seen how those books too often needed...