Ever wonder what the publishing timeline looks like?
I got an exciting update from my editor with all of the major deadlines between now and publication:
- July 1 - First draft due (turned it in last week...wuhoooooo!)
-
July 15 - Send revised draft to copy-editor (after incorporating feedback from my editor)
-
August 2 - "Final" draft due (but I'm sure it takes more than one round of back-and-forth)
-
August 16 - Edited manuscript goes to designer
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Sept. 20 - First proof from designer to editor/author
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Oct. 18 - First edited proof to designer
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Nov. 1 - Second proof from designer to editor/author (this is really just checking for typos - not supposed to make material changes)
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Nov. 15 - Second edited proof to designer
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Dec. 6 - Off to press!
And perhaps the most important date of all...March 29, 2011 - Book hits stores!!! Mark your calendars :)
Big giant hugs,
Jenny
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PERSONAL UPDATES
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Getting the draft ready - So
what happened after I last wrote? I had three weeks to turn
the first draft around. Thankfully I already had most of it written, but there was still a lot I wanted to do. My
checklist of things to add and revise was over 125 items long! To give you an idea: launching the Twitter campaign, narrowing the tweets, formatting them and adding them to the book was three items. So yeah, I had my work cut out for me :).
I spent three full weekends working
away on my book, and was thankful that at least I wasn't cooped up indoors - I sat outside on my
balcony to enjoy the nice weather. Even though the days were long, I
was having a blast! After months of uncertainty and trepidation, it
felt like I was finally locked into my path and nothing could stop me. No more anxiety
about whether this was going to happen - the finish line was in sight,
and finally having a deadline was a huge relief.
A tip for reducing BWF (Behemoth Word File) intimidation -
At times I got intimidated by how many pages were in my Word doc
(almost 100,000 words and 400 half-size pages). It was hard for me to
jump in and stay focused - especially on the computer - so I ended up printing the entire manuscript
and putting each chapter in a manila folder. That made it much less
intimidating to review and revise in bite-sized chunks. Picking up a stack of 30-40 pages at a time was much easier than sifting through 400.
Promotion planning - Believe
it or not, I've already started reading about (and brainstorming)
publicity and marketing strategies for the book launch next year. Getting the first draft in was a major step, now I feel like I have
nine months to build my platform as much as I possibly can. The publisher decides how many books to print based on the size of my platform and the number of events I have scheduled, so I want to
start doing more speaking events.
It's also time to start practicing my own content; I've
been so used to delivering Google's material these last few years
that it's time to get more comfortable with my own ideas. I already have a few talks lined up (a series of four workshops with the Best Buy Women's Leadership Group and a talk at the Association of Management Services conference) but my goal is to start doing at least two speaking engagements every month.
Signing video - In case you missed the post Success Demons and a Signed Contract,
I put up a few short videos of me signing the contract on June 16 - exciting stuff! I
also wanted to say thanks again to everyone who participated in the #u30pro campaign, and to everyone who sent notes and left
comments of congratulations. It just means so much to me.
Book mention - Carol Phillips, a marketing professor at Notre Dame, included a nice note in her blog post Millenials Redefining Success:
Last week, Jenny Blake, the blogger behind "Life After College"
announced in her blog that she had landed a book deal. The excitement
was contagious. Note the focus is on her immediate 'supporters' - one senses this is
the group that truly matters to her: Experiences are better when they are shared. I think of Jenny's response as quintessentially 'Millennial' - team oriented, collaborative and authentic.
I
love that! That is exactly how I feel. I don't want this to just be MY
book - I want to share the experience with all of you. I want feedback
and ideas, and to include others' thoughts in the actual book wherever I can. I want this to feel like it's our project, which is why I'm writing these newsletters!
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QUOTES
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"Everyone
who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It's the person who gets
out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it that makes a
difference."
-Nolan Bushnell
"If you have the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed."
-David Viscott
"All
that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is
this: act as if it were impossible to fail. That is the talisman, the
formula, the command of right-about-face that turns us from failure
toward success."
-Dorothea Brande
"Be not afraid of going slowly but only afraid of standing still."
-Chinese Proverb
"Just
enough sense to stick with something--a chore, task, project, until it's
completed pays off much better than idle intelligence, even if idle
intelligence be of genius caliber."
-David J. Schwartz
"A
good idea if not acted upon produces terrible psychological pain. But a
good idea acted upon brings enormous mental satisfaction. Got a good
idea? Then do something about it. Use action to cure fear and gain
confidence. Here's something to remember: Actions feed and strengthen
confidence; inaction in all forms feeds fear. To fight fear, act. To
increase fear--wait, put off, postpone."
-David J. Schwartz
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RESOURCES
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Blog Posts:
Articles:
Audio:
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STANDING LINKS
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I've tagged many more articles and resources in Delicious:
Questions for me about the book project (or anything else)? Ask away on Formspring! (Allows others to benefit from your question too)
Feel free to forward this email to friends. View past issues of this newsletter at:
Requests for specific content in future emails? Reply and let me know.
That's it for now! Best of luck with all of your projects and creative pursuits until we talk again :)
Jenny
http://twitter.com/Jenny_Blake
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