Monday, May 14, 2012

You'd Think By Now I'd Know Not Working Is More Fun Than Working

This was going to be my first weekend off in approximately forever, and I'm going to be working this coming weekend, so I was really looking forward to two solid non-working sorts of weekend days.

That glorious non-working thing lasted through Saturday. Then Sunday, I read The Shade Of The Moon Version The Third.

I was scheduled to read the manuscript (is it still a manuscript if you can only read it on a computer screen?) on Thursday, since Friday I'm driving to Rochester for the 7th Annual Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival. and a long drive is a great time to think about what needs to be written.

But I got impatient and devoted a shocking number of hours to reading TSOTMVTT instead.

Thank goodness I liked it. A lot actually. Of course, since I don't like reading description, it didn't bother me one whit that there wasn't any in the entire 291 pages. No, I think there's a little bit on page 2, but that's just to fool people into thinking it's a high class descriptiony kind of masterpiece.

As they say in Gay Paree, le ha!

(Spellcheck is in process of having un pettite nervous breakdown, as is its wont around here).

Sadly though, I did discover that there's one section of the book that needs revision. I have a perfectly fabulous essentially flashback scene, where Jon thinks about what he did that makes him have those haunting dreams about Julie. Then entirely too much later in the book, he talks to his girlfriend Sarah about it (scroll right down for two pages which mention Sarah; I'm too lazy to bother getting the link).

Well, that's just not going to work. I need to turn that fabulous flashback into a new scene when he tells all to Sarah, and I have to find a reason for him to tell her and a place for all that brand new and recycled old stuff to fit in.

In other words, work. Le double triple extremely French sigh.

Oh well. At least I'll have something to think about on that long drive to Rochester!


4 comments:

Emily said...

Every time you post I get more excited! I can't wait for the new book!

Once you are happy with it and turn it in to whoever, what is the typical length of time until its on the shelves?

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Hi Emily-

Well, as we all know, even after I'm happy with it, my publisher might not be.

This version is written without a contract (or on spec as we writer types say), so there's no guarantee it will ever be published.

But assuming they're happy with it also, it usually takes a year. There will be rewrites to do based on the editor's suggestions, and copyediting to go through, and a cover to be designed, and copy to be written, and salesforces to be energized, and probably other things I don't know about.

Since they won't be getting the manuscript before June, and since nothing gets published in the summer, I'd think the earliest it would be published would be Fall 2013.

But first I have to figure out why Jon is telling Sarah all about Julie!

Pascaline said...

I hope you will find.

I receive the book place today. Thank you so mush. I have pasted them on my book.

I wish the fourth book would be published.

Have a nice day

Emily said...

Thanks for explaining the process!