What are some behind-the-scenes things that make a book?

Great question! First, I write up a proposal, say, the first three chapters and a synopsis (much shorter summary of the story), which I send to my agent. She in turn sends it to my publisher (or submits it for me to a new publisher). In the best case, the publisher comes back with an offer to buy the book, which is always reason for champagne or at least sparkling water. After I sign the contract, I finish the book if I haven’t already. Then I turn the book in, and my editor and a copy editor go over the book with a fine tooth comb. The edited version comes back to me to review and add/delete scenes. Often the timeline has to be reviewed, or I have to correct mistakes I made with eye color (I’ve been known to change the hero or heroine’s eyes a few times). A funny edit to me involves pets. I have a habit of mentioning a dog or cat and then…forgetting about them for a while. Fortunately I have incredible editors who catch my mistakes! After my editor reviews my changes to the line edits, I get to look at the book one more time to clear up any remaining questions she may have. Then it goes back and eventually becomes the book you get to hold in your hands and read. As you can tell, it’s a team effort all the way!

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