Part 2: What's It Like To Write A Book?
Behind the Book: All I know
Ok, so I know that I said I would save future installments of the “what’s it like to write a book” series for the next time I was pressed for time or ideas but guess what? That next time is now. We’re leaving town for a few days tomorrow for our anniversary and I have a billion things to do so instead of trying to clear my brain of the to-lists (laundry, water plants, check PO Box etc) that currently live there, I’m going to continue on with this series today.
So here we are with part two of this series and more of the things I know about what it’s like to write a book. If you missed part 1, please check it out here.
How do you organize your research? This is a very “to each their own” type thing, but I get asked a lot of how I organize my research for my books, so here is my personal process that works best for my brain and my writing style. I use Evernote to gather most of my sources: articles, text screenshots etc. I organize them all by subject matter. I put all of the bibliographical info at the top of each note. I kind of use a funnel method for my books, gathering massive amounts of info that I’m not sure I’ll use, then I spend months going through it to narrow it down to things that I think will help or areas I’m sure I want to do further research on. Then, once I’ve narrowed it down, I expand out the subjects I’ve narrowed in on to make sure I have a lot of info on the final topics. This is the longest part of my personal writing process for researched books.
Once I’m getting ready to get into my outline and draft process, I number each note that I’m going to use. Then, as I write my outline, I put in the sources as I’m using them and put the number of the note next to it, so I know how to reference it for my bibliography and for any other time I need to reference. I like Evernote because it’s very easy to keep things organized, it’s very easy to use my phone to screenshot book pages and load them into my notes, and it’s easy to collaborate with others (which is vital when I’m using research assistants).
Side note: accidental plagiarism is very common and very not ok. One of the ways I work to avoid it is to make sure that from the moment I’m writing incorporating a note into my outline, that I’m writing out something in my own words while looking at the source so I can make sure I’m not accidentally just regurgitating phrasing that stuck in my head. I do not copy paste from my sources unless I’m actually quoting the source with full documentation. When you go from step one putting things into your own words, you’re far less likely to accidentally steal somebody else’s words by the time you’re writing drafts. Other side note: I actually hand-write all of my notes and outlines - it really helps with my ADD and makes it even harder to copy/paste.
Do you need an editor? Yes, I really think you do, even if you’re self-publishing. Editing is a very special skill that is very distinct from writing itself. Yes, I can go through these newsletters on my own and correct spelling and grammar (and I’m only about 70% on that) but a book is so many more words than that and spelling and grammar are only the beginnings of what a good editor will do. A good editor will look at your book with a reader’s eye and will be able to help you better communicate with the reader. A good editor will make your writing more of what you intended it to be. They will help you clear up confusing text, they will help you refocus when you wander astray from the topic at hand, they will identify hidden gems in your writing that you need to expand upon. A good editor just makes you a better writer.
Notice that I said “a good editor” because a good editor is worth their weight in gold. But a bad editor, or a good editor who is a bad fit for you, can do serious harm to your work. If your editor doesn’t love your project and understand it, they will fight you as you write to try to create the book that they want or that they think will better sell. A writer who doesn’t love your writing will try to make you write like you are somebody you aren’t. A writer who doesn’t get you can’t make your writing more you.
One huge problem in the publishing industry is that most book editors are white women who often work for white men. If you are a person of color, there is a good chance that you will have trouble finding an editor who can understand your lived experience, language, politics, or messaging to nearly as great a degree as an editor of color can. As a Black writer, I’ve not yet had the privilege of working with a Black editor (although I did get to work with an editor of color for MEDIOCRE and am working with an editor of color on my current book), and when I hear Black editors talk about the excitement and ease in their working relationships with Black writers, I want to cry with jealousy. Because being a Black writer working with white editors is hard. And I’m saying that as someone who has worked with really good white editors. You have to be really sure of yourself and your voice and be willing to overly communicate where you’re coming from because even the best white editor just won't get it sometimes. You may feel a lot of pressure to change your work in ways that you aren’t comfortable with as a writer of color, please resist that urge. Editors are important, and good editors know their jobs well, but at the end of the day this is your book with your name on it. Trust me, that one phrase that you gave in on and changed to appease whiteness will haunt your ass for years and will ring false every time you read your book. That brings us to the next question…
Is the publishing industry hella white? What’s that like? 1) Yes. 2) Hella annoying at best, toxic and even career-killing at worst. As I said in the last point, the majority of book editors are white women. But it doesn’t end there. The majority of book publicists, cover designers, copyeditors, agents, and publishing decision-makers are all white. As far as I know, I was the only person who worked on So You Want To Talk About Race Who Wasn’t White. I love that book so much. It’s my first, my baby. I’m so proud of it. But boy did all that overwhelming whiteness steal a lot of my book joy. Just about everything that first came to me about the book from publishing - be it potential covers or marketing strategies - was built to serve the white gaze and only the white gaze. Ask me how many NPR interviews I did in white cities with white interviewers on MLK day. No, don’t. I’d rather not relive all of that. But the truth is that I was constantly battling a system that said that if my book didn’t sell to midwest white folk, it wasn’t valid - and I’m one of the lucky ones because my work actually got published.
I always remember attending a talk a few years ago on Black editing and publishing. Two of the few Black publishers were onstage. One shared a story about how when she was working at a different publishing house she tried to bid on Barack Obama’s first memoir and was told by her boss something like they “didn’t publish books with author names that they couldn’t pronounce.” That is what the industry is like. It’s shitty and racist and it’s keeping us from being able to read the great words of so many writers of color. And that’s not even touching on the fact that if your work gets published by one of these publishing houses, upwards of 80% of the proceeds from book sales will go back into an overwhelmingly white capitalist industry.
BTW: did you know that studies show that a reader demographic most able to predict a book’s success is Black women? Publishers do. They just don’t care.
Ok, back to editing. What does the actual editing process look like? This can vary because a lot of it depends on your writing style, the editor’s style, and the contract you have. If you are working with an editor at a publishing house, your process will be something like what I describe here. If you are self-publishing and hiring your own editor, it will go down according to what you contract the editor for. Basically once an editor decides they are down with your idea, they will usually ask you how you work. Do you like regular check-ins? Do you like to be left alone? I like to be left alone pretty much until my first draft is done. I will update my editor occasionally on what I’m working on as far as direction for my draft, and my editor will check in occasionally to see how things are looking, but mostly I’m on my own the first months of writing. Some readers know that they won’t get shit done if left to their own devices and want regular check-ins with their editor. This is something you’ll work out together. As you get a bit closer to the date that we set to turn in the first draft, an editor will start reaching out a more. Then you turn over your first draft sometime around when you agreed to and weeks later you get edits. Please be prepared, first draft edits can seem brutal. I kind of embrace it, knowing that my editor is going to be giving me a shit ton of edits no matter what I write frees me to go ahead and just put it all in there. Remember, an editor can’t edit what you don’t write so treat these first drafts like first drafts. Let them be a little (or lot) messy. Let them wander a bit. When you get the first edits back you’ll be given a set amount of time to go through them and make changes. You can accept the changes the editor made or you can type “stet” which means “nope, I want to leave it as is.” You don’t have to accept every change and editor suggests, and you shouldn’t. Feel free to say no, feel free to ask questions. BTW: Jason Reynolds has “stet” tattooed on his muthaeffing hands and it’s THE MOST BADASS THING I’VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.”
After you turn in your second draft the editor will go through it again and send you more changes and you’ll repeat this process until the editor decides the book is ready to send to the copy-editor. Then the copy-editor will go through the manuscript with a fine-toothed comb and send you edits on spelling and grammar and such. You go through, make changes or “stet” and make any other small final changes you want to see in the book (this is usually your last chance). Then, the editor formally accepts the book for publication and the publisher begins the process of getting the book all printed up for sale.
By the time you’re done with the editing process you’ll have read your manuscript so many times that you will know every word by heart and yet not be able to make sense of it because words will be meaningless because your brain will be mush. It’s long and arduous and I don’t know anyone who enjoys the editing process, but when it’s done you will feel the sort of relief that is almost comparable to childbirth. You survived the impossible thing. You pushed that baby out when you were sure it was going to split you in two. Yay you!
Ok, that’s all for this installment. I hope it is helpful for those of you who are beginning your book-writing process or are thinking of doing so. If you have publishing or book-writing questions that you want me to include in future installments, please put them in the comments!
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First of all, thanks so much for taking the time to put this together. I do have a question that perhaps you could cover in a future installment. How does one go about finding an agent? Is it through word of mouth, a reference, or a guide? I guess my question is really about the best sources to find an agent that would match what you're trying to publish and sell.
Thank you!