Steps To Publishing Success or What I Learned from Author, Catherine Knutsson

Since completing my novel, I’ve been busy learning the steps to publishing success.

Step 1. I know the importance of story first. A good story, that is. One with a memorable protagonist with clear goals, seemingly insurmountable obstacles, a worthy opponent and a plot that keeps you turning the page right to the end.

Step 2. Then you need a good pitch to secure that agent, the one will who will read your can’t put down story.

 Step 3. Following that, if you’re lucky and talented, your agent can sell that book to a publisher.

Step 4. Then, through the publisher, you’re assigned an editor. The publisher loves your book, so clear sailing ahead, right?  If that’s true, why does it take so long to get it  into the readers’ hands? I wanted to know more about step 4 and any other steps that aren’t so apparent.

Catherine Knutsson at her book launch

So I asked Catherine Knutsson, a former member of my writers’ critique group, River Writers, to share her experience. Her debut book, Shadows Cast By Stars, was released June 5^th by Atheneum/Simon & Schuster. SHADOWS CAST BY STARS is a post-apocalyptic fantasy of myth, spirituality, and one girl’s journey to healing herself and the world around her. Catherine, like Cassandra Mercredi in her story, is a member of the Métis nation. She lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia—the setting for her novel.

Diana:  Welcome, Catherine, and thank you for taking the time to fill in my blanks. I’m going to dive right in. So, once you got a publisher, what happened next? Were you assigned an editor right away?

Catherine: Well, the way it usually works when one has an agent is that the agent submits your manuscript to a list of editors she feels might be interested in the book. If the editors are interested, usually (though, this sometimes varies from publishing house to publishing house) they take it to an acquisition meeting, where a team discusses whether the book would be a good fit for the house. So, I wasn’t so much assigned an editor – rather, my agent submitted to her, and once she expressed interest, we were able to have a chat to discuss the book, so I had an idea of how she worked and what her vision for the book was even before the sale was completed.

Diana: Interesting. How does the editor- author relationship work?

Catherine: I think the editor-author relationship can vary from person to person, and book to book, depending on what’s needed and how a particular editor works. But, for my book, my editor wrote long, very detailed letters about what was working in the story, and what we needed to pare down or change. Then, she’d mark up the manuscript and send it to me, and if needed, we’d set up a phone call to discuss things I wasn’t clear on, or things I needed her guidance with. Because of how I work (I’m a drafter, and spend a lot of time writing and rewriting and retweaking and rethinking), we went through four rounds of edits (though the last round was mostly just tweaks), so it took a lot of work to get the manuscript shined up!

Diana: I’ve heard working with an editor can be challenging. There’s always the fear the author’s voice will get lost. What was your experience like? Were there a lot of deadlines or was there some other kind of understanding?

Catherine: First, the easy part to answer: deadlines! Yes, there were deadlines for every stage of the process. They were all very reasonable, and only once did I need to ask for an extension, which was granted without any issue at all. That was a fortunate thing for me, because as I mentioned above, I’m not the speediest writer, and I think tight deadlines would have added a lot of stress to the process.

And regarding an author’s voice getting lost: you know, I think that’s why finding the right editor is so important. When a writer has been working on a manuscript for so long (years in my case!), it’s tempting to jump at the first offer. That’s why I’m so glad I was able to talk to my editor really early in the process, so we knew that our vision for the story was along the same lines. Voice, after all, is like an author’s thumbprint, and that’s often the first thing an editor falls in love with! However, getting the story out on the page in the best way, well, that can be tricky, because as an author, I’ve spent so much time with my world and its characters that it’s hard to see what the story looks like from the outside. That outside vision is really important, but not always easy to hear! Add to that the pressure of sales and marketing and having a social media presence (which is not an easy thing for me), well, it can all be a little crazy-making! But, I think it’s important to keep a couple of things in mind: Firstly, editors are really experienced at what they do. They’re book people, and they love stories, and their goal is to help buff a writer’s story until it’s all shiny and bright. The second thing is: there will be bumps, and in bumpy times, the best thing to do is to keep the lines of communication open. Talking things out can really help when an writer has one vision and an editor seems to have another, because sometimes it’s just a misunderstanding, and sometimes it’s just a matter of saying “Let me tell you want I’m trying to do”, because if an editor knows this, she’s able to say “Okay, I get it. Now, let me help you do that!”.

Diana: Your cover is very strong. Did you have any input in the design?

Catherine: Isn’t it a beautiful cover? I was so pleased when it arrived! Regarding the design, no, I didn’t have input, but that’s not all that unusual. From what I understand, my editor gave my book to the cover artist, who read it and was inspired to create the images she did. I was so thrilled when one day, my editor sent the image to me in an email as a surprise, and there it was, in all its glory! I consider myself a very lucky author, indeed!

Diana: Your story is intriguing. It says on your book flap, that you are of Métis background. Did you draw on that culture in telling your story?

Catherine: I am Métis, and very proud of that heritage! However, I didn’t grow up knowing I was Métis, and that’s what really influenced this story. I’m fascinated by how people divide themselves into groups – I belong here, you belong there, that sort of thing – and I’m equally fascinated with how the stories we’re told about where we came from shape us.

Diana:  I can’t wait to read your book for that very reason. Lastly, what’s next for Catherine Knutsson?

Catherine: Ooo, good question! One of the things I’ve learned over the course of writing SHADOWS CAST BY STARS is that I need lots of time between drafts on any given project. While one project is sitting there, stewing, I work on something else. So, at any given time, I usually have a bunch of different things on the go, all in various stages of completion. Right now, I’m between drafts on a couple of YA projects, and while they percolate, I’ve been researching for an adult literary project (set in World War One) that I’ve been dying to work on for a while. I think I’ll be ready to start writing that in the next couple of months, provided that I feel my writing skills are up to the task!

 Diana: There’s no easy path to publishing success, but it helps to know the steps. For more about your book and writing process, I’d recommend readers check out writer Shari Green’s recent interview with you.  Thanks again, Catherine, for taking the time.