Last time, on A Job for Superman...it was revealed that I submitted a book proposal to a publisher.
And now for this week's exciting installment.
The publisher has sent it out for external review.
I'm new to this process, but as I understand it, this is a good thing. The steps seem to go like this: First, submit the proposal to the appropriate editor (check)
Second, the editor decides if the proposal is good enough to bring before the collective editing entity of the publisher, who then decide if it's worthwhile to proceed (check)
Third, if they like it, they send it out for external review. They do this because it's an academic book, which is supposed to be accurate and well-argued, and whatnot. They're editors, not scholars. So they find experts in the field to see if the I know what I'm talking about.
Fourth, I wait for about three months for the reviewers to read it and decide if they
a. think it's rubbish and recommend it be treated as such
b. think it's pretty good, but needs revisions
c. think it's publishable
Fifth, the editors decide what to do with the reviewers' advice. They can ignore it entirely (which I have seen happen in the event of [a]), or they can follow it. Chances are, if they've gotten to this point, they want to publish the book, and it will take some pretty damning reviews to make them change their mind.
Sixth...well, if five goes well, then the book is prepared for publication.
I've cleared the first two steps.
Tune in three months from now, for the exiting next chapter.
