by Dana Grimaldi @DanaGrimaldi, Assistant Editor/Editorial Assistant, Harlequin Heartwarming
When Vicki Essex sat down to write her first book, Her Son's Hero, she was alone. Sure, Smartikus the cat was providing moral support, but Vicki was writing the way everyone writes, by herself, with her imagination and determination the driving force behind getting her story down on the page.
But once Vicki signed with Harlequin, she wasn't the only person striving to make that book a success. She had a whole team of experts on her side.
The first step was signing the contract, which was drawn up by the legal team. Then, Vicki's editor guided her through the revision process and line edited the book. The copy editor and proofreader checked the grammar, spelling and punctuation. Typesetting made sure the story would be easy to read on the page—no loose lines or tight margins! The prelim operator set the author bio, dedication, and the rest of the front matter—all the pages that come before the story. Then, the digital assets team created the ebook file and sent out the metadata (title, author name, miniseries, etc) to digital retailers.
The art director created an amazing, eye-catching cover and the production artist placed the cover info, like the title and cover copy, over the image. The Harlequin.com team made sure the book was available for sale on our website and our marketing group spread the word.
Here's a photo of all the people who helped make Vicki’s newest book, In Her Corner, a success.
Back Row: Peter Cronsberry, Prelim Operator; Dan Cuison, Art Director; Jacqueline Chipman, Typesetting Specialist; Jenny Bullough, Manager, Digital Assets; Kevin Bailey, Production Artist; Amy Loosemore, Manager, Online Engagement; Ruth Machanda, Legal Administrator; Jennifer Watters, Product Manager, Retail Marketing
Front Row: Greg Dalgetty, Prelim Operator; Karen Reid, Associate Editor; Vicki Essex, Author (and also a Harlequin Proofreader); Kathryn Chris, Proofreader; Lindsey Magee, Digital Production Coordinator
Missing in action: Copy editor
Based on the comments, tweets and posts I saw during the So You Think You Can Write contest, this year's winner will have an enthusiastic bunch of writers and readers cheering her on. But she'll also have an in-house team, a group of experts who care about turning her manuscript into a bestselling book.
