The Dead Romantics

The Dead Romantics is set in and reflects the world of traditional publishing in the early 21st century. The model referred to as traditional publishing evolved throughout the 20th century. Whereas in the 18th and 19th centuries, authors were expected to fund part or all of the publication process, the publishing industry in the US and elsewhere moved to a model where publishing houses acquire books, fund the expense of preparing and publishing them, and then share a percentage of sales, a royalty, with the author. Books that are expected to sell well sometimes earn an advance, in which the publisher pays the author prior to the book’s publication.

As the publishing world grew more complex, professional agents took on the task of acquiring clients, pitching books to publishers, negotiating sales, and collecting royalties. Rather than charging the author, agents work on commission, keeping a percentage of the author’s royalties as their pay.

Just as authors may choose to publish a book under a pseudonym or pen name, some choose to hire ghostwriters to write their work. Ghostwriters are common in speech writing, advertising, and music, as well as in the literary fields. While some authors choose to credit the ghostwriter, most often the ghostwriter is unnamed, thus the term. Celebrities, political figures, corporate leaders, and other people influential in nonliterary arenas frequently hire a ghostwriter to pen their memoir, self-help book, or business advice manual. Novelists, or their publishers, can hire ghostwriters when the demand for books in a series or with a certain author’s name outstrips the author’s ability to produce.

Professional ghostwriters write in the voice or style of another, thus making the different authorship invisible to the reader. Ghostwriters demand different rates, but those who write bestselling books can ask a fee of tens of thousands of dollars. Depending on their contract, they may not be allowed to divulge their authorship of certain books. Florence’s contract requires that she not identify as the ghostwriter for Ann Nichols—which drives her brother to ask repeated questions trying to guess at the author’s identity.

An agent representing an author sells the book to an editor, who acquires the book on behalf of the publishing house and is responsible for shepherding the book through the publication process. Editors work within the constraints of the publishing house but typically are able to follow their own tastes and beliefs about what will sell. The hope is, most of the time, to publish a book that will appeal to a broad readership and thus earn money. When her debut romance novel was not a success, Florence finds herself dumped by her publishing house and her agent because they weren’t making money from her.

An editor can have an extensive role in revising a book, and Florence and Ben joke about his editorial notes for her. Once edits are done, a book will go through the remaining stages of publication, including cover design, interior layout, copy-editing, proofreading, sending out galleys or advance reader copies, and developing a marketing plan. The publisher may also determine the final title, a right Ben hints at when discussing Florence’s title for her fourth book.