I see a lot of blog posts about how the publishing process works in traditional print publishing all the time. But I rarely see any that show new potential authors how things work in e-publishing. And, I was watching that reality TV show, The Beekman Boys, where the one guy (I’m bad with names…it’s not Brent…it’s the other one) had to go into New York and meet with an editor and discuss the concept for a new cookbook.

I love that show. But I don’t know why he had to meet in person. It looked to me like this was a meeting that could have been handled with a few simple e-mails. I guess this was something to fill up air time on TV and let the viewers know more about the cookbook? And there’s nothing wrong with that…it’s TV…larger than life. But I’d like potential authors to know this isn’t how it works in most cases in the real world, even though this is reality TV. Everything is done electronically now.

And I’ve worked with more editors at print publishers than I can remember off hand. I’ve been working with two e-publishers for the past six years now. I’ve been with http://www.loveyoudivine.com for six years, and http://www.ravenousromance.com for almost three. Like with traditional print publishers, the process can vary depending on the publisher. However, it’s basically the same.

This afternoon, for example, I received an e-mail from one e-publisher about the possibility of putting together another m/m romance series. Once the e-mails begin, it becomes an electronic brainstorming session between a few editors, the publishers, and me. It would be nice to meet in person, but I live in New Hope, Bucks County, PA, one lives in NYC, and the others live in Boston. If we met in person each time we had to discuss a new book there wouldn’t be any time to write or publish the book.

And this time I loved the idea they suggested and added my own opinions. Thankfully, they loved my opinions and the brainstorming continued until we had a basic overview of where the books in the serious would be going and where the stories would be set.

It’s all tentative right now. But I’ve found that once the basic concept is there and it begins to breathe, so to speak, it continues to grow in various stages until there’s actually a final product, which is the book.

It’s not always this easy, but most of the time it is. And it’s not at all unlike the brainstorming sessions I’ve had with editors at traditional print publishers. I once went back and forth with an editor at Alyson Books, about seven years ago, to get a short story for an anthology just right. We didn’t even have to pick up the phone that time. We did it all through e-mails and never had to leave our offices.

I would imagine most editors, agents, and publishers communicate with their authors this way, which makes it easier for everyone involved. And it’s never like anyone on TV would lead you to believe it is.