Exciting news, at least for me. I just entered a new stage of getting The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte ready for publication.
Stage One occurred earlier this summer when my editor completed his first review of the manuscript. I spent a couple months this summer working on a revision, and then I sent it back to the publisher on August 31.
In the meantime, the book designer and I have been emailing back and forth about the typeface, chapter openings, scene breaks, and cover design. All of those pieces are coming along well. I guess we could call that Stage Two, even though it overlapped with Stage One.
Today, we begin Stage Three. The editor just sent me his copy edits for the first 100 pages of manuscript. He promises a steady stream of chapters throughout the coming week. I have to go through and review each of his suggested edits and make the final decisions.
Once I finish that, the manuscript will be out of my hands for a while as the layout / production work is done. Last, the designer and I will have two sets of proofs to review.
But that’s enough looking ahead. For now, I have plenty to do responding to the copy edits.
Ruth Hull Chatlien 
How exciting for you!
What kind of deadline do you have on getting them back?
Thanks, Deleyan. They haven’t given me a deadline yet. It’s a small publisher, and their main concern is that we get the book right. We’ll probably talk dates once I get the whole manuscript to review
Congratulations! That is all very big news.
Thank you, Marc.
Very exciting and very busy. I remember it well. I had a deadline so I felt a bit more pressured. Glad you have some breathing room.
Thanks, Linnea. There is a general sense of when we have to be done to meet the pub date we’re aiming for, and I think once my editor gets me all the chapters, there will probably be a date. But yes, it is an exciting time.
Exciting! Congratulations on your progress!
Thank you, Shannon.
Congratulations. This is a good kind of busy!
Thanks. It definitely is.