Perhaps the best way to start our guided tour of the world of publishing is by examining the life-cycle of a book. What is the process that takes the words you have typed on your computer and turns them into a printed book, a book that will sit along other real, actual books on the shelves of a bookshop? What are the individual stages, how do they work, and how does the author fit in to the whole thing?

Every book begins its life as an idea inside a writer’s head but at some point, often after months or years of prevarication, or of life getting in the way, it makes its way onto the page. And no matter how you write your first draft – quill and ink, biro on paper, thumbs on a smartphone or tapping fingers on a computer keyboard – you will at some point end up with a computer file containing your manuscript.

Elsewhere in this book I explore the whole submissions process in great detail but, for now, let’s assume that you have already digested that splendid chapter, have perfected your submission, and your manuscript is out with a number of agents. And what is more, for the purposes of this illustration we are going to assume that they love it and want to sign you up.

Congratulations. Exciting, and occasionally confusing, times lie ahead.

Usually the first person to get to grips with a writer’s manuscript, other than the writer themselves, is an agent. Agents receive hundreds, if not thousands, of manuscripts every week and trawl through them to find the ones that appeal to them, that they think show great talent and potential and that they can sell to publishers and make money from. I look at how agents work and what they do in more detail in the next chapter of this book but for now the important thing to know is that an agent is someone who has contacts throughout the publishing world and will know which publishers and editors are most likely to want to publish your book. Their job is to get your manuscript in front of those people and persuade them to sign it up, and they are better placed to do this than most authors.

But before they do, they are highly likely to want to edit your manuscript, to help you knock it into shape. These days an agent is often an author’s first professional editor and you can expect some weeks, perhaps even months, of tweaks and new drafts before they feel the book is ready to send out. Once it is ready, they will begin their quest to find you a publisher.

Your manuscript will now be pinging its way into the email inboxes of a select band of editors at publishing houses, together with an encouraging email from your agent. The tone and content of the email will depend on the realistic expectations your agent has for the book. If they feel it is a guaranteed blockbuster and deserves a whopping advance then they will only have sent it out to a few high-flying editors with big chequebooks, perhaps with a strict deadline for offers. Of course, for most authors this is not the case and the agent will have sent the manuscript to a handful of editors they think, based on their tastes and track records, will a) like the book, and b) be prepared to publish it. Once sent, they will sit back and wait for a response.

And wait. And wait. Just like agents, editors receive an overwhelming amount of submissions and they can only read so much in any given day. As a result, agents may have to wait a few weeks, sometimes even a couple of months, for a response and that response may not be positive – but it is far too early in the book to have any negative thoughts so let’s assume your agent has found an eager publisher. You have moved one step closer to seeing your book in your local bookshop. Crack open the fizzy wine or, at the very least, treat yourself to a cup of tea and a slice of cake.