The Publishing Life Cycle

I've had a go at modelling the publishing life cycle, as far as I understand it. This is to help me comprehend the processes involved for several reasons:

• I'm assisting a friend to develop a writing projects database.
• I'm also considering developing some software relating to writing, so I need to understand how it might fit in with the business.
• I'm generally curious and want to de-mystify some of the concepts that authors, agents, editors and publishers use.
• My understanding of publishing is very limited, so I'm calling on all you writers out there to compare notes.

So here's what I've come up with (see the diagram below). For those of you who are unfamiliar with UML state diagrams, the yellow ovals are states - phases, if you like - that a piece of work such as a novel or a magazine story can be in. When an item is in a state, there is often still work being done on it, but it's general disposition is well-established. Between the states, are transitions, shown as arrows with names in brackets. Transitions are how to get from one state to another.

Here are some more detailed descriptions of the states and transitions.

State Description Initial You have ideas, maybe notes too, but you have not yet decided to commit to anything. You do not yet have a project, just possibilities. Creation You are plotting, designing, writing; generally creating the story. It could be in raw/draft form, or it could be being edited and polished as you go along. Refinement This is where you convert the manuscript into something that is suitable for marketing. This is where you correct mistakes, tighten the plot, rewrite weak parts, generally edit and polish. Submission Here you package the manuscript for its journey to the next phase. This can include adding material such as synopses, covering letters, pitches, author biographies and such. An agency or publishing house receives your submission package. They may or may not respond but eventually there must be one of two outcomes. Publication The agency or publishing house have accepted your story and both you and they work towards marketing it or selling it on to another company (e.g. agent sells it to publisher). Sales The publisher makes the material available for the public to buy. With a bit of luck, you (and the agent) will get paid! Final This is the end of the life cycle, which can be reached from many of the other states, depending on what happens.

Transition Description Proceed You like what you've created enough to go further. Abandon For whatever reason, you shelf the project or cancel it altogether. Submit You submit the work to an agency or perhaps directly to a publisher. Drop You decide not to carry on, even with the polished manuscript. Reject We're all familiar with this one! The agency or publisher deems your work unsuitable for publication. There can be many reasons for this, which I won't go into here. Accept Yay! The agency or publisher has deemed your work fit (or almost fit) for consumption. Revise There may be changes necessary before the work hits the shelves. The scope of these can vary greatly. There is still room for failure here if you don't agree on what's necessary (or don't deliver). Deploy The publisher launches your work. Champagne! Refresh This typically happens if a new edition of your work is called for. Probably more common with textbooks and other non-fiction. Withdraw The product is removed from the market, or fizzles out. Perhaps the publisher decided on a limited sale in the first place. Perhaps it gets banned!

What do you think of this? Based on your experiences, does this seem correct? Have I missed anything out? I'm aware that the model doesn't yet incorporate the self-publishing routes.

Here are a few "translation" examples I've put together.

Phrase	Translation into "Life cycle speak"
I'm working on my first draft.	The work is in the creation state.
I'm doing my first edit/rewrite.	The work is in the refinement state.
My agent has asked me to change chapter six into the third-person viewpoint.	A revise transition is imminent.
I have to write the dreaded synopsis.	The work is in the submission state. That is, unless you're really keen and are writing the synopsis early as part of the creation or refinement phases.

Don't worry, this is not going to be another half-baked and aborted series of "how-to" articles. I wouldn't presume to preach what I don't practise. I'd rather hear your feedback.