I’m observing authors becoming less and less concerned about making any deadline they committed to in their contracts. Here is a case in point.
One of my clients casually mentioned to another client of mine that she had never made a deadline on any of her five contracted books.
My second client, a new author with his first contract, called me to ask if deadlines are kind of taken casually by everyone in publishing.
I clarified that deadlines are to be taken very seriously. Sacrifices need to be made to make deadlines; one’s professional reputation is on the line (speaking of lines); publishers pay attention when deadlines are missed.
Why missing a deadline matters
The bottomline (another kind of line) is that someone pays the price if you miss your deadline. The further from the deadline you turn in your manuscript, the more people pay prices. The first person is your editor. It will fall to your editor to make up the time you ate up. Because the editor’s projects are lined up by the production department, if your project comes in late, the editor still has to finish your manuscript on time or the next project (which might have come in on time) will be late releasing. So the editor burns the midnight oil the author failed to burn.
Note: I’m not writing about justifiable reasons for missing a deadline. We’ve all experienced the unexpected that makes a tossed salad out of our lives. Instead, I’m writing about those instances in which the author put off doing the work of writing the book until it became inevitable the deadline would be missed.
The later the manuscript, or the rougher the shape of the manuscript, the repercussion roll on out. At some point, your book will need to be pushed to the next season of releases.
Other missed deadline repercussions
Once the release is pushed back, the publisher has to scramble. Moving your title unbalances 
the types of books they had planned to release for not one season but for two. You may have moved your title into a season with an author’s book release that is in the same genre as yours. Now you’re going to compete with each other for buyer’s purchases–bookstore buyers and readers alike.
The sales reps now have two titles where they anticipated one. Their sales quotas might well have just flown out the window.
Sometimes the cover design already was in the making–or even already in the catalog if the deadline you missed wasn’t handing in the manuscript initially but your revisions deadline.
Ultimately, publishers create publishing calendars years in advance. Deciding which book releases when is a delicate dance. An author missing a deadline can cause a serious stumble that affects everyone.
What should you do when you realize you’re going to miss your deadline?
As soon as you know, when that sinking feeling in your gut won’t go away, that the manuscript just can’t be ready on time, call your agent (or call your editor, if you don’t have an agent). The longer you wait to confess, the more repercussions for the publishing house. Phoning the day of the deadline won’t do. Confessing a month before the due date is better. (Come on, if you haven’t started writing it with one month left, and you know it takes you three months to complete a manuscript, you really can ‘fess up early.) Publishers won’t be happy the deadline will be missed, but with several weeks to adjust the production schedule, they at least have some flexibility to figure out what to do.
By the way, I decided to write about deadlines not to be curmudgeonly but because I’m concerned that authors don’t understand the implications of being late. For there are implications, even when, on the surface, there seem to be none. Your editor will probably just work extra hard without complaint to make up time. Or oversees your title being moved to a new season as if that didn’t create waves. But there will be repercussions for someone–and sometimes for everyone.
Why do you think writers miss deadlines? What have you found that helps you to meet deadlines, even if they’re self-imposed?
Speaking of a deadline…
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Stopwatch Image by Gino Crescoli from Pixabay
Hour glass Image by David Clode from Pixabay
To be trusted with a deadline
is an honour, high indeed,
that gives the soul a chance to shine,
and thus one must thereby heed
the rushing days and flying weeks
and make meet off’ring as they pass,
for success is given he who seeks
the timely ring of glowing brass
that is truly a metaphor
of the pure professional
who understands the living core
of reputation’s cardinal
value to which all genuflect
is the giving of respect.
My semi-retirement job is in a high school. All too often, due dates are suggestions, not deadlines. Students “catch up” on missed assignments, right up to the end of the quarter when grades are finalized. I’m concerned that out in the working world, they will suffer the consequences of missed deadlines and not know why. Some lessons are learned the hard way, the sooner the better.
Gah! This is a terrible habit to instill in high schoolers.
I’m weird. I turn in my manuscripts early. I just get obsessive about getting it done and behind me. And I’ve found doing so doesn’t move things faster on the editorial/production side because those folks have their calendar plans.
It’s important for writers to understand what they can produce in a given time, so reasonable deadlines can be set—with a little slack planned for unforeseen circumstances. Then we simply clear our schedule to fulfill that commitment. My mantra: no fun ‘til the work is done.
My mother taught the “play when you’re work is done” mantra as well.
I so agree with you that every writer should schedule about a month extra in the writing process for life to happen, which it will.
I have heard multi-published authors boast about missing deadlines and even suggest it isn’t a big deal. I see others post on social media about pounding out thousands of words at the last minute. That might explain why newer authors don’t take deadlines seriously.
I am with Janet McHenry. I shoot for finishing early in case something happens that sets me back. I can’t stand the feeling of scrambling at the last minute.
Once I got COVID while juggling multiple deadlines and thought I might need an extension on one of them. I am glad I took my agent’s advice to do everything possible to not ask for one. Once I felt better and caught up, I realized I wasn’t as behind as I thought. It was a time when I saw the benefits aiming for early.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Jeanette. It’s full of lessons for writers to learn.
I am baffled and amazed!
I understand that deadlines are difficult. Being in full-time ministry, it is especially so since teens can show up at our house at any time needing to talk. This adds extra pressure concerning keeping a deadline as the day can be sidetracked at any moment. It is similar for writers who are the main caregiver of small children or elderly parents or grandparents. What has helped me? Get up early, I mean really early! Those quiet hours when all are sleeping are often uncontested and available for the busy writer.
One of the primary reasons for deadline mishaps is inadequate planning or prioritization of tasks. Procrastination can lead to last-minute rushes, increasing the likelihood of errors.