As much as I enjoy researching and writing books and articles, there are a few aspects of the publishing process that, though necessary, I dislike. At the top of the list are adding final reference numbers, indexing, and marketing.
The first distasteful task of adding final reference numbers comes into play only for my "academic" writings. Although I don't intentionally write for an academic audience, preferring instead to see my main readership as being somewhat like myself, average readers who are merely interested in the content, not the back matter of the works.
I assume that most people don't really care where I get my information. But there might be a few who want to know or some who would like to get more information on some aspect of what I've written and think they can get it by reading my sources. More power to them, as Mr. Darling of Mayberry infamy would say.
And there might be a rare doubter who just can't believe a statistic I've cited or a quotation I've stated and who wants to take issue with it. Such a person can then check my references to have their doubts removed.
As I'm writing my early drafts, I put my sources in parentheses after the fact or quotation and highlight them in bright yellow without any reference number.
In revisions, I often will move blocks of text around for better, more logical presentation. Not having reference numbers prevents the risk of having to renumber everything. I add numbers only after everything in the text is set in stone, finalized, and I know that nothing will be moved. But sometimes errors still manage to creep in. And it seems that one error corrected reveals other problems as everything after the point where the error was corrected must be renumbered. I've found that it's much easier to get everything set and only then to add the reference numbers, removing the in-text source information as I do so.
The second publishing task I dislike is indexing. Again, this aspect is generally necessary only in my academic writing.
Indexing is usually done near the very end of the publishing process, when the galleys have been set, pagination is in stone, and no more changes will be made to the body text. When final deadlines are looming and the pressure is on to get the book out, adding to the intensity.
When I worked for an educational publisher, writing history textbooks, I was able to foist the indexing chore onto a graduate assistant who worked with me. (Somehow, he managed to get all the tasks no one else wanted to do.) As a freelancer, I no longer have that luxury.
Indexing is a thankless, tedious task. Amazingly, however, some people actually choose to do it for a living. Not me! And I'm too cheap to hire someone to do it for me.
Right up there with adding references and indexing is the actual marketing of the book. By nature, I'm not a salesman. (When I was trying to sell my car, I found myself--in the spirit of honesty and transparency--telling the prospective buyer all the things that were wrong with the car!)
By upbringing, I loathe self-promotion, and that's what I feel as though I'm doing when I'm trying to market my books. It just goes against my grain. It rubs me the wrong way.
So let me research. Loose me to write about my favorite subjects. As shy as I am, I'll even venture to address groups to talk about my subjects or my writing process and challenges. But spare me the reference numbering, indexing, and especially the selling!
What aspect(s) of the publishing process do you find distasteful? How do you deal with it?
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