We have an open submissions process — anyone can submit their manuscript to us, and at least half the list is made up of authors who have submitted this way. When I’m reading a manuscript on submission, the first thing it must do is hold my attention, to keep me turning the pages. If I can’t stop thinking about it, I’ll turn my mind to the more commercial questions of how I might pitch this — to my colleagues, to booksellers, to readers, to the media. The developmental or structural edit looks at the big picture and this is where you suggest the most major changes to the author. Then you have line editing and copy-editing, where you get into the nitty-gritty of grammar, style, formatting, and consistency. Once we have typeset page proofs, they will go through a proofread, and eventually become print-ready files. This process usually takes several months. 

There are many other elements in play: cover design, marketing and publicity, campaign strategy, communicating with retailers, calculating print run and pricing, booking printer slots, printing advance reader copies and sending these out for endorsements. 

BookTok has had a massive impact, disrupting the more traditional brands with a vibrant range of new voices. In New Zealand fiction, there is a growing appetite for stories like Shilo Kino’s All That We Know, which explores the complex relationship between Māori and Pākehā, and Saraid de Silva’s Amma, a stunning debut that navigates the migrant experience across three generations of women.