Diana Gabaldon shares what ‘done’ really means for an author

Diana Gabaldon shared Outlander Book 9 would be “done” in 2019, but that didn’t mean published. Recently, she shared what “done” really means for authors.

What does “done” really mean for an author? That’s a question many Outlander fans have wondered, especially when we learned that Book 9, titled “Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone,” would be “done” in 2019. Of course, that didn’t mean published. Diana Gabaldon has now shared what comes after the writing.

No, she isn’t keeping the manuscript away from us for the fun of it. She isn’t trying to torture us for longer than necessary.

The date is up to the publishers right now. Previously, Gabaldon shared that it would likely be “earlyish 2020,” but couldn’t expand on that. Now that she’s broken down everything that happens after she’s “done,” it makes sense why not. The publishers aren’t going to set dates just yet!

After all, there’s some editing that needs to happen. Not only will Diana Gabaldon read through the novel from start to finish, but she has editors in the UK and U.S. to read through. After that and tweaks are made, it needs to go through a round of editing that involves reading every single word, fact-checking dates, and much more.

There was a five-week turnaround for the eighth Outlander book, but it doesn’t sound like that’s something anyone wants to do this time. So, it’s likely that we’re looking at a little longer. The publishers haven’t set a date yet to avoid the rush. We deserve the best, right?

Diana Gabaldon broke down the whole process in a Facebook post to help Sassenachs understand. It’s interesting to see how it all works for authors after the writing.

For Those Kind People who keep urging me to "release the book!" (as though I'm keeping the manuscript in a cage in my…

Posted by Diana Gabaldon on Monday, January 6, 2020

What would you like to see happen in Outlander Book 9? What do you theorize from the Daily Lines? Share your thoughts in the comments below.