Dear Geist,

How firm are a writer’s deadlines specified in the contract with a publisher? My contract specifies dates for different drafts of my book. The first one, coming up in a few weeks, is for a revised manuscript incorporating the publisher’s notes that they gave me when I signed up. Unfortunately I can’t make the deadline! The research is taking me forever. My options are to call my editor and beg her for more time, which makes me look like an amateur, and what if she says no? Or to send what I’ve got and cross my fingers. Unless you can suggest Plan C, or D?

Dear Paralyzed,

Contract deadlines are to be taken seriously, since timing is one of the major factors in the success of a book, and when one deadline shifts, the others are imperilled. But you aren’t the first writer to be ambushed by a manuscript. In publishing, as in other life activities, honesty is the best policy. Inform your agent, if you have one, and take the agent’s advice on how to proceed. (Do not delay. The longer you wait, the more work you’ll be making for everyone, including yourself.) If the agent suggests you contact the publisher, talk to your editor, not with a list of woes and excuses (she’s heard ’em all) but with a direct, professional summary of what you need to do, and a realistic date on which you’ll submit your best draft. Publishers know that rushing a book can be hazardous to its quality, and at this stage, the book probably hasn’t yet been announced publicly, so there’s likely some wiggle room in the schedule. Therefore, unless the book is to be launched at a certain time to take advantage of publicity for some related occasion, there’s a good chance your dates can be moved around without messing up the business plan. If an extension is impossible, inform your agent, and work with editor and agent on rescheduling the workload.