IEEE Press Overview of the Publishing Process #2: Writing and Development | 
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Most authors start writing in earnest after they receive a signed contract. The writing and development process is the longest period of time for most books. In order to help you (and us!) make sure that you are communicating the ideas and material described in your proposal in a way understandable to the intended audience, we will ask experts in the field who are familiar with the market and the material to review your manuscript.
Almost certainly after you've completed your first draft and read all the reviews, you will want to prepare a second draft of your manuscript. It's a good idea to discuss the reviews and how you intend to rework the manuscript in response to them with your editor. Although your editor is not an expert in the content of your book, she or he is an expert in the market and how and why the market buys books, and may have some valuable suggestions to make. This is also the perfect time to take a critical look at the length of your manuscript and number of illustrations agreed upon in your contract. Remember, the publisher is expecting a book of a certain size. If it is significantly over or under that projected length, or if the number of illustrations is much higher than expected, it can affect the marketability and profitability of the project . Variations from the page length or illustration count must be reported to your editor. While your manuscript is out for final review, it is an excellent time to go over the Final Manuscript Checklist with your editor. By working to complete this now, you will have all elements in place when you submit the final manuscript. In most
cases the final reviews will suggest a few things
that you will want to correct. At this stage
the changes usually are minor and not
time-consuming to make. After you've made those
changes, you are then ready to submit the
final manuscript. What is the final manuscript?
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