The buzzing of bees should be ringing in your ears because Diana Gabaldon has finished writing Book 9 in the Outlander series, Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone. The author had promised she'd shared the news as soon as the ninth book in her saga was completed and true to her word, Gabaldon made the Bees announcement on Saturday, March 27. But, as she's made clear in her social media posts, just because she's finished writing the book doesn't mean the book is ready to be published. As she's done in the past, Gabaldon gave a detailed explanation of the next steps of the publishing process and that means just a little bit more time before that sweet, sweet honey arrives.

Readers have been able to preorder Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone for years now from Gabaldon's local bookstore, The Poisoned Pen. Yet, with her updated version of her "What Finished Means To An Author" piece, Gabaldon has outlined that there are still steps A. through U. to complete before you can hold the book in your hands. (Don't cry, but she tweeted that they're currently only on step A.)

Beyond the editing, typesetting, designing, and printing of the book, she has shared that the publisher will have many factors to consider when selecting a date. They include when they can print the book (it's a lot of pages and a lot of copies), what other book releases are occurring (as Gabaldon noted, you wouldn't want to release Bees right when George R. R. Martin releases his next A Song of Ice and Fire novel or something), and promotional timing with the show (do you release it during Droughtlander or ahead of when a new Outlander season is about to premiere?).