The path to publishing is an exciting (if daunting) process, one which has led many authors to spiral with self-doubt. But the biggest question is always: How long does it take to publish? How much time should I expect before my book is in the hands of readers?
The answers can vary widely depending on multiple factors like how fast you can draft and edit, what your preferred writing method is, whether you're self-publishing or traditional publishing, and what the end goal is for your book.
Today, we're going to talk about some of the main factors that go into publishing and how to plan a publishing timeline. (TL;DR at the bottom.)
The Writing Process
One of the first steps in every publishing journey is actually writing a book. There are a few different ways to go about it (you may have heard the terms "plotter" or "pantser" floating around the writer space). If you are a "plotter" and you like to work off an outline, that would be the place to start.
But assuming you have your story idea and you know what you want to write about, the next step is to make a writing plan. The easiest way to do this is to set word count goals for days/weeks/months to stay on track and finish a first draft. (For a few ideas on getting through Draft Zero, see this post from February.)
It's important to make sure the goal is achievable, otherwise we can fall into a pit of despair from never meeting the benchmark. As an example, I used to be able to write anywhere from 2,500-5,000 words in a writing session, but that was over five years ago. Now, I'm lucky if I get to 1,000. The number isn't important; the goal is.
Choose a word count you feel is easy to hit (even if it's 20 words per day). If you exceed it, you'll feel a whole lot better than if that goal is too high and you keep missing it.
Once you have your number, calculate how many words you want in your first draft. For reference, my first drafts are usually about 50,000 words and then I build it out in revisions. I also like to schedule in time for breaks - usually this means weekends off - which also means accounting for only 5 writing days per week.
If you're word count goal is say, 5,000 words per week, some quick math can give us an approximate deadline.
50,000 words divided by 5,000 words/week is 10 weeks. By the average writing day, that means 1,000 words per day. That means from the day you start writing to the day you finish your first draft would be 10 weeks (though personally, I like to extend that by a week or two to compensate for days off, sickness, life, etc.).
But there you have step one: the approximate time it will take to complete a first draft.
Revision and Editing
Once your first draft is complete, we move into the Revisions and Editing stage. This stage is very circumstantial. Some authors are fast editors but slow drafters, some need multiple drafts for revisions and some only need one or two. This section will be a bit hard to predict, but we can still make a plan.
First, you'll want to give your manuscript some room to breathe. Having time away from a draft gives a well-needed break after the drafting hustle, but it can also bring to light plot holes, things you'd like to add, and other integral story pieces your brain may not have had time to consider during drafting. I recommend at least a week if not more for this step away.
Then, we're diving back in! If you want to really cut down on timing here, I recommend a revision plan. That might look like reading back through and making notes on things you'd like to change, or it might look like a spreadsheet with chapter-by-chapter breakdowns. Whatever the method, having a plan ensures you know where you're going with your edits and how to get there.
Similar to the drafting stage, we can then calculate our revision process. Say you have 30 chapters after Draft Zero, you may want to make a goal of revising one chapter per day (minus weekends).
30 chapters divided by 5 days/week is 6. In this case, that number means 6 weeks. Once again, I like to add an extra couple weeks of buffer. So your revision estimate for Draft One would be 6-8 weeks.
At this stage, you may draft multiple revisions, and for every round of revisions, I would suggest that minimum-one-week-break in between to give your brain a break (and to avoid burnout).
Once you're starting to feel happy with the plot and character arcs and you've reached your target word count for the finished novel, it's time to start thinking about Beta Readers and Professional Editing.
Beta Readers and Professional Edits
External feedback is integral to a well-written novel. Readers can help you identify areas where things may not be coming across the way they were intended, plot holes you didn't see, or other suggestions that would make your novel even stronger, among other things.
One way to do this is with Beta Readers - readers who receive an unofficial version of your story to offer feedback. These can be friends, family, other writers, etc. (just make sure they're able to offer constructive feedback and not just gush about the fact that you've written a book).
It's customary to give Betas a minimum of 4 weeks to read and provide feedback, but it's often longer. (Anywhere from 4-8 weeks is reasonable.) Once their feedback is in, you can add those notes to your revision timeline and start another revision, though at this point, you can probably anticipate your adjustments being smaller and to take less time.
If you're publishing traditionally, you may not need to consider professional editing. However, this is highly recommended for self-publishers if it's in the financial cards. The first edit would be a developmental edit (the one for big picture items like plot, pacing, characters arcs, etc.). Developmental edits can take anywhere from 4-12 weeks, but they often need to be booked well in advance. So if you want to work with an editor, start looking at least 4 months before you need one (this applies for the edits below, as well).
After developmental edits come line edits, copy edits, and proofreading. Line edits focus on making sure each sentence is coming across the way you want it to, whereas copy edits ensure proper grammar rules are being followed and the book is consistent with itself. The timeline for these edits can also be 4-12 weeks, though they're often about 6 weeks each.
To summarize:
Plan for 4-8 weeks for Beta Readers to read and provide their feedback
Add your revision timeline (likely around 4-8 weeks)
If you're hiring an editor, add 4-12 weeks per edit with time in between to incorporate editor feedback
Formatting and Design
Once the book is written and polished, it's time to think about presentation. What will the book look like inside? What elements do I want on the cover? Genre conventions will play a role in these things, but for the most part, this is where your visual creativity shines!
For self-publishers, there are a few different avenues. Book interior formatting can be hired out to a professional. On average, this process will take around 2-3 weeks. However, you could also do it yourself with programs like Vellum, Atticus, or Adobe InDesign. Depending on your level of proficiency, this may take you a few days to a few weeks - possibly on the longer side if you need to research information on layout design. (Also, note that Times New Roman is a licensed font, which means it can't be used in published works!)
If you're publishing traditionally, this is the time to make sure your manuscript Word Doc is set up the way agents want it to be. This often means 12 pt Times New Roman font, double spaced, but it may change from agent to agent.
In addition to the interior, you'll also need an eye-catching cover. Many cover designers will take around 4-6 weeks with a collaborative approach, emailing back and forth to ensure the cover is to your liking and any necessary revisions are incorporated.
While the interior designing is difficult to do before the final book is written, covers can often be happening in the background while final revisions are being done.
It's important to note that cover designers and interior formatters also need to be booked well in advance, most of the time.
Publishing Options
If you're traditional publishing, the above section probably didn't apply to you much, but now is your time to shine! Once all your revisions are made and your Word Doc is sparkling, it's time to draft your query letter and make an agent list. While most of the leg work is done, traditional publishing is a waiting game and it can take much longer than many think. The road ahead probably looks something like this:
6-24 months of querying agents
Sign agent
CELEBRATE!!!!
2-6 weeks for minor revisions to manuscript before submissions
2-8 months of submissions to editors/publishing houses
Sign publisher
CELEBRATE!!!!
Set publish date 1-2 years from signing contract
More editing, waiting, and fun book news until pub date
If you're self-publishing, most of your hard work is done and you're into the final stages. That means setting up profiles on your preferred publishing platforms (Amazon, IngramSpark, etc.). This should only take a couple days to a couple weeks.
Marketing and Promotion
While marketing and promotion is an integral part of the publishing process, a lot of this work can be done while writing and editing. It takes a long time to build a loyal following, so the sooner you can start, the better. Some ways to connect with potential readers are social media, email newsletter, and an author website.
Prior to book release, you'll want to build a marketing plan to make sure your book is landing in the right hands. This could start anywhere from 2-6 months in advance of release (though it's important to note that the heavy lifting in a marketing release plan should happen in the last 2-3 months before release. Otherwise, you may risk readers getting bored of the same messaging with no pay-off or they'll forget about the release date because it's so far in the future). This plan may include Advanced Reader Copies, getting reviews in early, social media ads, applying to book boxes and book clubs, etc.
Final Checks and Publishing Day
As a final step before release, you'll probably want a proofreader (professional or not). They can look over the final version of the book to catch any last-minute typos or grammatical errors that may have been introduced in final revisions. This may take anywhere from 2-6 weeks.
During this time, you'll also want to order proof copies of your book to make sure everything is printing the way you want it to. If the cover needs sizing adjustments or the interior is having issues, now is the time to get in contact with your cover designer or interior formatter.
TL;DR
Phew! That was a lot. Let's break down that timeline into something a little more manageable. For ease of the math, I'm going to use the average of all the stages included for the self-publishing timeline.
Ideation - 1 day
Outlining (or not) - 2 weeks
Drafting - 12 weeks
Break - 1 week
Start researching editors and look into booking
Revisions - 8 weeks
Break - 1 week
Revisions - 8 weeks (repeat as necessary)
Beta Readers - 6 weeks
Start researching cover designer, interior formatter, etc. and look into booking
Revisions - 4 weeks
Developmental Edit - 8 weeks
Revisions - 8 weeks
Line Edit - 4 weeks
Revisions - 4 weeks
Start implementing your marketing plan for release
Copy Edit - 4 weeks
Cover designer starts designing
Revisions - 2 weeks
Interior Formatting - 2 weeks
Final cover
Create profiles and upload files to preferred publishing platforms - 1 week
Order proof copies and contact cover designer/interior formatter with notes
Proofread - 3 weeks
Apply final edits and upload final files - 1 week
Market like crazy
Release Day and CELEBRATE!!!!
If we're totaling that up, the equals out to 79 weeks or just about a year and a half from ideation to self-published novel. Have I seen people do it in less time? Absolutely. This is just putting estimates in your hand to make informed decisions about how long the process might take you personally.
Every author's journey is different! If you work longer or shorter, that's totally fine. Some people may not hire all the editors, others may choose to do the interiors themselves. It's all golden if it gets your book looking the way you want it.
In the long run, it's all worth celebrating!
Happy publishing,
Erin