Every book’s life starts with an idea, a spark in the writer’s mind. No matter how incredible the idea is, the publication process is a much longer path than most writers realize.

The publishing process can be simplified into twelve steps, depending on which publication path you choose. There are two common paths, and one other that is growing in popularity: Traditional Publishing, Self Publishing (also known as Author Publishing) and Hybrid Publishing.

In order to make sure you end up with a quality end product, no matter what path you end up taking to bring your book to the world, the process should include these steps. We’ll go over the traditional route first, featuring literary agent representation.

1. The Book is written
2. The Book is polished (by trusted friends or a hired Developmental Editor).
3. Query process begins (Author to Literary Agent)
4. Offer of representation is accepted (if a Literary Agent takes the Author on)
5. Literary Agent begins querying Acquisitions Editors
6. Acquisitions Editor offers a contract of publication
7. The contract is negotiated by the agent and signed by the Author
8. Book is sent to the Publishing House’s Developmental Editor
9. Book is sent to the Publishing House’s Copy Editor
10. Book is typeset and sent to the Publishing House’s Proofreader
11. Advance copies are sent out and marketing begins or ramps up
12. Book is released to the world

Often, while the book is being edited, the author will be working with the marketing team to begin their personal branding, setting pieces in place for the book to reach the intended audience.

If you elect not to work with a literary agent, the process may look more like this:

1. The Book is written
2. The Book is polished (by trusted friends or a hired Developmental Editor).
3. Query process begins (Author to Publishing House Acquisitions Editors)
4. Acquisitions Editor offers a contract of publication
5. The contract is negotiated by and signed by the Author
6. Book is sent to the Publishing House’s Developmental Editor
7. Book is sent to the Publishing House’s Copy Editor
8. Book is typeset and sent to the Publishing House’s Proofreader
9. Advance copies are sent out and marketing begins or ramps up
10. Book is released to the world

This does decrease the potential time this process may take, but it’s worth noting that different doors will be opened to you by having a literary agent. Many editors only accept submissions from agented authors. Having the help of a literary agent will allow you to get in the door with more exclusive publishing houses. It is not a required step, and it is not a necessary protection for the author with many of the independent houses available to them. But it could be a helpful step if you’re aiming for one of the really well-known houses, such as Penguin Random House or Simon and Schuester.

A Hybrid Publishing house should have a similar set of standards (marketing support, three stages of editing, high quality of production). For more information on what you should expect from a Hybrid Publisher and how to tell the difference between a Hybrid House and a Vanity Press, I recommend looking through the criteria from the Independent Book Publisher’s Association (IBPA).

Finally, if you elect to self publish your book, your process may look like this:

1. The Book is written
2. The Book is polished (by trusted friends and a hired Developmental Editor).
3. Author resources pros and cons of different self publishing printers and distributors (Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is well known, but Ingram Spark, Draft 2 Digital, and others are viable options. It will benefit you to do your research.)
4. Author Hires a Copy Editor
5. Author facilitates book cover creation, whether with a free design tool such as Canva or by hiring an artist experienced in your genre
6. Marketing begins
7. Book is formatted and sent to a Proofreader
8. Book is uploaded to the printing/distributing service and Advance copies are ordered to proof in a physical form
9. Electronic ARCs are sent to advance readers
10. Book is released to the world

Because the author is functioning as the publisher for self-published books, every step but 1, 7, and 10 are optional. However, ignoring all of those other steps will lead to a sub-par product and will likely lead to a disappointed reader base.

This is a very watered-down version of the publishing process. A lot goes on behind the scenes at publishing houses, and in the end, no matter what the model, the author is responsible for providing a lot of information to bring the teams up to speed and to create an accurate picture of your book across all facets of the marketing journey.

This may surprise you, but only the editors and the author are expected to read the book in its entirety. The marketing team, the cover designer, and the publicist all get briefings so they know what the book is about, but most of them will not be expected to read it on the clock. The author, being the person who knows the book the best, will be expected to help provide the material to bring the other teams up to speed.

From the time a manuscript’s first draft is finished to the time it comes out in print is often a three or four-year process. Different models have different timelines (Self-Publishing can move as quickly as you can, Hybrid Publishing can happen in as short of a window as five months if minimal marketing is done, and Traditional Publishing by default takes at minimum a year, more often a year and a half or two from the signing of a contract with the house).

Add in how long it took the author to write the book (ranging between 1 week to 3+ years) and the books in your library were probably a 3 to 10 year process.

Publishing a quality book takes time.

If you want help with this process or any other part of publishing, please reach out. I’d love to see how I can help you bring your book to the world.

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