How long does it take to get published?
I came to the publishing business from the retail bookstore side of the equation. In the beginning, the biggest adjustment was understanding how long the process for traditional publishing takes. In retail there is instantaneous gratification (customer walks in, buys something, and walks out). With indie publishing there can be nearly instantaneous gratification (one click and you are published!). But traditional book publishing is a process business. I created much of this post over eight years ago and the details stand unchanged. This is still the norm.
There is no question the timeline varies from person to person and project to project. In the world of major publishers, the diversity can be quite extreme.
I know of one major publisher that can move from making an offer on a book proposal through the contract process to sending the advance paycheck within 30 days. But that is the exception.
In one case we accepted an offer for a client’s book. Two full months later the paperwork for the contract was created by the publisher. There were errors in the contract that needed to be discussed, negotiated, and revised … add another six weeks. Yet another month went by before an advance payment was received. From acceptance of a deal to paycheck was 4 1/2 months.
What is average time for the traditional publishing process?
In my experience:
1) From idea to book proposal to your literary agent: 1-3 months
2) From agent to editor and book contract offer: 2-5 months
3) From contract offer to first paycheck: 2-3 months
4) From contract to delivery of manuscript to editor: 3-9 months (sometimes longer)
(From delivery of manuscript to editor actually working on it: 2-5 months)
5) From editor to publication: 9-12 months
Total time from idea to print: approximately 2 years.
Your mileage may vary.
What has been your experience? Please do not mention specific publishers, agents, or editors by name. The industry changes every month, and what may have been a challenge may no longer be the case.
What is the longest time our agency waited after submitting a proposal to receive an offer from a publisher (#2 on the above list)? We once received an offer from a publisher 22 months after we had submitted the proposal for consideration. When I called the author, she said, “What book was that?” She had already written two other contracted and published books in the interim! As I said above, your mileage may vary.
The shortest time? A client worked on her fiction proposal for quite a while. She customized her idea and pitch to target exactly where that publisher was currently publishing new releases. The proposal landed on the editor’s desk on Thursday. We had an offer on Monday. I repeat, your mileage may vary.
Why does it take so long?
The main challenge for most authors following the traditional publishing model is that one-year time period from delivering the finished manuscript to when it is actually published. This “delay” can easily be classified under marketing. A publisher cannot and should not start their machinery (cover design, marketing plans, etc.) until they know there will actually be a book. And they won’t know there is a manuscript until it shows up in-house.
I remember some disasters in the “old days” when the turn-around time from delivery to publication was much shorter than a year–and the author failed to deliver on time. In one case, a publisher was actually fined $5,000 by a major bookstore chain for failing to deliver a book that the chain had put in their catalog and for which they had run special marketing. The stores lost significant sales because there weren’t any books.
There was another case where the publisher jumped the gun and spent money on a cover and branding design only to have the book never be written and the contract canceled. Thus publishers won’t start on those expenses until they know they have a manuscript.
In some media circles, there is a demand for “Advance Reader Copies” (aka the ARC) six to eight months in advance of publication (either print or ebook copies). That way the media outlet can read the book, write the review, and have it published at a time that is about a month before the release of the book (i.e. Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, etc.). To achieve that means the book has to be turned in and all editing, cover design, and typesetting has to be a long way toward completion before the ARC can be created.
[I’ve left the comments from the earlier post alone. Feel free to add new thoughts below.]
Fun Fridays – May 31, 2019
»
1 literary agent requested my full manuscript. I asked her a couple of questions which she did not answer. Then I sent her the full manuscript. There have been no answers in 7 weeks. Does it mean a rejection?
Hi Sreyoshi –
Seven weeks is a short time. Your manuscript will go through the readers, perhaps an editor, and reach the desk of an agent in three months, perhaps longer.
This helps the agency determine if the manuscript is as great as your first chapters. Usually – and I use this word in its most vague sense, the agent who has read the full manuscript will let you know if it’s been accepted, if it needs edit of a section, etc.
If they reject it, again, they will send you a reply letting you know why/or some such. –this is only what I have read here. Also another agency 3-4 years ago sent me a polite note and said the why they rejected the manuscript. I reworked the manuscript, changed the end, and the first three chapters were accepted and I received an email to send the manuscript.
So hang tight. I’m on hold with mine as well; I figure by the end of this month or next, they may need another nudge (that makes it about six months). Reason again, a longer manuscript goes through the entire process as the synopsis did, but the readers read through the full manuscript. Add in the conferences the agents go to, family emergencies or weddings, etc., and editors, you may have this kind of wait. SOME, as Steve pointed out, may nab it pretty fast, in which case they want to talk to you now.
-C
Oh, and read these:
Study the Market | The Steve Laube Agency – October 20, 2011
[…] a computer screen to a book appearing in print can be a year or more. (See our previous blog “How Long Does It Take to Be Published”) Multi-book contracts keep authors writing certain types of books several years. Consider that […]
Writers Learn the Waiting Game | The Steve Laube Agency – November 28, 2011
[…] to a drive-thru burger) is training us to want things to happen faster. Awhile ago I wrote about how long it takes to get published which gave an honest appraisal of the time involved. Below are some of the things for which a […]
Three Myths About an Agent’s Acceptance | The Steve Laube Agency – December 9, 2013
[…] because an agent has said yes doesn’t guarantee success. Nor does it speed up the inexorable process. Remember that while the agent will work hard in getting your work in front of the right publishers […]
A New Literary World: Success of Self-Publishing, BLOODSTAINS and Jeff Mudgett | ImaginePublicity – April 4, 2014
[…] publishing, because of it’s process, will take on average of 6-18 months to launch; from the idea to print, approximately 2 years. Remember the layers of the process; […]
How Long Does It Take? | Hobo Bone – May 27, 2014 https://stevelaube2.wpengine.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-published/. He gives averages for the time it takes to get a finished manuscript to print in the more […]
First, thank you for such valuable blog for writiers. Your time and good will to share is certainly appreciated by many. For me, a rookie in the big league of traditional publishing, from the time of my emailed submission directly to publisher who accepts completed, well-edited ms from writers, (June 2017) to emailed offer to acquire my book (October 2017) to signing of contract (November 2017) to receiving advance check (March 2018) to publication date of which I just received notification (July 2019) — two years. Two years seems to be the “average” timeframe across the board, unless perhaps you are a notable personablity or bestselling author in a publisher’s stable or have a sensational exposé with documented proof, or such . . . . And if you waited for retirement to write your masterpiece, expect osteoporosis or blindness from AMD before being published. The process has not been accelerated in the nanosecond age of electroncis since BC (before computer) from what I have read. In any case, figure two years–more or less, and just keep writing and sending out to well-researched recipients, agents or publishers.
My 2010 debut — from the day the manuscript was pitched to the publisher, until the day the book arrived in stores — 11 months.
I signed a contract last week and it will be published in April. It is a memoir/biography so have 10 days to select photos and get permissions etc.
I had already got a professional edit before submitting and was told 2 days after getting contract it was getting a “light edit”. So things now moving very fast after a roller coaster ride for 12 months submitting and getting rejections. I had two acceptances in 2 days and they were on the top of my list. One was on the top of my list of rejections as did not hear back from them.
I’m a little overwhelmed….I just co-authored my first (non-fiction) book and 4 days after submitting it to a publishing house, received an acceptance phone call. They said a contract would be sent within 48 hours.
I’m guessing this is not a typical first experience and I’m wondering whether I should submit to other publishers, too, to find the best fit and contract deal?
I just sent them my completed manuscript….is that not the way to go for other publishers? Do I need to work through an agent?
Any suggestions are VERY much appreciated.
I’m thinking you have an awesome book, which someone said, snap it up! But while there are similar comments on this thread I don’t believe it is routine. It normally goes into the slush pile, and when the agency (or publishing house) is swamped they can take up to three months to respond (if they do).
Receiving such a quick turnaround would send up a red flag for me. But that’s just me. I would wonder, why only four days? How great can the contract be? What type of publishing house is it? Self (where you are required to pay in), small press? Independent press?
Whatever you do, get an entertainment attorney. The contract can look great. But without an eye for the fine print, you can lose out. An entertainment attorney charges 15-20% after the book is sold, and that is worth it.
What do you think of POD for aspiring young writers, or the aging senior first time writer who seeks recognition but does not have the time to jump through all the hoops?
Richard,
Indie publishing using POD is fine …. but remember you are creating sales history for your book. If your goal is to attract a major traditional publisher with your work, selling a handful using POD is going to be a potential issue.
In a sense, self-publishing is test marketing your book.
At least once a week, if not more, I receive a copy of a self-published book from an author with a cover letter that says, “I self published and it didn’t sell very well. Thus I’m looking for an agent to take this to the next level.”
The problem with that above statement is that they are already on the “level” of the marketplace. It’s available for sale online. Imagine the major traditional publisher on the other end. “Hello Random House, Here is my book which sold 50 copies since it was released last year. It’s such a good book that I know it will sell 50,000 if you were to publish it.” [That sentence is not to far removed from actual query letters received.]
Thus the bottom line to your question is what your end goal is. If it is to get the book out as soon as possible, Indie is a fine way to go. But if you are hoping to land the big publisher deal, it may be that launching the book on your own may not create the buzz needed to attract a major publisher’s attention.
Have come to the conclusion, for my writing anyway, that “it takes what it takes.” I have learned to rely on God for His perfect timing and not when I expect things to happen. I wrote an article last fall that fell flat with three different magazines. God found it’s perfect home eight months later in a new ministry magazine focused on family caregivers. In His time is just right for me. God’s continued blessings sir…
It’ll take as long as it will take,
and we’ll be there when we get there.
You cannot this journey shorter make,
so please don’t pull your hair.
Every moment’s precious gift
can be ignored or cherished,
but even in this time ‘betwixt,
once they’re passed, they’re perished.
Sunset will come soon enough,
and then another dawn,
but destination’s not the stuff
of life; it’s the road you’re on.
So take my hand and stroll with me
down the Highway to Infinity.
Andrew,
Well said.
Steve, thank you. These words brightened my day more than you might imagine.
Andrew –
your poetry touches my heart always. My prayers, I pray will touch and release that pain, and we walk with you.
Claire, thank you so much. Prayers are appreciated, and very much needed.
Getting hard to cope.
Praying for God’s love to hold you close, Andrew. You are an inspiration!
Rebecca, thank you so much.
These are bad days for me, but I serve a good God.
Your article only confirms what I’d already guessed. It will be a happy day when a publisher takes my manuscript and projects a date. Woohoo! Looking forward to the “wait.”
Loretta,
I’ll “woohoo” along with you.
Steve, I’ve had ten novels published by conventional publishers, and your timeline is about right–with the caveat, as you say, that “your mileage may vary.” Insofar as my experience with indie-publishing, which includes two novels and six novellas, I’d add that the indie author needs to spend time and money for a professional job of editing and cover preparation, but after that, the publication is close to–but not right at–instant. Certainly it’s less than a traditional publisher’s timing.
Doc,
Well said. That timeline for the Indie can cut from editorial and production right to publication. That long delay for the traditional publisher is there to get all the marketing ducks in a row.
For example, I oversee the publication of the annual CHRISTIAN WRITERS MARKET GUIDE. I have to have the cover designed and ready for the sales reps in January…for a book that releases in December. However we work and wait to the last minute to prepare the manuscript for the printer since it is a reference book with information that changes regularly.
Wow! What an eye-opener. I would put my manuscript in mothballs, but I like what I’m writing about, so I’ll “just keep moving along. 🙂
my new update.
My in-law to be who is very liberal and self-published has been doing a bang up job on marketing and he’s finding people are reading his book almost everywhere he goes in the state (given it’s a liberal establishment, even in a bank where his fan gave them books).
Because he doesn’t work, he travels to friends’ homes around the state and hits book fairs, libraries, open farmer’s markets, bookstores.
His first book became very noticed by some new-age publishing company and he got a contract after 2 yrs on the SP market and intense marketing. I read it, it’s about casting spells, and then… sensible recipes which is what it is all about- no actual spells mind you but new agies apparently have never figured this out). There were no queries involved. I have no idea what his contract says, ie royalties, etc.
Anyway long story short, he found it’s 2 yrs from the PH to the public. His author friend (same liberal views) landed a six-figure deal with a traditional PH. Wait time was nil.
So Steve’s right on, depends on the book and the deals that can be pitched, and the marketability.
Steve,
Thank you for reposting, again. Your posts always encourage and challenge me. I chose the self-publish route for my first book, because of the unique importance of my subject, and the length it has taken me to complete it. Anticipatory grief is a tiny niche that is not very marketable. I have done the research. But, I am compelled to educate and encourage women who live in it. Traveling the traditional publishing route delays the opportunity to assist them. Either type of publication can be a journey of trust and humility. Thank you for the detailed map of traditional publishing. It will be very useful when I pick that route.
I’ve been writing for years, but never presented any work for publishing. I write, play and record music also. I’m thinking now is the right time to find an agent! Question is, who? I shall be praying and reading.
Good reading and very informative.
Thanks,
TerriJo
Hi TerriJo-
I want to just interject wisdom I believe I have correctly gleaned from Steve and everyone in the agency.
First, if you have not, read through your manuscript out loud (I recommend an eReader, it catches every word you wrote). Since you have self-edited second/first/millionth, then find a professional editor.
Steve has written and updates yearly the Christian Writer’s Market guide. This is a great book! It lists reputable Christian agents, editors, publishers, and he wrote/writes about self-publishing.
I highly recommend this book.
Bob H. wrote a blog also. Title on how to write a bad MS. Very good. And eye-opening why an agent would push an MS (and often do) off their slush pile onto the floor.
Hope you find an agent! I know that feeling.
My first publishing experience was a little different.
Four days each after submitting a nearly complete manuscript to three publishers (one small, one niche, and one large), I had two contract offers (from the boutique publisher and the niche publisher).
That left me in the lovely position of getting to pick which publisher I wanted to work with.
I know how rate that is for a first book and I attribute that success to a few key factors.
1. My coauthor and I had a unique, compelling memoir to share.
2. I and my coauthor are both good, tight writers.
3. Throughout its 6-month writing, I had no fewer then 20 different people reading chapters and giving me excellent content and editing suggestions.
4. We were careful to craft our memoir in a format that used both of our literary voices and that took readers on a journey from darkness to hope, while mingling the gritty reality with appropriate amounts of humor.
We storyboarded the book and moved chapters around where we could to achieve the end flow.
A compelling storyline ; solid writing; the input of a LOT of other good writers and readers; and the use of storyboards were our best tools!
Thank you for this. I’m wondering how much the timeline changes when publishing a “second edition” of a book.
Hi Steve, these are indeed the amazing insights being shared about the publishing process. This has given me a fair idea of how much time does it take for the publishing process. Keep up the good work!!
Was on the verge of using KDP Amazon to self publish my memoir stories of wedding planning in Scotland over forty years. The yesterday I receive a request for full Ms from a Glasgow publishers, not a vanity firm. So I am now wondering should I wait for their approval or bash on with Amazon. I am 72 yrs old. Dementia or demise could step in anytime, who knows? Also is it protocol to chase up publishers for a decision? You can see I am not a patient lady.
Thanks for sharing. Our company provides clients with customised, high quality technology solutions in the main areas of public address, professional audio, network and equipment management and information systems on a large scale.