Writers have odd lives in a very particular way: we must simultaneously live in the future and present while creating new realities entirely.
My (counts on fingers) fifth full-length book is coming out in September of this year, about a year after it was accepted on contract. And that year between acceptance and publication is pretty typical outside of self-publishing.
We spend time writing the book, often while selling it to a publisher (or several as rejections come in). When it’s bought we often have a short-ish period of time to submit the final version, and then we wait for production to begin.
A typical production schedule encompasses editing, typesetting, the cover spread (that is, the front and back cover), proofreading, and (finally!) printing. To give you a sense of how this works, here is the timeline for Traveler’s Guide to Making Magic.
August 2024 — Manuscript (mss.) submitted for review. In this case, it was a complete manuscript and not a pitch. About two weeks after submission, I signed a contract. This is a VERY short turnaround time, most publishers take a month and up to three months before replying.
September, 2024 — Discussions around the title of the mss. took place, as well as feedback solicited for the graphic designer and author information for posting on the publisher’s website. On my own, I began to request endorsements from people I felt would be supportive.
October, 2024 — Contacted by the graphic designer and spent about two weeks back and forth about the cover, which included a title change. (This is not typical, most mss. come with a title that stays the same or only has tiny changes, like a new subtitle.)
December, 2024 — The cover and title are finalized. I have a strong urge to add a chapter (not at all typical of me) and go to the publisher to pitch it. They agree and give me two weeks to write it and submit the “final” mss.
January, 2025 — The Fall Catalog, which will include my book, is being finalized and now Marketing has reached out. I’m given a rough schedule, the name of my Editor, and asked for biographical information. Now is when I start looking for marketing opportunities (podcasts, bookstores, events) where I can show this new book.
February, 2025 — My Editor reaches out to say hello, and we talk a bit about the book and things that might not be obvious about it. She commits to having the first round of edits to me by the end of February.
Going forward, this is how it is supposed to go.
Late March — a design sample of how the typesetting will look will be sent to me for approval. This is a big moment as the look of the book will influence how much people like it. Moreover, once the design sample is approved, no changes to the typesetting style can be made.
Mid April — a mock-up of the cover spread will be sent to me for approval
End of April — Edits should be complete and the manuscript sent to typesetting.
Late May — the completed, typeset, book will be sent to me for final review and approval. Again, I can’t change the style, but I will have input about some of the layout and image placement. I will have no further say in the book after this point.
June/ July — the finalized typeset document is proofread. When all approvals are complete, the files are sent to the printer. Pre-ordering becomes available to the public.
August — If galleys are available early, copies may be sent out for review.
September 16th — Traveler’s Guide to Making Magic releases.
There you have it, a real-world timeline for a traditionally published book. It is quite typical of my experience with other publishers; it just takes a long time to go from manuscript to printed book.
In a future post I’ll talk about one way to align marketing and publicity with a long process like this.