Publishing Process

There are several things that happen after an author sends in the final manuscript. First, the manuscript is edited, which usually includes three separate edits: content edit, line edit, and copyedit. The author will be involved in the first two edits. After the edit, the manuscript is laid out, or pages are composed, which is when the book starts to look like a book. The author will review the pages at this stage for one last time. After page composition, the book is printed or translated to e-book format.

Depending on the publisher, the entire editing process may take as few as six or eight weeks or as long as four or five months. There are many factors that contribute to the length of the edit, including how much work is involved, the resources the publisher has available, the timeliness of author reviews, and other aspects of the business.

Page composition usually takes less time than the edit, unless the book contains artwork. But this stage also includes proofreading and a final review by the author, which take time beyond the actual page composition. This stage may take anywhere from two or three weeks to as many as six or eight weeks.

Printing the book can take anywhere from six to eight weeks, sometimes longer. The time of the year is a factor in print lead times, as well as paper supplies. Translating the pages for e-book format takes relatively little time. However, most publishers will release all formats—print and electronic—at the same time. This is for marketing purposes rather than for technical reasons.

From manuscript submission to published books, the process can take anywhere from two months to nearly a year. The vast number of factors makes it difficult to generalize how long the publishing process will take with any specificity. However, once a given project is accepted by a publisher, there will be a schedule put in place containing milestones and deadlines to guide both the publisher and the author. Subscribe to this blog, follow us on Twitter, and visit our website for more information on publishing with Tin Whiskers Publisher.

Tin Whiskers Publisher is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). IBPA’s mission is “to lead and serve the independent publishing community by providing advocacy, education, and tools for success.” IBPA is a not-for-profit membership organization serving and leading the independent publishing community. Founded in 1983, it is the largest publishing trade organization in the United States. IBPA members pledge to uphold the organization’s code of ethics.