The Publishing Process in 10 steps

Every book is different and unique and so this process will look different depending on many factors like:

• your book’s schedule,

• whether you’re publishing a novel or non-fiction book,

• whether you have a co-author, or

• whether your book has illustrations, photographs, maps, an index, bibliography or needs to have a legal read.

Generally this is the path your book will take to go from final final final v2.docx on your computer to shiny finished copy on a bookshop’s shelf:

1. Delivery:

You will deliver your manuscript to your editor approximately 12–24 months after you’ve signed your contract (obviously you would never have missed your contractual deadline).

2. Edit:

Once you deliver your manuscript to your editor they get to work on a structural edit: they read and consider how the book feels as a whole, how each chapter contributes to the central theme of the book. It’s like standing back and assessing how the furniture is arranged in a room. Why have you put a lampshade in front of a window that opens inwards? Why do you have the nightstand next to the cupboard instead of the bed? At this stage your editor is that first reader who will flag any structural issues and help you arrange the ‘furniture’ in a way that makes the most sense.

3. The rewrite:

Not much is said about this stage but it is one of the most important stages of writing as a craft. Just when you are probably most sick of your book you have to go back to it – with your editor’s structural edit in hand – and pick up the scalpel and surgically remove parts of the text that you may have agonised over months previously: tightening prose and sharpening your argument. Don’t skip this part – stay hydrated and get to work.

4. …

You may have to repeat stages 2 and 3 a few more times. Eat snacks and read this.

5. Line edit:

Once you and your editor are happy with the structural edit they will do a line edit. If we use our interior design analogy this is when they help you choose scatter cushions and curtain fabric. This is the dotting of the is and crossing of the ts stage. At this point your editor will have briefed the jacket (cover) of the book to the design team and will have launched the book in-house to sales, marketing and publicity colleagues. This is the first step to introducing the book to the wider world.

6. Copy-edit and legal read:

Once you have had the chance to take in your editor’s line edit the manuscript will be sent to a professional copy-editor and, if necessary, a lawyer. You’ll be surprised at what the copy-editor picks up! At this point you have seen and approved the final jacket and cover copy.

7. Proof pages:

Once the manuscript is returned from the copy-editor and lawyer you will have to go through their queries and make your final changes to the text. It goes to the typesetter next and as the name implies, they typeset the manuscript in some software called InDesign to create beautifully designed PDF pages complete with running heads and page numbers as well as prelims and title pages. You are not allowed to make major changes to the text now but there will always be typos that get through. Always.

8. Proofread:

The proof pages are sent to a proofreader to make sure all the copyeditor’s changes were made and to pick up any other mistakes. You’ll have the chance to go over the book again and make small changes. If your book needs and index it will be sent to the indexer at this stage too. Once the proofreader, indexer and you have had the chance to make changes to the proofs it will be sent back to the typesetter and they will create second pass proof pages – basically a new PDF with all the changes made and the index incorporated at the end of the book, too. At the same time, your editor will order some bound proofs (from the first or second pass proof pages). These bound proofs will be used to garner endorsements from other authors (so keep a dream list of authors who you would love a quote from and give this to your editor at about the time your book goes to the typesetter) and your publicist will also start sending them out to literary editors and festivals. Ideally this will be approximately 6+ months before publication but life and publishing schedules means this can be a much shorter lead time.

9. Sign off:

Once you and your editor are happy that all the final changes have been made to both the text and the jacket and you have approved final PDF files then the production department will send the files off to the printers and about two–four weeks later you will be holding your new book baby! This is usually up to 8 weeks before publication to allow for distribution to bookshops in advance of publication day. If you’re recording an audio book you will do so from these final files at this point. It will also be sent to become an eBook.

10. PUBLICATION DAY!

Hurrah! Your book is out in the world and publicity starts!