How Long It Takes to Self-Publish a Book
Let’s take a look at the realistic timeline to self-publish
At the beginning of an author’s career, when the publishing process is new, it can feel overwhelming to begin your journey to publication.
First and foremost, there is the task of writing the book itself. Next the task of editing and formatting. And finally the tasks of marketing and uploading it where readers can access it.
This can take weeks to months depending on the story length and the process that has been put in place.
Every writer should understand that there is no set time to write a book.
Some people take months while others take years to complete their story. Why? Because numerous factors take place during the formation of the story.
Genre (Each genre has a typical word count)
Word Count (A novella or short story will take less time than an 80k novel)
Experience (How many times have you self-published?)
Publishing Process (What pieces do you have set in place on a timeline to ensure that it all gets done)
Budget (What services do you think you need to pay for and do you have money set aside for it?)
Specific timing for book release (Does your book have a better chance of releasing near a holiday?)
For writers who want to speed up their writing process, there are a few ideas to speed things up.
Set a sacred writing time that doesn’t get changed to ensure you have time to write
Outline your book beforehand to allow yourself a guide to follow
Finish your first draft…no matter what
While you are writing the book, begin other portions of the process such as finding editors, cover designers, keywords for your book, and conducting market research
The publishing side of the process depends on several factors.
The turnaround time of not only your alpha and beta readers and editor but also yourself
The understanding you have of how to publish your book to a platform like Amazon, Google Play Books, Draft2Digital, and more
The time it takes to get your cover design if you hire out
Formatting your book
If we wanted to realistically break down the sections of the process into timetables, they may look something like this:
Editing: Two weeks to one month
Feedback from alpha and beta readers: One to three months
Cover Creation: One week to one month
Formatting: One day to one week
Uploading and Quality checking on book platforms: one to three days
What authors should keep in mind is that when self-publishing, the fastest route isn’t always the best route.
Because when you rush your publishing timeline, you increase the chance of mistakes to occur. And this then creates a less polished product that will turn readers away rather than attract them.
Long story short, the time it takes to self-publish a book is dependent on you.
It is dependent upon your ability to finish the book and enlist the right services to get it into a sellable product. To get it there can take three months to three years depending on how much time and effort you put into it.
However, the point is, there is no right answer to how long it should take you to write and publish just as long as you follow through and do it.