How Long Does it take to self-publish?One mutual question nosotros've received is how long does it take to self-publish a volume? This is usually tied to another question—what's the process of self-publishing a book?

Here's a very rough guide to the process of self-publishing a book, including the estimated time each stage would take.

1. Writing

Some writers tin can finish writing a novel in a calendar month, some take months, even years. To brand a meaningful guess of the length of time it takes to self-publish a book, we won't include the initial writing stage of the book in this estimate, assuming that the process nosotros're looking at will start at the point where the manuscript is finished and ready to be sent for editing.

two. Editing

Depending on the wordcount and the editor's schedule, a total edit tin accept anything from a week to a month, maybe more than. A good estimate for a l,000-give-and-take book would probably exist one to ii weeks for the initial edit. After that, it would be wise to budget a week for writer's meltdown and wallowing in self-pity, another two weeks for rewrites, clarifications, arguments over what to change and whether to change them, and mayhap a fourth week for finalisation of the manuscript.

Best estimate: one calendar month.

three. Cover design

Encompass design can exist done concurrent with editing, assuming y'all're pretty certain you aren't going to rewrite the whole book or give up on the project birthday. Information technology also assumes that you've already decided on your title.
This phase really depends on your artist then this is something you lot'll need to hash out with them. You could become a premade cover online which would probably be updated in three days OR you could become an artist to conceptualise something specific for you lot, which could take anything from one week to three months. Call up: the more customised and the more handmade/hand-drawn it is, the more fourth dimension it will take.

Best estimate: one month, possibly concurrent to editing.

4. Formatting

Layout and formatting for a text-merely book should only take ii to three days per format. A manuscript with pictures, graphs, or diagrams would take longer to format.

All-time approximate: three days.

v. Publishing

a) Online/ebook

Publishing online will but take a few hours of your time, assuming y'all take all the required materials gear up (cost, categories, back cover clarification, cover, formatted manuscript, ISBN, etc). Exercise also budget some fourth dimension to review the converted file to make sure it's up to standard before publishing. This is the best time to catch overlooked errors, typos, or formatting glitches, which would need a quick gear up.

Best guess: one to two days.

b) Print

Budget in at least two to 3 weeks for the printing process as the printer you send it to would have to review the files and go everything in guild before starting the print run. If they demand to send the files back to you lot for revisions, that would extend the time also.
Best judge: three days.

Total time: 2-and-a-half to three months.

Practise retrieve the time estimates noted here would vary for each writer and each correspondent at every stage, and some stages may cycle back and forth several times. This estimate is also created assuming that the publishing of this novel is the sole priority of every correspondent. This isn't the case in the existent world. Sending your novel to an editor doesn't hateful that they will be able to piece of work on information technology right away. They may have other jobs they are currently working on that needs to exist completed prior to yours, or they could exist juggling multiple projects at the same time. The same goes for all the other stages, unless you've already booked their time in advance.

All in all, really proficient self-published writers tin publish a new book every 3 months whilst traditional publishing generally takes ii years from acceptance of the manuscript to concluding print. Our advice is to not blitz the process as rushing may pb to sloppiness and more errors in your last book. Y'all want a product that you tin be proud of—and that takes time.

At Teaspoon Publishing, we believe in empowering authors to take control of their career. If you need a boost on your journeying, bank check out our Publishing Hub to see how we tin aid!