How long does it take to self-publish a book?

The amount of time it takes to self-publish your book will depend on many factors, including word count, budget, and deadline.

One element that is constantly underestimated is how long it takes to edit a book. That’s why understanding what’s involved in the editing process from final draft to published book is imperative for self-publishing authors. The editing process is the longest stage of self-publishing a book (after writing it, of course!)

Knowing exactly what’s involved at each stage sets up expectations for how long editing your book will take and will also equip you with the right questions to ask each publishing professional you work with, meaning you know exactly what they’ll be working on when it comes to your book.

In this blog post, I’ll walk you through the different stages of editing, starting from developmental edits (where the core structure and plot of your manuscript take shape) all the way to the meticulous process of proofreading, ensuring your work is polished to perfection.

I’ve also included approximate timings for each stage, so you can start to build your own self-publishing timeline and come up with a realistic launch date for your book.

(By the way, I do answer the question of how long does self-publishing take at the end of this blog post, but I really do encourage you to read the detail I’ve included for each stage so you understand why it takes as long as I say it will.)

Roles in the publishing industry

First things first, it’s crucial to understand exactly what the different roles in publishing mean. For self-publishing, this comes down to understanding the difference between an editor and proofreader (and typesetter, but that’s often a term you won’t have come across yet). You might say you ‘just need a proofreader’, but proofreading is not the same as editing

For example, I market myself as a book editor and proofreader. In my book editor role, I work with non-fiction writers with a finished manuscript, rather than helping them get started or to produce a content outline, or helping them navigate the tricky middle.

My editing services include reviewing an entire manuscript and/or a line-by-line edit (a ‘copyedit’).

Photo credit: EBM brand photography

How to know if you’ve found the right editor

For copyediting and proofreading, make sure you get a sample edit. That’s going to be the best way for you to see exactly what sort of changes your editor or proofreader will be making (and you can see whether you like their style). Some do sample edits for free (like me), for others it’s a paid service.

It’s a little trickier to get sample edits for developmental edits, as this involves working on the whole book at once or perhaps working on a longer-term schedule where you submit work as you go for feedback. Starting with a call is usually the best way to see if you like the way they offer feedback or conduct themselves (I’m very chatty, which won’t suit everyone).

Your editor or proofreader (or typesetter!) should include details of what their service includes, so start there and don’t be afraid to ask questions if there’s anything in particular you’re hoping they will do as part of their service. I’ve worked with authors who have come to me after being disappointed in a previous service with a different editor or proofreader – not because the editor or proofreader did a ‘bad job’, but because the author expected a completely different outcome to what was delivered.

The 4 stages of editing a book

There are 4 main parts of editing a book, which go in this order:

1.      Developmental edit

2.      Copyedit and/or line edit

3.      Typesetting

4.      Proofreading (at the very end)

And the final step: publish your book!

The most influential factor when self-publishing is budget. You may not have the budget to undertake each of these stages, but investing in any one of them will make a huge difference to the final version of your book. And as mentioned earlier, knowing the difference between each one will help you make a more informed decision when it comes to choosing which service you’re going to use.

1.     What is developmental editing?

Also referred to as a ‘structural edit’, ‘substantive edit’, or ‘content edit’ (I know the publishing world loves its words, but I’m so sorry we use several terms for the same service!).

• Looks at the ‘big picture elements’ of your book, such as the authorial voice, structure, central argument, storytelling devices, if the right level of detail is included.

• Developmental editing can start at various stages:

• Before you’ve written a word: you can work with a developmental editor to help you create an outline.

• While you’re writing: you can use a developmental editor on a longer-term basis, getting feedback on content or chapters as you go. Also known as a book coach.

• When you’ve written your book: you can send a complete draft for a developmental editor to review and make structural changes to the whole manuscript

  
  

  

  Photo credit: Siân Smith

  How long does developmental editing take?

A comprehensive developmental edit will take several weeks – whether that’s the time needed for your editor to make their way through your whole manuscript, or as you send draft chapters or sections back and forth to your editor as you get feedback, work on that feedback, submit again for further feedback until you’re both happy with the final result.

Alternative service: You could also look for something called a manuscript appraisal, critique, assessment, or report (again, why can’t we all just call it the same thing? But those terms all mean the same thing), which is a ‘one-round’ version of a developmental edit, working with a finished manuscript. This is a service I started to offer when authors were asking for overall feedback on their current draft.

• Still looks at the same things from a developmental edit (structure, voice, cohesion or persuasion of the main arguments, flow), but feedback on your book is in the form of a report, rather than someone making the amends for you.

• Very little or no back and forth. I use a handover call to share my thoughts with you, which are then included in the report.

• Budget-wise this is a popular option in self-publishing.

How long does a manuscript appraisal take?

Between 1 to 2 weeks.

So once you’ve finished your developmental edits, or had a manuscript appraisal, or you’ve heavily self-edited your book and you’re now happy with the overall argument, flow and structure of your book, you move on to the next stage: copyediting or line editing.

Quick note: after your developmental edit or manuscript appraisal, you need to allow time to go through the proposed changes and read through your manuscript a couple more times to check you’re happy with its final revisions. I advise my authors to allow at least one month between their appraisal and copyediting.

2.    What is copyediting?

If you want a detailed answer to this question, I wrote a blog post all about it: https://www.siansmitheditorial.co.uk/post/what-is-copyediting 

Copyediting is what most people think of when they think of ‘editing’: a line-by-edit that focuses on linguistic mechanics such as spelling, grammar, inconsistency, repetition, word choice, and overall readability.

Strictly speaking, copyediting doesn’t go beyond sentence-level changes, but as self-publishers authors are trying to maximise each service they pay for, I (and other self-publishing copyeditors) will apply some structural changes at a paragraph or sentence level.

• Usually happens in Word format and uses Track Changes so you can see what’s been changed and then accept or reject each change made to your book.

• I offer a handover call to go through any queries or confusion I can’t quite work out and then add these amends to the edited version.

Photo credit: Siân Smith

How long does copyediting take? 

Around 1 to 2 weeks for 30,000 words, 2 to 4 weeks for 60,000 words, 4 to 6 weeks for 100,000 words (timings will depend on the copyeditor’s working hours, editing speed, and level of editing needed).

Once you’ve had your book copyedited, gone through all the changes made and applied them to your Word document version of your book, it’s time to find a typesetter.

As with your developmental edit, you need to account for some time here to go through the changes made by the copyeditor and then read through your manuscript a couple more times (yes, again!) to check you’re happy with it. I’d allow at least another month here, depending on your word count.

3.    What is typesetting?

Also known as formatting or book design, this is when you see your manuscript become a book! It’s not strictly editing, but it is an important part of the pre-publication and self-publishing process.

• You can’t assume that your editor will also be your typesetter.

• Typesetting is a highly technical role requiring specific design programs (it’s not just a case of converting your Word doc to a PDF doc to upload to Amazon KDP).

• Let your typesetter know if you have specific ideas for things like font types for the main content, chapter titles, and subheadings you have, or other elements such as journal entries, emails, or text message exchanges, relevant in a self-development book, memoir, or fiction book.

• But remember they’re the expert here, so listen to any advice they offer.

• Particularly advise typesetting if you’re using lots of images or tables, and definitely for cookbooks!

• Typesetting considers how to present your book in the best way to make it easy and interesting to read.

• You can tell if a book hasn’t been professionally typeset because it just doesn’t ‘feel’ like a professional book.

• If you don’t format it differently for paperback vs Kindle, there will be formatting and pagination errors all over the place.

  
  

How long does typesetting take? 

Up to 2 weeks, depending on page/word count and any design complexities.

Your typesetter will then produce your ‘proof’ copy – usually as a PDF. This is the version that gets sent to the proofreader.

That’s why we call it proofreading: we’re checking the proof copy before it goes to print.

Top tip – my top tip when it comes to typesetting and proofreading is to find out how many rounds of changes your typesetter will do, and within what timeframe:

• After it’s been proofread (the next stage), any changes need to be sent back to the typesetter for those changes to be applied.

• What happens if there are any further errors spotted or crucial changes you decide to make before publishing after this first round of changes with the typesetter?

• Make sure you ask your typesetter in advance about these scenarios so you both know exactly what their fee includes.

4.    What is proofreading?

How many of you assumed a lot of what I’ve discussed came under the guise of ‘proofreading’? However, there’s a huge difference between editing and proofreading.

• Proofreading is the very final quality control check before your book is published!

• Usually happens after your book has been formatted/typeset (i.e. most proofreaders check a PDF version).

• Strictly about finding and amending errors, rather than making improvements to word choice (that’s what copyediting and developmental editing is for).

• For example, if you use the statement ‘see below’: is that statement still below or has the typesetter had to move this to the next page?

• In fiction, proofreaders are very hot on things like checking characters’ names are always spelt the same way (e.g. Philip with one L or two?) or if anyone’s eye colour has changed.

How long does proofreading take?

1 to 2 weeks for 30,000 words, 2 to 3 weeks for 60,000 words, 3 to 4 weeks for 100,000 words.

Photo credit: Siân Smith

How long does it take to self-publish a book?

I’ve taken you through the standard editing process and average timeline, but what does that mean when it comes to self-publishing your book?

I’ve already written a blog post on how long it takes to edit a book but from final draft to holding that published book in your hands, how long are we talking?

The answer, of course, depends on various factors:

• Word count.

• Available time – most self-publishing authors are juggling writing their book alongside work and family commitments.

• But on average, allow 4 weeks between each editing stage (developmental editing and copyediting) and then a couple of weeks for changes to be made to the final proofread version.

• Also ensure you account for time to send your final proof copies to any advance readers you’ve recruited if you are adding endorsements to the covers or collating pre-publication reviews for your website.

Seriously, how long does it take to self-publish a book?

From final draft (not the shitty, first draft) to publishing your book, you should allow at LEAST 6 months (based on a 60,000-word book, the average length of a memoir I work on).

A more realistic timeframe would be 9 months to 1 year, if you want to ask someone to write the foreword and you want to send ARCs out for pre-publication reviews.

Don’t forget, this all gets easier with each book you write and publish.

Take your time when self-publishing

While self-publishing means you can remove any part of the editing process to reduce time and cost, think about how hard you’ve worked on your book. You want to invest as much time and budget as you can to be able to publish a top-quality book that will get noticed, recommended, and sell. If this means delaying the launch of your book while you save for the fee for an extra stage, then that will be worth it. You only get one book launch!

If nothing else, please remember my top tip when it comes to self-publishing:

Make sure you’re totally clear about what your editor, typesetter, or proofreader is doing as part of that particular service.

Don’t forget to read the other blog posts I’ve linked in this post so you have a clear picture of the various details of each editing stage.

Of course, you can contact me or leave a comment below if you have any specific questions about editing and self-publishing your non-fiction book.