Publishing Timeline for Indie Authors

Authors often ask me how long it takes to publish a book when you’re an indie author.

Unfortunately, the answer is “it depends.”

The beauty about being an indie author is that you’re in control of every stage and you get to decide which steps you take and which you don’t, so how long it takes to publish your book depends entirely on you!

If you want to know a bit more about indie publishing vs. traditional publishing, click here to get my free guide!

An example of a publishing timeline! (Not necessarily your timeline.)

Let’s look at a realistic publishing timeline for a first-time author.

I created a publishing timeline for a first-time indie author based on authors I’ve worked with, authors I’ve met at conferences, and other publishing professionals.

This timeline gives you a generous amount of time to get through all the steps of production, but you can adjust it depending on your own workflow.

Most authors who have a few published books under their belt can either condense this timeline or have multiple books in different stages of production at a time so they can release more books!

From start to finish, this example publishing timeline takes about a year and a half.

July – October (4 months): Write the first draft

How long it’ll take you to write a first draft depends on so many factors, but four months is approximately 120 days. If you write about 666 words per day, you’ll end up with an 80,000-word book. I’ll let you decided if that’s doable for you!

Tip: Don’t worry if your first draft takes longer than this. Many authors’ debut novels took them years to write and revise!

Start talking about your book on social media early. You want to make sure people know that your book exists before you really start promoting a couple months to release date.

November – December (2 months): Self-edit the book

You’ll want to give yourself a little time away from your book so you can come back to it refreshed, but then you’ll want to make sure you smooth out pacing and character growth, and fill in any plot holes on your own.

If you don’t know where to start with self-edits, you can get my self-editing guide here.

January (1 month): Give the book to your story editor

Getting outside feedback from a professional for story is critical. Readers are more likely to forgive a typo here and there if the story keeps them up all night.

Your editor will analyze the book for pacing, theme, plot, character arcs, setting, etc. and give you suggestions to add nuance and layers to it so your readers can’t put your book down.

If you’re ready for this step, click here to get a sample edit!

February (1 month): Implement your editor’s suggestions

Your developmental editor doesn’t rewrite the book but provides suggestions to make the book better. Don’t forget to schedule in time for any rewrites you may have to do!

March (1 month): Send the book off to beta readers

Once you’ve implemented your developmental edits, you want to make sure your book lands with your target readers. Beta readers are people who read your genre and can tell you from a reader’s perspective how the story works for them.

If you want to get specific, useful feedback from your beta readers, check out The Ultimate Guide to Beta Readers here.

April (1 month): Implement your beta readers’ feedback

In your dream world, your beta readers would all say the book is perfect and you wouldn’t have to make any changes. But more likely, they’ll let you know where the plot drags or if one character’s growth feels forced, so make sure you leave some time to make any necessary changes.

May (1 month): Work on line edits

Line edits are all about making sure your prose flows well and is effective. It takes you from “She was nervous as her boss approached” to “The clicking of heels on tile alerted Lisa to her boss’s presence and sweat dripped down her back.”

To get a checklist of things to look for when doing your own line edits, check out my self-editing guide.

June – July (2 months): Get your book copyedited

I don’t know about you but I live in fear that a reader will email me to let me know my character’s hair changed colour in Chapter 11. Why do fear that? Because as a kid I did that…not my best move.

Your copy editor will not only ensure your book is clear and grammatically correct but also keep track of character details and timeline information.

Blurbs

This is also a good time to write your blurb (or have Jessie from Book Blurb Magic do it for you*) and get your cover designed since the story is locked in.

August (1 month): Implement your editor’s suggestions

Your editor will use Track Changes to suggest changes, so it’s up to you to accept or reject them. This gives you more control over your work!

September (1 month): Get the book proofread

You might think your book is free from errors after a copyedit, but any time you make a change, there’s a chance you’re introducing an error. That’s why I suggest getting a proofread or at bare minimum doing one yourself (though someone with a fresh set of eyes will catch more than you will).

Social Media

I also suggest ramping up your social media presence since launch is a couple months away. Start teasing your audience with tropes, quotes, and a cover reveal. Get people to sign up for your advance review copy (ARC) team.

October (1 month): Set up the backend admin

Take this month to get all your metadata and backend information organized. You’ll need to set up an Amazon pre-order page, your ARC distribution platform, an ISBN etc. You can read more about your book’s metadata here.

Order Proof Copies

You should also format your book and order proof copies to make sure it prints properly. You may not need a full month to set all this up, but it’s best to give yourself more time if it’s your first time publishing. If you need more info about ARCs, read this blog post.

November (1 month): Start promotion

Send out ARCs a few weeks before you want your readers to start reviewing. Make sure you give them specific instructions so they know what’s expected of them

If you decide to do paid promotions (which you don’t have to), start running them now!

December (1 month): Celebrate launch day

Congrats! It’s time to celebrate your launch with all your readers!

Don’t forget to send out newsletters to your audience. This is also a good time to advertise in other people’s newsletters or do a book tour.

Photo by Jayson Hinrichsen on Unsplash

In conclusion…

Your workflow will be unique to you, but it’s always give yourself more time than less.

It’s important to have an idea of what your production timeline looks like so you can book your professionals. Editors and blurb writers tend to book a few months in advance. (To inquire about my schedule, click here!)

If you’d like to know more about different kinds of editing and how you can mix and match to fix your budget, download my free PDF here.

If you’re ready to dig into story edits together, click below!

Let's chat story!