You may have heard that, if you self-publish a book, you can upload a manuscript to a printer and have books in hand “almost overnight.” Yes, that’s true. In theory. But no, that’s not true in practice. At least not if, by “book,” you mean something akin to the products you pull off the shelf in a bookstore.

I have one self-publishing experience, Stairway to Earth. What I found is that most of the steps requiring big chunks of book-development time take just about the same amount of time with a publisher as with the DIY approach. The reason is that these steps require mental labor, not machine labor.

Most of the steps in traditional book development take time because people need to think, process ideas, and coordinate with each other. The same goes for snazzy design, a good publicity rollout, and expert distribution.

Leaving aside the time needed for drafting, let’s look at the time needed just for production. For the record, here’s my schedule once I finished my manuscript for Stairway to Earth. You’ll see that getting the writing done was only the end of the beginning in producing the finished book.

12/29/2010  Completion of final manuscript (third draft)

12/30/2010  Distribution of manuscript to reviewers

01/30/2010  Receipt of final round of reviewer comments

02/11/2011  Vetting/hiring copyeditor (Lauren Byrne)

02/16/2011  Vetting/hiring book designer (Brion Sausser)

02/25/2011  Revision of manuscript (fourth draft)

03/01/2011  Manuscript submitted to copyeditor

03/24/2011  Manuscript returned from copyeditor

04/14/2011  Manuscript fine tuned per copyeditor queries

03/13/2011  Cover design alternatives evaluated and favorite chosen

04/14/2011  Manuscript submitted to designer for interior design

05/05/2011  Interior-page design returned for feedback

05/13/2011  Amended proofs returned for checking, tuning

06/05/2011  Final changes to proofs submitted to designer

06/13/2011  Book index completed

06/13/2011  Final electronic files delivered by designer

06/15/2011  Approval by Lightning Source as self-publisher

06/16/2011  Uploading of files to Lightning Source

06/20/2011  Return of print-on-demand proof for checking

06/27/2011  Receipt of  “galleys” (essentially final book)

Of course, I could have done this faster. I used up time fiddling with the design (cover and interior). My book designer, Brion Sausser, was patient in cranking out multiple updates. If I had been forced to meet a market-imposed deadline, I would have lined up my tasks more in parallel.

But the lesson is still this: production takes several to six months—presuming you want the professional editing, copyediting and design you get from a mainstream publisher. “Several to six months” doesn’t even count the final step in publishing: Circulating proofs to reviewers and influentials to drum up enthusiasm for the book.

Getting reviews can, alone, take weeks, as reviewers read, write about, and talk up your book. Although you can shorten that turnaround with social media—blogs, Twitter, Facebook, websites—you can’t do away with it altogether.

So it’s important to set expectations realistically. With Stairway to Earth, I took almost the same amount of time as a conventional publisher for the main production steps—six months. And I took three more for marketing and distribution. I still wish I could produce a book “almost overnight.” But all good books take time—and the help of either a dedicated or DIY publishing team.

[Revised January 2020. Originally published July 11, 2011]