One of the most frequently asked questions I get regarding book publishing is: How long will it take to get my book published? Well, the short answer is it could take a year to a year and a half depending on the manuscript, the season, the Author platform, promotion, the copyright and registration process. Other projects being published that year also factor into when a title is released.

Let’s start with the manuscript. A manuscript that has been accepted for publishing goes through an editing and a proof reading process. Several edits may be made, not just for spelling and grammatical errors, but for content, the flow of the book the chapter placement, the page count, should the book be released as one whole work or split up into multiple works. The editing process could take months, before a final draft is agreed upon between the publisher and the Author. Once the final draft is completed, a bound proof is sent to major publications for book reviews (more on the review process in a future bog).

The season refers to when the book will be released. Does the release of the book correspond with a holiday, a special event, or should the book be released during the eligibility period for a prestigious book award. The season a book is released in is very important because we want to give a title the best opportunity for sales and recognition.

The Author platform and promotion: This is the point of the process where we look at the Author’s platform on social media, any groups or organizations the Author may be in or affiliated with, any opportunities for speaking engagements or seminars the Author may have, then we plan a promotion strategy around the Author’s platform and then think of ways to expand it to the general public. The Author is responsible for most of his or her own book promotion, but here at Marquise Publishing, we like to provide a helping hand in the process.

The copyright and registration process is, applying for copyright registration, the library of congress number, and the catalogue in publication data, basically all the books front matter.

Other projects pending release in the same year. Marquise Publishing is a small independent publishing house that only releases up to five works per year, as we grow that number will increase, but for now in order for use to provide a good home for great books, we keep it around five, and that can add to the time from acquiring a new title to its release.

So that is a small explanation of how long it may take for a book to be published. Not everything was covered but that is a general idea of what to expect.

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