question Can You Recommend Professional Book Publishing?

[ashleyroth]

Hi all,
For those who’ve used professional book publishing services, what was the turnaround time like from final draft to release? I’m wondering if I should plan around a 3-month or 6-month timeline. Also, did you find it worth the cost for what you got in return?

 

[OnlineProxy]

Publishing a book? Buckle up-going the professional route usually takes about 3 to 6 months from your final draft to hitting shelves (or screens). Proofreading, fancy formatting, and print delays can really slow things down. You’re looking at dropping somewhere between $1,500 and $3,000 for solid editing, a killer cover, formatting, and some promo. Pro tip: spend on sharp copyediting and a genre-specific cover-they’re worth it. Skip the cookie-cutter promo packages and boring layouts; they rarely impress.

A 5–6 month timeline (with room for revisions and unexpected holdups) is a smart bet. If you’re leaning into self-publishing-think Amazon KDP or IngramSpark-you’ll get speed, full control, and fatter royalties. Traditional publishing might land you an advance and bookstore space, but expect long waits and thinner cuts.

Totally doable-but the marketing grind? That’s on you. So, start growing your audience early, budget for a couple of solid edit rounds, spring for a professional-looking cover, and make sure your metadata is dialed in so readers can actually find your book.

 

[AniMeshorer]

Maybe a side question that does matter: what kind of literature are we talking about?
Biographies, non-fiction books about popular subjects (politics, traveling, IT, health, cooking, ...), novels are all very popular genres. Poetry for example is more of a niche that some publishers won't even consider publishing.

Another side question that does matter: what language do you write in?
I am from Belgium, I'm a poet but I write in English. This means I have very few opportunities with publishers in my own country (and not just because poetry is a niche) : local publishers will usually publish only in one of our two widely used national languages, Dutch and French. Anything written in a foreign language is unlikely to be published by any publisher here, unless in very exceptional circumstances. I already realise I'll have to make trips to poetry events and open mic events in the UK in order to network and then maybe in the end find a UK-based publisher willing to talk.
So from my experience: if you write in a language other than the dominant language(s) of the country you're based in, then try to network with publishers in countries that have the language you are writing in.

There is always the route of self-publishing. This gives you full freedom, you don't even need anyone reading your work first to make corrections or edits. However, the downside is that you have to do all the work yourself: from printing to promoting. There are "in between options", for example Amazon has a service that publishes books written by anyone willing to publish, Amazon will then keep a percentage of all profits from sales, but you have an easy way to publish on a worldwide platform without having to search a publishing house. The downside here is that your book will only be available on Amazon, you still have to do all the advertising yourself, and I'm not sure if physical copies are possible instead of only e-books.

Most of the time, books (no matter the language or genre) published by a well-respected publisher will find their way into the book stores more easily, and get more media attention. On top of that, the publisher will do part of the promotional work and for example arrange interviews with the author to promote the book. This way (using a respected publishing house) is also taken more seriously by outsiders in general.