Expert: Jannie Balliett - 10/1/2009

Question
Hello,
Is there a right time to publish? Like, should I push to get my book published before Christmas?
Thank you for your time,
Regards,
Marci

Answer
Hello Marci,

You might be under the impression that most hopeful writers are- that you can just get published and there's a book on the book shelves.

If you have a literary agent to sell your completed manuscript to the right traditional publisher for your genre, then he can inform you of the time frame.

Once a manuscript is offered a publishing deal- the contract and the negotiations and renegotiations of the contract (sometimes as many as 5-6 revisions) takes months and months.

Then, the publisher's editor takes months and months and months going over every sentence and telling you what needs revisions... and this is ongoing to almost no end in sight.

Once the revised manuscript is agreed upon, it goes to an artist for the cover, and cover shots of the author and bio agreed upon,

Then is can go to print.

In the meantime, the publisher has an agenda for the author- a marketing agenda- appearances, book signing, all promotional to sell the book.

It take a good year and usually longer.

So the answer is: you as the author, cannot push anything. It doesn't work like that.

(If you are referring to self-publishing your book with the POD companies- it still takes a good 6 months to get to print.)