Publishing Your First Book: Go Slow to Go Fast
You've heard the tale of the tortoise and the hare, right?
Ah, yes, the age-old tale of the tortoise and the hare.
Without rehashing it, I’ll get straight to the moral of their story: you can be more successful by doing things slowly and steadily than by acting quickly and carelessly.
Is it a harsh lesson? It can be.
But I think this lesson comes with experience and age. But why wait till we’re seasoned authors to learn this lesson? 🐇 Let’s get a jump on it early in our careers. Let’s go slow to go fast.
In today’s newsletter, you’ll read about…
🐰 The trend of self-publishing fast + a note for new writers
✍🏼What goes into drafting, editing, and publishing
📚 Why you’re not off the hook when choosing traditional publishing
🐢 How going slow saves you from creative burnout
Ready to slow your roll?
*If you’re already published and know what timelines work for you, you can likely skip this post.
🐰The Trend of Publishing Fast
I blame social media for making us believe we must write a book in a few months and publish it as fast as possible. There’s no single writer to blame here.
Each writer has their own publishing timeline. Experienced indie authors know how long it takes them to get from first draft to published novel.
Now, if you’re a new writer or have never published before don’t compare yourself to authors who have published before.
Sure, social media shows us the behind-the-scenes efforts of our fellow writers. But we sometimes don’t know their experience, how many books they’ve already published, or their full timeline from first draft to published novel.
You may see everyone and their mother publishing their books seemingly in a few months but don’t compare yourself to them.
I understand the rush to publish and get your book into readers’ hands.
🤔 But ask yourself…
Is another writer’s timeline the right fit for me and my book?
Am I writing in the same genre as them?
Will pushing yourself to stay on this tight timeline burn you out?
Will rushing the process result in the best your book can possibly be?
Rushing the editing and publishing timeline takes a lot of the creative joy out of the process. And during a time that should be exciting, it’s muddied down by rushing through.
Enjoy the entire journey, not just the destination.
📝A Note to New Writers
If you’re brand-spanking new to the craft of writing, like, never-written-a-book-before new or never-written-anything new, please give yourself the grace and the time to learn.
The authors you see publishing likely aren’t publishing the first book they’ve ever written.
Can you publish the first book you’ve ever written? Of course, I’m not saying it’s impossible. But to get the most out of this skill, this hobby, this passion, this career give yourself time to hone your craft.
✍🏼The Process: Drafting, Editing, Publishing
Drafting Your Book
Outline. Zero draft. First draft. Do what you have to do to tell yourself the story.
When the first draft is finished, don’t look at it for more than 2 weeks. Go months without looking at it—I’m so serious.
The more distance you put between you and your manuscript, the less attached you’ll be to your words, characters, and plot—the more brutal you can be during self-edits.
More distance = more objectivity
More distance = more clarity
Do I have to get on my knees and beg? Cuz I will…
Self-Editing Your Book
After you’ve taken off a month or more…👀
It’s time to assess the first draft. Work big to small—structure, characters, and plot first then you can worry about prose and line-level edits.
Here’s my favorite resource for self-editing: At-Home Workshop: Revise Your Novel in 31 Days by Janice Hardy
If you follow Hardy’s free self-paced workshop, don’t hold yourself to the 31 days she’s set out. This whole post is about taking the time you need and enjoying the whole damn process of putting your book into the world.
Now, how long will the self-editing process take you? I can’t say. Could take a month. Could take more. But the result will be a second draft.
Guess what comes next? Letting it sit. And why do we give ourselves time between drafts?
Yes. *nods head* Good. To create distance between you and your manuscript to approach the next round of self-edits with objectivity and clarity.
At this stage, you can bring in critique partners—writers who write the same genre as you. We don’t want reader feedback (beta readers) at this stage, the book is too young and too malleable for their opinions. Fellow writers will know the conventions of your genre and understand what you’re trying to do.
After multiple rounds of revisions with critique partners & the book is as polished as you can get it on your own, you’re ready for a developmental editor.
The Editing Process
So, you’ve done the following:
✅Drafted
✅Took time between each draft
✅Got critique partner feedback
✅Drafted and revised as much as possible without going insane
Now, it’s time to turn to the professionals.
A brief side note: Give yourself 3-6 months to find a developmental editor, line editor, copy editor, formatter, cover designer, and proofreader.
Another side note: I’m aware that the world is a fiery hellscape and the cost of living is high, but I’m going over each pro editor you can hire at this stage for the sake of sharing knowledge.
The first editor you’ll work with is a developmental editor.
They’ll look at the big-picture elements of your novel: plot, story, characters, arcs, subplots, theme, etc.
They’ll analyze literally everything to make sure you’re telling the best version of your story while staying aligned with your vision. A developmental edit is the deepest, most intensive edit your book will receive.
The typical timeline for an editor to perform a developmental edit is anywhere between 4-6 weeks. If your book is a chunky fella (120,000 or more), expect it to take 6-8 weeks.
What does a developmental edit entail? (I can only speak to my process and some colleagues’ processes here):
1️⃣: First Read + Marginal Comments
2️⃣: Second Read + More Marginal Comments + Create Book Map
3️⃣: Write the Editorial Letter
A developmental edit takes so much time because we’re getting intimate with your story. We’re looking at it objectively so we can best serve the art of storytelling and your vision.
Once you receive your developmental feedback, expect the revision process to take around 3-12 months. I’ve heard most clients take about 6-8 months to incorporate developmental feedback. Sometimes less, sometimes more.
Why does it take so long?
Developmental edits are intensive. Sometimes characters need to be deleted, combined, or created. Sometimes subplots need to be deleted and streamlined. Sometimes the book needs to be split into two. Sometimes chapters need to be moved, deleted, or rewritten. And sometimes, the book needs to be rewritten from page one.
Self-publishing tip: Don’t set your release date until after you get your manuscript back from your developmental editor.
The TL;DR: Give yourself 2 months for your book to go through developmental edits with an editor, then give yourself as long as you need to implement their feedback.
The second editor you’ll work with is a line editor.
As I’m not a line editor, I don’t know how long the process takes. I estimate another 4-6 weeks, but ask your potential line editors for their exact timeline.
The best thing about most line editors is they’re also copy editors. Again, ask to be sure.
And give yourself time to go through their feedback. If we’ve learned anything up to this point, always give yourself more time than you think you’ll need.
The other editing and publishing professionals.
Whoever you hire along this journey, understand their timelines. Writing, editing, creating book covers, proofreading, and formatting are skills, but they’re also art. And art takes time.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions about a professional’s timelines. Don’t be afraid to ask if they know how long it takes for clients to implement their revisions and feedback.
The TL;DR: Every step is going to take time. It’s important to know how long each step will take, overestimate it, and enjoy every step.
The Publishing Process
I won’t get too detailed here as it’s not my area of expertise, but know there are many steps here too:
Finding ARC readers
Marketing
KDP & Ingram Sparks
ISBNs
Picking sizes for paperbacks and hardcovers
Proof copies
And all those steps take time. I’ve heard KDP and Ingram Sparks can be real bastards to figure out. And giving yourself a limited timeline will only increase stress.
The moral of this publishing journey is slow and steady wins every time.
📚 A Note for Those Wanting to Traditionally Publish
With self-publishing, you have total control over everything.
The fate of your book is in the hands of others when traditionally publishing. It can take months, if not years, to find an agent, then for the book to find an acquisitions editor and a publisher, go through the editing process, cover design, and more.
The release date for your book most likely won’t be when you want it. It’ll be on the publisher’s timeline.
And while it’s true you don’t need a professional editor to work on your book before you start querying agents (although agents like to see you’ve worked with one before querying to show you’re ready to put in the work), why not give yourself and your book the best chance by self-editing until you’re blue in the face, getting critique partner feedback, and revising again?
Yes, it’ll take time. But better to put your best foot forward than hand over a manuscript to an agent when it’s not in any shape to be read by an agent.
🐢 Go Slow to Prevent Creative Burnout
Creative people are naturally at higher risk for burnout.
Our brains—whether we’re neurodivergent or neurotypical—are different than those who aren’t creative.
We can’t force ourselves to create every day.
If you do force it, expect to crash and burn, baby. 💥 Maybe not tomorrow or next week, but at some point soon.
We need days off. We need floor time (Never underestimate the power of floor time). We need to pivot and do something else to return to our project (like your book) and create well.
The best way to prevent creative burnout is to enjoy the process. I know I’m beating a dead horse with that, but it’s true.
Going fast is exciting. But going fast allows mistakes and skipped steps.
Going slow, while not as exciting, allows you to learn as you go from story idea to first draft to working with an editor to finally publishing your book. It also takes the pressure off.
Give yourself the space to breathe.
Enjoy the entire process, not just the destination.
You and your manuscript deserve it. ❤
-Kourtney
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