WARNING: This blog post is a quick education on the publication process and a shameless plug for votes.
In a bygone era, there was basically one main path authors travelled for publication. Aspiring authors wrote (or typed) their literary masterpieces and mailed, (yes I said mailed, not emailed) their opus to a New York publisher. If the stars were perfectly aligned and the publishers wanted to publish the manuscript, the happy author signed a contract and waited months or years for their book to get published. Yes, you read that correctly, I said YEARS. It wasn’t uncommon for a book to take two or more years before it was available in bookstores for purchase. Thankfully, times have changed. There’s now more than one path authors can take which can significantly shorten the time between completion of a manuscript and book sales.Twenty-first century authors have options that weren’t available just a few decades earlier.
Much of the process has gotten faster simply due to technological advancements, like computers and the internet. Manuscripts can be sent electronically between, say an author in Tennessee to her editor in New York City and be received in seconds versus days. An editor can review and edit electronically and the revision process will be expedited significantly. However, if the aspiring author wants a print contract with a traditional publisher, she is still at the mercy of the process. Books can still take one to two years from acceptance to publication, so be prepared for a long wait.
The good news is there are a host of options with multiple variations. For example, all of the traditional publishers now have digital imprints allowing authors to have their books sold digitally or digital-first with print or print on demand options. Authors can self-publish which can substantially expedite the timeline. Self-publishing can be digital, print or both. Another option for authors are programs like Amazon’s Kindle Scout. Kindle Scout allows authors to submit their manuscript and covers for review. If selected, an electronic excerpt is available for reader review. Readers review an excerpt and nominate books for publication.
Now its time for the shamless plug for votes. My good friend and excellent writer (no, I’m not biased in the least), Patricia Lillie has submitted her quiet-horror novel, The Ceiling Man, to Kindle Scout. Please take a few minutes and read and nominate her book for publication. As a special thanks for reading and nominating the book, if the book is published, you’ll receive a free early copy of the book. Here’s a link to The Ceiling Man.