To gain a little distance, stick it in the “drawer” for a while. Because of the unusual format of our nonfiction books, Angela and I hire an editor to tidy up the narrative front matter and a proofreader to fine-tooth-comb the entry section, but that won’t be necessary for everyone.ĭrawer Time: After so much time focusing on a book, we start to lose perspective we’re so close to it that we can no longer see the issues. When you’ve done as much with your manuscript as you can, hire a professional to take it to the next level. A lot of that is due to authors recognizing the need to create a polished product. Professional Editing: We’ve come a long way from the self-publishing stigma that was so pervasive when we published our first book in 2012. Revision: The length for this part of the process will vary between authors and from project to project. We tackle each section separately, so they’re listed as such on our spreadsheet. To get you started, here’s our list of Must-Dos, which can be tweaked to fit your process.ĭrafting: Each nonfiction book that Angela and I write consists of two portions: instructive front matter and thesaurus entries. But others will be specific to you and the kind of book you’ve written. What jobs will need to be done for your book to be published? Some of these are universal-writing the book, revising it, designing a cover, etc. Make a List of Tasks Needed to Publish Your Book Today I’d like to share my process with you so you can do the same. And eight books later, we’re still using the same template.

These timelines have been crucial to us being able to release our books in a timely fashion without forgetting anything important.

This allowed us to track the things that had to get done, plan how long each step would take, and determine a reasonable launch deadline. One thing Angela and I started doing early in our career was creating a publication timeline for each book. Drop any of those balls and you end up with a messy or unfinished product that doesn’t reflect the time and energy you’ve put into it. There are so many things to remember, and they’re all vital to getting your book into readers’ hands in a reasonable timeframe. Try a couple of balls, a chainsaw, a set of Ginsu knives, and a litter of kittens. Publishing your own book is a lot like juggling-and not those harmless little balls, either.

Synopsis of things we never got over