How to write and publish your first book successfully

“Publishing is one of the last truly slow industries,” says Bridget, “and this can be a shock to anyone used to working in any industry where things move faster (which is just about all of them). Typically, it’s 18 months to 2 years, and sometimes longer, from initial pitch to holding a finished book in your hands. And there’s really no reason that someone who hasn’t done it before would know that.”
Not all publishers move quite so slowly. “One of the things I wanted to do differently was to be quick,” says Nina, “to get stuff out there finding readers fast.” To that end, Rough Trade Books’ main output comes in the form of pamphlets as well as long-form works of fiction and non-fiction. “Two years from a book being accepted to publication date just seems madness to me,” she says.
But the more time Nina’s spent in the industry, the more it’s become clear that the slow pace isn’t about people dragging their feet, it’s about making sure a book is released at a time and in a manner that attracts the most attention. The timelines that publicists need for reviews, the big press slots and various awards all affect how long a lead time is needed to publish a book well.
“All of that time is being used, to make sure you end up with something of the highest quality,” says Bridget. “But still, I get it—it’s a long time!”
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