You’ve written your book, and you’re ready to launch it into the world—as quickly as possible. Like most authors, you are naturally anxious to get your book out and into readers’ hands after spending so much time writing it. The hard part is complete, so there’s not much more to do, right? Well, if you’re a first-time author, you might greatly underestimate the amount of work that still needs to be done to produce your book and how important that work is to set your book up for a successful publication.

This article looks at typical book production timelines for three different publishing models: traditional publishing, self-publishing, and hybrid publishing. Publishing time can vary widely, depending on a book’s specific needs, but this overview will give you a general idea of what to expect from the standard process for most books.

Traditional Publishing

If you’re seeking a book deal with a traditional publisher, you can realistically expect the start-to-finish process to take two to three years. That amount of time might seem mind-blowing until you consider everything that goes into publication.

First, because you’re extremely unlikely to get your foot in the door of a traditional publisher without an agent, you’ll need to secure an agent to represent you. Once you have contacted an agent, expect to wait anywhere from one to eight weeks to hear back. Then, after you’ve sent them your manuscript, expect to wait from three to six months to hear whether the agent has accepted it. After that, you’ll need anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to revise the manuscript with your agent, then an average of three to four months for acceptance with a publisher, and at least a few weeks to negotiate the book deal. In total, this initial process can easily take ten months.

Another point to consider is that many publishers put out books in seasonal cycles (e.g., spring and fall or winter, summer, fall), and if you miss the list for one season or it’s full, you might be slotted into the next one. This may mean anywhere from a three- to six-month delay before production begins on your book.

Once your book enters production, you can expect the process to take from nine months to two years, with eighteen months being the average. First, it will go through editing, which typically takes several months, depending on the book’s needs. Next, your publisher will need several months for the design process, including the cover and interior design, and typesetting (including any processing of artwork). After that, at least a couple of months are needed for proofreading and finalizing the files for the printer. Typically, you’ll also need to allow a few weeks for conversion of the print book to ebook formats, four to eight weeks for printing, and a couple of weeks for shipping.

During this process, your publishing team is also working on other tasks, such as producing catalog descriptions and advance reader’s copies (ARCs), giving booksellers time to review ARCs and promotional materials to decide whether they’ll carry the book, giving reviewers time to read and review the book, giving potential endorsers time to read and endorse the book, and any other prepublication marketing activities.

So, even though this time frame might sound excruciatingly long, for traditional publishers, it’s necessary to make sure the book is well polished and ready for print.

Self-Publishing

If you choose to self-publish, you can expect a significantly shorter timeline—anywhere from a week to six months, depending on how close to final your book is. When you self-publish, you are in control of the manuscript preparation stages. For example, if you choose to hire a copyeditor, plan to allow three to four weeks for that editorial service. Similarly, you might need one to four weeks for an artist to prepare your illustrations, five weeks for a designer to produce layouts and make corrections, one to two weeks for a proofread, four weeks for cover design, and one to two weeks to register your book with the U.S. Copyright Office and the Library of Congress. It can take one to four weeks to upload your book to the platform of your choosing and convert the book to ebook formats.

In short, self-publishing will get your book out into the world faster; however, you will be responsible for coordinating and funding all the necessary stages.

Hybrid Publishing

Hybrid publishing timelines tend to fall between those of traditional publishing and self-publishing. As you probably realize, quality takes time, and with hybrid publishing, you get the best of both worlds: you can get your book out faster than with traditional publishing—partly because you don’t have to worry about finding an agent or aligning with seasonal catalogs—and you have the expertise of publishing professionals to produce a quality product.

With a hybrid publisher, you can expect the process to take from six months to a year, with about nine months being typical. That includes three to five months for editing (depending on the book’s needs); about five months for design (which can partially overlap with editing), composition, and proofreading; about two weeks for ebook conversion; four to six weeks for printing; and about a week for shipping. As with traditional publishing, other marketing- and distribution-related activities are going on during and after production.

For some authors, the hybrid option balances the quality they desire with their need to make the book available as quickly as possible.

Ultimately, each book has its own unique needs and each author their own unique goals. Fortunately, the modern publishing industry offers three options for you to choose from to align your needs and goals with a realistic timeline.