The Ugly Truth About Book Publishing Schedules

By: Ebonye Gussine Wilkins

Book publishing schedules are those wonderful things that keep us on track. They help hold us accountable and get our book out to market.

Truth is, they can be really annoying, stifling, and anxiety-inducing.

Book publishing schedules have to be so carefully planned, and you really can’t build one without having a marketing plan ready. You can’t really have one until you’ve actually written a book (otherwise, it’s even more pressure). You can’t stick to a schedule until you’ve found an editor you like, pre/post editing reviewers you can trust, and a whole lot more. You need the cover design, and the interior layout, and an ISBN and a million other details to line up perfectly so that your book makes it out on schedule.

And basically, while they are useful, they are also awful to have to deal with.

It means the writer (including you!) has to stick to a schedule. It means your editor has to be on board. It means that you have to add buffers to your schedule in the event that something else goes wrong. You might as well hire an event planner to manage it, because releasing a book to the world is kind of a big deal, and it requires precise coordination that most people can’t stomach.

So what’s the takeaway here?

Whether you like it or not, you’ll need a book schedule. And stick to it. Eventually, it will make life easier.

Do you have a book publishing schedule? How detailed is it? If you don’t have one, do you think you’ll create one? Why or why not?