What does it take to get a book from an idea to the shelf?
Patience. Persistance. Prayer.
It's a process. A painfully long process that for some people takes a few years and for others takes a decade. I'm not talking about publishing it yet. I'm talking about WRITING it. It starts out as an idea. Maybe it came to you while taking out the trash or while flipping through TV channels. It certainly didn't come riding on a stallion wrapped in a golden bow.
No.
It takes months of researching for plot lines and character development. It takes months more to actually write it out. After you've cried and screamed and poured your heart out...congratulations. You've written a first draft that will be torn to shreds and rebuilt from the ground up. Then put that on repeat for a year or two or three. Maybe five, if it's really needed.
Once you think your book is decent, now you can begin thinking about publishing.
This is where we divulge into the three ways to get published -- self-publishing, Indie publishing, traditional publishing. Once inside, there are several more rounds of revisions and edits and proofreading. Neither is necessarily better than the other. There are successes in all three ways. It simply depends on which level of involvement you prefer and how much patience and writing skills you have.
1. Self-publishing
Self-publishing, also called vanity publishing, is where the author foots the bill for everything. You pay for the services to get it polished: editing, line-editing, design, typesetting, formatting, etc. You buy your own ISBN, which is what registers your book as a real book. You also pay for distribution. You're in charge of your own marketing and public relations. You will most likely sell fewer novels than you would expect. There are some success stories, but that's because they researched and played their cards right. Pretty much anyone with enough money can self-publish.
2. Indie publishing
Independent publishing is a loose term. Some people who self-publish consider themselves Indie authors, but this term also refers to those authors who are published by small and medium sized publishing houses. You submit your work to them and if they like it, then they offer you a contract for that specific book. These places have smaller budgets for marketing, but they pay for the costs to publish and distribute your book. It also means you don't get paid until your book sells enough to cover the expenses. They also take a cut of the profits thereafter. However, you get a pretty good say in what goes on with your book and it's cover art. Also, a lot of financial burden is off your shoulders in the process because if your book doesn't sell, well you didn't personally invest anything except time and effort.
3. Traditional publishing
Traditional publishing has it's own hoops to go through. A lot of hoops. That's because there are five global conglomerate publishing houses that dominate the market. Their North American offices are in New York. Getting published by a traditional publisher means getting through the gatekeepers called literary agents AND the acquisition editors. The Big 5 only deal with literary agents. So, you have to submit your precious manuscript to a literary agent and hopefully earn a contract with them, if they deem your book marketable enough. This process can take years in and of itself.
THEN when you land a literary agent you may take another few months to years submitting to The Big 5's acquisition editors, who have to take your manuscript up a chain of command – clawing and biting the whole way – if they love it. Working with The Big 5 can produce amazing results...if you have something that they deem marketable. They'll give you resources and a big marketing budget. But you get very little say in a any decision making and your profits are split among you, the publishing house AND the literary agent.
There you have it. A not-so-exhaustive run-down of what it takes to get published. You still have to build and/or maintain an online platform of loyal readers, begin negotiations for a second book, prepare for and attend conferences, engage in public speaking events and maybe hire a public relations specialist if the avenue you chose doesn't provide you one.
If you want to be a published author...
Have fun.
