How to Publish a Book

There isn’t one way to get published. There are four, and they differ in who pays, who keeps the rights and how long it takes.

If you want a publisher to pay for everything and put your book in bookstores, aim for the first two. If you want control and speed, self-publishing is the faster road. For the full numbers side by side, see our comparison of self-publishing vs traditional publishing.

Write and revise first, then pitch. The seven steps below are the traditional route, the one many first-time authors mean when they say they want to get published. If you’d rather publish it yourself, skip to when self-publishing is the better route.

What you need depends on whether your book is fiction or nonfiction.

• Fiction and memoir: finish the whole manuscript before you contact anyone. Agents want to read the full manuscript if they like your pitch, and first-time novelists almost never sell an unfinished novel. See how the routes compare for novels on our fiction publishing page.
• Nonfiction: you usually sell the book before it’s written, with a book proposal. It includes an overview, your author bio and platform (the audience you can already reach), the readers it’s for, comparable books, a chapter outline and one or two sample chapters. Our nonfiction publishing page covers how proposals and agents work for nonfiction.
• Check your length. Agents look for manuscripts that fit their category. A very long first novel, or a very short one, is harder to sell.

Agents and editors read quickly, and they decide based on the first few pages. Your manuscript needs to be as strong as you can make it before anyone in the industry sees it.

• Revise more than once. Many first drafts need more than one full revision.
• Get outside readers. Beta readers, people who read your genre, tell you where the story drags or the argument loses them.
• Consider a professional edit or critique. It isn’t required for traditional publishing, and the publisher edits the book again after a deal. But an editorial assessment shows you the big problems before you query, and you usually get only one chance with each agent.

Many big publishers, including the five biggest US houses, often called the Big Five, only read manuscripts sent by a literary agent. An agent’s job is to sell your book to the right editor and negotiate the contract, so finding the right agent is the real first goal.

• Look for agents who represent your genre. Check the acknowledgments pages of recent books like yours, where authors thank their agents, and search agent databases and agency websites.
• Read each agent’s submission guidelines. They tell you what to send and whether they’re open to queries right now.
• Make a list of 20 to 40 agents, ranked by how well they fit your book.
• Meet agents in person. Writing conferences and pitch events let you pitch agents directly, and a good conversation can get your pages read sooner.
• Check that they’re legitimate. A real agent earns only a commission on the sales they make, and never charges you to read your work.

A query letter is a one-page pitch that asks an agent to read your book. It’s the most important page you’ll write in the whole process.

What goes in a query letter

1. A personal opening line: why you chose this agent, such as a book they represent.
2. The hook: your main character, what they want, what stands in the way and what’s at stake, in one or two short paragraphs. For nonfiction, the problem your book solves and why readers need it now.
3. The details: the title, genre, word count and one or two comparable recent books, often called comps.
4. Your bio: a few lines on you, and any credentials that matter for this book.
5. A thank-you and sign-off.

Many agents take queries by email or through an online submission form, and few still take them by mail. Keep it to one page, and send exactly what each agent’s guidelines ask for, often the first 5 to 10 pages or the first three chapters.

The synopsis

Some agents also ask for a synopsis: a one- or two-page summary of the whole story, including the ending. It shows the agent that the plot holds together.

Our free query letter template walks you through each part.

Send your query to 8 to 10 agents at a time, and keep the rest of your list for later rounds.

• Querying several agents at once is normal. If one offers to represent you, let the others who have your pages know, so they can respond.
• Track every query: who, when, what you sent and the answer.
• Expect to wait. Responses can take from two weeks to six months, and some agents only reply if they’re interested.
• Learn from the first batch. If no one asks for pages, the query or opening pages need work. If agents ask for pages but pass, the manuscript may need another revision.
• Don’t take rejection personally. Many published authors were turned down dozens of times before they found their agent.

If an agent loves your book, they’ll offer representation, usually on a call.

• Ask questions before you say yes: how they’d pitch the book, which editors they’d send it to, and whether they expect revisions.
• Read the agency agreement, your contract with the agent. It should set out the commission, usually 15% for US sales and 20% to 25% for foreign sales handled with a co-agent, and how either side can end it.
• Revise with your agent. Many agents ask for one more round of edits before they send the book out.
• Going on submission, when your agent sends the manuscript to editors, can take from a few weeks to several months, and not every book sells.

When an editor wants your book, the publisher makes an offer, and your agent negotiates the terms.

• The terms. Your agent negotiates the advance and royalty rates. See how getting published pays you.
• Editing, design and production follow. From a signed contract to a book in stores usually takes 18 to 24 months.
• Marketing is shared. Publishers promote their biggest titles most, so debut authors often do much of their own promotion.

To find a publisher for your book, start with literary agents who represent your genre, or submit directly to small presses that accept authors without agents. If you can’t find an agent, or your book fits a niche, the second route is worth a close look.

How to get a book published without an agent

• Small and independent presses: many accept submissions directly from authors. They publish only a few books a year, so the competition is still real.
• Submission windows: many presses only accept manuscripts at certain times of year, or through contests.
• University and specialty presses: strong options for scholarly, regional and niche nonfiction.
• Check before you sign. A real traditional publisher never asks you to pay to be published. Ask to see recent books, check how they reach bookstores, and read the contract for the royalty rate and what rights you give up.

In traditional publishing, money flows to the author. Walk away if:

• An agent charges a reading fee, or makes paid editing a condition of representing you.
• A “publisher” offers a traditional deal but asks you to pay for editing, printing or marketing.
• Someone contacts you out of the blue offering to republish or promote your published book for a fee.
• An offer comes with pressure to decide or pay right away.
• A contract takes your rights for life with no way to get them back.

Traditional publishing pays you in three ways, and the timing surprises many first-time authors.

You never have to pay back an advance because the book didn’t sell enough, as long as you delivered what the contract asked for.

The figures on this page come from the Authors Guild model trade book contract, the Association of American Literary Agents’ Canon of Ethics, Writer’s Digest and Writer Beware, and were checked in October 2026.

Getting a book published traditionally usually takes two years or more, from your first query to a book in stores, because each stage waits on someone else’s schedule.

1. Revising and preparing your queryA few months
2. Querying agentsTwo weeks to six months for each response, often longer overall
3. Agent revisions and submission to editorsA few weeks to several months
4. Contract and first advance paymentVaries by publisher
5. Editing to publicationUsually 18 to 24 months after the contract

If speed matters, self-publishing can take a finished manuscript to a published book in about two to four months.

It’s hard: agents take on only a small share of the queries they receive, and publishers buy only some of the books agents send them. But the odds improve a great deal for writers who:

• Finish and revise the manuscript before querying.
• Write in a clear genre, with a length that fits it.
• Research agents carefully and follow each one’s guidelines.
• For nonfiction, build your platform, the audience you can already reach, because publishers weigh it heavily.
• Keep querying, learn from the answers and keep writing the next book.

Children’s publishing follows the same steps, with a few differences.

• Picture books: submit the text only. You don’t need illustrations, because publishers usually choose the illustrator.
• Agents first: many large children’s book publishers read only manuscripts sent by agents, though some smaller presses accept picture books and novels directly. If you’re learning how to submit a children’s book to a publisher, check each one’s guidelines for whether it accepts manuscripts without an agent.
• Format your manuscript the way agents expect, and keep your word count right for the age group.

Our guides on how to write a children’s book and how to publish a children’s book cover both paths in detail.

Traditional publishing isn’t the right fit for every book. Self-publishing often makes more sense if:

• You want the book out within a few months.
• Your book serves a specific audience you can already reach, such as clients, a community or your family.
• You want to keep the rights, the price and the cover decisions.
• You’ve queried widely and still believe in the book.