On the Book Publishing Process
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
What processes do you go through from start to finish, and what can aspiring writers expect?
I asked myself this question constantly, as I found it confusing and couldn't find any clear answers. That’s why I intend to briefly outline this common journey and offer my humble assistance. Rather than focusing on feelings such as whether it’s easy, difficult, enjoyable or complicated, I’ll focus on the practical aspects. I hope this helps you overcome some challenges and puts your mind at ease. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. If I know the answer, I’ll be happy to share it with you.
Let's dive straight in and ask: what makes someone decide to publish a book? What kind of content might be considered sufficient?
Let me explain how it unfolded for me. I had one idea in mind from the outset and spent over ten years refining it. Over time, it took on different forms and incorporated various elements. The strange thing is, though, that my book has nothing to do with any of that. I decided to take a different approach. I chose to make my first book more original and flexible than my usual work.
So, I gathered the poems and prose pieces that I had written over a period of just over a year. I looked for a connection between them. I then divided them into categories that suited the emotions I wanted to convey. I selected the pieces that would best convey my intended meaning, edited them, and discarded some. In the end, I had thirty-six poems and nine prose pieces, and I felt that the collection was complete.
Although publishing a book had always been one of my dreams, I kept putting it off due to the years I’d spent working on it, as well as my laziness, which was intertwined with my state of mind. You know how it is, sometimes you make decisions on the spur of the moment. After months of feeling good and being highly productive, in November 2025 I compiled my writings into a single document and finalised the outline of my book. I submitted the form on the website, along with my texts and CV. All that remained was to make it happen.
That’s exactly how my process worked. My inner drive combined with the periods of disciplined work I put in. That’s why I never felt I lacked content. In fact, I was able to move freely within the scope of the content.
There are now two options available to you. The first is to send your work to well-known publishers and wait for a reply, which could take a considerable amount of time. Depending on how busy the publisher is and how frequently works of the same genre are submitted, this process can take anywhere from six months to a year. Of course, you may receive a rejection letter sooner.
The other option is to approach relatively lesser-known 'boutique' publishers whose names you may not have heard of. Here, your book still goes through an evaluation process, but it's quicker and easier. After all, their aim is to increase content production too. That’s why I reckon there’s a good chance you’ll be accepted.
If you're wondering why, the answer is simple: while well-known publishers publish your book for free or at a very low cost, boutique publishers do not. They find a way to keep going. Nevertheless, they’ve developed an acceptable system to overcome financial difficulties. I’ll talk about this later.
Let's recap on where we are now. We have compiled the content of our book, submitted it to a small publisher and had it accepted. We are now moving on to the printing process.
Once the publisher has agreed to the terms, you will have a video call with them. This will give both parties the opportunity to get to know each other a little, and there will be a brief formal conversation. During this recorded call, you will be informed about how the process works. You will then be asked to respond. The publisher will also share a document setting out the formal terms of the process (I imagine these are similar for most publishers). This document will explain how the print run will be determined, how many copies will be sent to you for direct sales, the likely publication date, applicable legal procedures, and royalty percentages. If you accept the terms, you will be sent a form to confirm your agreement. Once you have signed and returned it, the process will officially begin. Congratulations! The first step is complete.
You will then be able to benefit from the services provided by this publisher.
You will be put in touch with an editor to edit your manuscript, a designer to discuss the design of your book cover and a typesetter to finalise the layout of your text, once the editor has approved the content for the final time. You will complete these stages through swift communication. The more constructive your feedback, the better. Sometimes you may struggle to express yourself, and sometimes the other party may too; this is only natural. As long as you remain calm and respectful, you will set a good example. It's important that both parties feel at ease. I’m emphasising this because people can get nervous when they start the process without knowing what to expect. If this tension is reflected back to the other party, it can ultimately wear you out too. Healthy communication truly creates a peaceful atmosphere. This aspect is more important than one might think.
You have approved the final amendments. The book is now on its way to being printed. The final pre-press checks are being carried out. The administrative formalities are being taken care of (such as obtaining an ISBN number).
From this point onwards, you will only communicate with the publisher regarding the price of the books. You will be asked one last time about the print run that you specified initially. Depending on this, either a pricing policy will be outlined or mutual calculations will be made. This process is essentially based on trust. While you want your book to be priced affordably — in my opinion, your motivation should never be profit, but I cannot speak for you — they are naturally concerned with maximising profit per sale. After all, this is a business.
This brings us to the acceptable system I mentioned earlier. They haven’t asked you for any money yet. However, as stated in the official documents from the outset, they do want you to cover the printing costs of the book. To set a retail price for your book, it may be helpful to look at the rates the publisher applies to books of a similar length. Based on this, the total cost of the agreed print run is calculated. This is the only amount you’ll pay. You have two options regarding sales and payment:
Selling through the publisher itself or via the sales channels where the book is available. In this case, your payment will be calculated by deducting the number of copies sold from the print run.
Direct sales (these do not appear in their sales figures, but you report and send these sales weekly, monthly, or in a single batch at the end of the period).
Online sales are reported to you regularly (weekly or monthly) by the publisher. This allows you to keep track of them.
Once the two-month sales period has ended, you send the remaining payment due (the cost of unsold copies plus the revenue from direct sales), as mentioned above. Please note that other publishers may have different policies regarding timing. The remaining books are now entirely yours.
From now on, you don't need to make any more payments — you just need to continue making sales. You will now start to receive royalties based on the agreed rates. For the duration of the publication rights agreement (usually one year), your products will be sold via the publisher’s website, where you will receive the highest royalties. They will also be sold via other online channels, where royalties will be lower due to additional deductions. You will also have the option to sell at lower prices on some new online sales channels that were not previously available (your earnings will remain the same). As always, you are free to set the price for any copies you choose to sell directly.
At the end of the year, you may also request a renewal of the agreement, as discussed during your initial meeting.
Yes, I think I’ve covered many of the key points. However, there may be some points I haven’t mentioned, as much of the process has now passed and it is difficult to judge which aspects are the most important. That’s precisely why it’s important for you to ask questions, so we can address any gaps together.
I worked with Mahlas Yayınları. This isn’t a recommendation or a judgement, good or bad – I’m simply stating a fact. Throughout this article, I’ve touched upon my personal experience from time to time, but I imagine that other boutique publishers operate in a similar way. There may be some organisational differences, but generally speaking, this is how things work. I can say this is the case based on my previous work experience as well.
The whole journey has been exciting. Every now and then, I look at a physical copy of my book and reflect on it. I find myself revisiting the moments when I wrote those poems and pieces of prose. The feedback I receive from others is, of course, exceptionally special. Thanks to people's kind words, I can easily endure all the fatigue and unpleasant moments I’ve experienced.
However, there’s a side to it that I don’t like. Advertising. It feels rather crass, but ultimately, that’s the reality of life. As I bring this to a close, I’m leaving a link for those of you who are curious about my writing (it is only in Turkish) or would like to buy a copy and show your support. You can access the publisher’s website and other sales channels via the link below to make your purchases.
Your comments and reviews are also really valuable. If you would like to, you can add my book to your reading lists and review it on the websites where you purchased it, as well as on platforms such as Goodreads and 1000Kitap. You can find these links in the panel above.
Warm regards to you all! Thank you to everyone who has supported me, and happy reading!
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