Finish Your Book In One Year? Here's How
The life of a writer is less about inherent talent, more about practice and hard work.
Regardless of how long they’ve been working on their manuscript, many writers make the bold declaration that they will finish their book “one year from now.” 52 weeks. 365 days.
It doesn’t matter if they just started or if it’s a story that’s been lodged inside their heads for a decade. Through sheer force of will, they WILL have a fully fleshed-out manuscript by the next calendar year!
I can see why they’d pick that target; I’ve been guilty of the same ambition. A year feels like a safe middle ground, one that’s realistic but not too far away. Sure, some blisteringly prolific authors can publish one book a month because they've streamlined their system. But is that fast track best for you?
In fact, I want to explore what it takes to self-publish a book in a year.
This article is for everyone trying to wrap their head around the publishing process. We’re going to break down a full year into numbers so you can snap a Big Picture look at what each step requires. We aren’t going too deep, but this will be a helpful glance into your frenetic future as a self-published author.
4 Phases of the Publishing Process
Researching - 1 Month
It’s important to start your year with research so your book can launch with success. No matter traditional or indie, you can’t publish your book blind. Successful authors are willing to study the market because, honestly, how else will your book find readers? We’ll limit this phase to a month since it’s easy to lose yourself in the Forever Planning stage, and we are on the clock. Or in this case, the calendar.
Start with these questions: What genre are you writing for? What popular books are there? Of those books, what parts of the story are reviews praising or lambasting? You first need to understand the lay of the land, then you can decide what to research in order to bring the story burning in your heart to life.
And yes, of course you'll have time to research as you go! How else are you supposed to know the type of wood people in Japan traditionally used in their temples? (Japanese Cypress, Ceder, and Red Pine, if you’re curious.)
Just remember that researching is part of the book-writing process. Don't feel overwhelmed with how little you actually know about your topic at first. Set aside time as you draft to plug up such plot holes and leaps of logic. You’ve got a book to write! You’ll have a clearer view of what you need as you put your story on the page.
Drafting - 3-8 Months
Naturally, you’ll spend most of your time writing your book. Later in this article, I'll show some math on how many words you'd need per week to hit this goal, but for now, let's look through some specifics.
For myself, I never start writing until I have an outline. Simply put, I’m obsessed with outlines! It's when I'm most excited to start working, but I know others might not agree. Discovery writers or “pantsers” feel better without a plan because it sucks out all the magic of creation. They have a vague and powerful enough idea that they can build their story around it as they go, which is a spectacular superpower!
To translate how I feel to my beloved pantsers, the outlining stage is where I get that blissful feeling of creation. There are many different outlining methods, but once you understand one, you can take what you learned and apply it anywhere! Save The Cat, Three Act Structure, and even Kishotenketsu: All of them help you keep track of important story milestones that keep your plot moving and your characters grooving.
If story structure is something you'd like to learn more about, check out how much I love planning the middle in this recent article.
Not only that, but it's important to create a practical but ambitious writing schedule. I've used writing sprints, phone alarms, and post-dinner writing sessions to complete my writing. I’ve also dashed off to a local coffee shop or huddled in the corner of the library, trying to keep myself from procrastinating at home. Because I know how I operate, I avoid places that don’t have some form of accountability.
So instead of settling for excuses not to write, create excuses to write! Alternatively, you can join a local writer’s group, engage with a writing challenge online, or work under the watchful eye of a coach. Either way, get comfortable being uncomfortable. Writing a book in a year is a work out, and you’re about to earn your sweat.
Editing - 1-3 Months
Editing is more than checking for typos. In fact, there are 4 layers of editing within this phase, proving how important it is to have an action plan once you’re inching towards the finish line.
In short, the stages are:
Developmental, where you examine the story and characters to make sure they're entertaining and believable
Stylistic/line edits, where you play with word choice and sentence structure to keep the reader engaged
Copyedits, where you make sure your words are grammatically correct
Proofreading, where you make sure nothing important was left behind after formatting.
Editing is where the work can get tricky. If you’ve laid the proper groundwork, the editing phase can be a time to refine your manuscript, improving on your initial vision. Or it’s when you realize your narrative lacks tension, or when feedback says your villain isn’t as terrifying as you wanted. It’s like you’ve been knocked back to Square One, and after a year of work? No one likes Square One.
No matter what, take this stage as a place to learn where you can do better in the future. Most books take several years to write, let alone a few months. Approach this step with the understanding that you’re gaining tools for your writer’s tool belt. The life of a writer is less about inherent talent, more about practice and hard work.
Promoting - Always
Craig Martelle, who used to run the 20Books Conferences, would always say, “The best way to promote your book is to write the next one.” This shows there really is no end to your publication business, even after you wrap up that manuscript.
Promotion can start as you're writing the book by interacting with other authors, after you’ve written the book to announce your publication date, and post-publication when you're starting to drive traffic to your sales page. The more places you announce your upcoming books online and in person, the more roads you build to your success.
Thing is, this stage of the process is the most likely to give writers the creeps. “Isn’t it enough to tell a good story? Why do I have to do even more work!?”
Of course it’s important to tell a good story! But if you’re looking for readers, make sure they know how to find you. I explore a more holistic approach to marketing with Rebecca Grogan in this article.
Working as a writer means just that: work. But when you’ve created a sturdy foundation to bring your books to new readers, it can bring in a whole new level of engagement and fun! Share your creation with the world. You’ve earned it!
But First! Math
Now that we’ve explored the different stages of writing a book, let’s talk about project scope.
Pretend that you’re starting from scratch. How many words do you need to write for your finished manuscript? It depends on the genre and audience age range, but generally, I think a safe target is 100,000 for a full-length novel.
It sounds like a lot, but I’m also counting the words that will get left on the cutting room floor. The average novel is around 80,000 words, but genres can fluctuate. Romance can skew shorter, while Sci-Fi and Fantasy skew longer. But editing a blank page is impossible, so aim for quantity when you start! Plus even a planner like me finds surprise ideas as I write, so prepare for flexibility.
From our max range (listed above) of 8 months, that means over 32 weeks, you will need to write 3,125 words per week. Assuming you keep a healthy work-life balance, that equates to 625 words every weekday, saving the weekends to spend time with family, friends, and the odd existential crisis.
What about the minimum of 3 months? That condensed timeline means 8,400 per week, or 1,700 words per day. That’s roughly the same pace as the daily requirements for 50k in 30 days, but stretched out to save more room for insanity.
How do those numbers sound? Doable? Impossible?
If either option feels like you’re pushing yourself too hard, then you may need to reconsider your publishing timeline. The good news is you can absolutely take all the time you need. Just make sure you’re setting realistic goals to care for your personal and creative needs.
About 8,000 new books are published on KDP every day, even before the emergence of Generative AI. We can’t fully know how long it took each writer to finish their book, but we know they’re getting done.
So why not you? Make that ambitious leap, because even if you don’t finish, you have a nice pile of words to take with you during the rest of your journey.
Take Action
Look at your current manuscript project. Have you already considered these 4 phases? Are you prepared to tackle each one with gusto instead of trepidation?
Now let me be completely honest: it’s rare for anyone to have an easy year. Depending on your circumstances, it can seem like it’s never the “right” time to do the work. This is why taking action ASAP is so important! Because your words are worth it. Your stories, your creativity, your passion: readers are waiting for a writer like you to inspire them.
We’re getting closer to the new year, which is always a time of renewal and a look to the future. But no matter where you’re coming from, or how long it may take to get there, where you are heading will be glorious.
A Quick Announcement!
I’ve joined the amazing Margaret and Shannon Scown of Writer’s Harvest in their first-ever Write Time Summit!
On January 10th and 11th 2025, you can listen to presentations from myself and 12 other amazing speakers about how you can take action and make your writing dreams a reality.
And you know me, I love taking action!
You can sign up for the Waitlist here to see when tickets go live. The Write Time Summit takes place on January 10th and 11th, so mark your calendar and save time for yourself.
Get excited! And happy holidays!