Book Publishing Basics
Five-minute read.
In June 2026, I gave a presentation on the basics of book publishing to a group of professionals not in the publishing industry. I was asked to present the topic as part of an annual wellness week hosted by a company in New England. This company gathers professionals of varying areas to present to their employees on topics they may be interested in and want to learn more about.
I was asked to present on publishing. While this presentation specifically focused on book publishing, and mostly trade publishing, a lot of the concepts can and should be applied across the publishing world. This was my first time presenting as a freelancer, and the session consisted of a long slot of time to talk and answer questions (almost two hours!). It felt validating to be acknowledged as a professional on this subject matter, and not only disseminate key information, but answer a variety of questions.
Most of the participants seemed to be fiction or creative nonfiction hobbyist authors, and really wanted to learn about how to get traditionally published. I did try and stress that while self-publishing has some challenges, it’s a very valuable alternative to traditional publishing, especially for new authors. It was interesting to learn the audience’s perception of self-publishing as almost less legitimate than traditional publishing, though they meant no disrespect. I completely understand where this train of thought came from, and it’s not completely unfounded if you’re thinking about what the weight a name of any major publishing company carries. But in an industry that’s very heavily saturated with work and has a high barrier to entry, self-publishing platforms do make more user-friendly and appealing alternatives.
Another great line of questions focused on marketing and publicity, two areas that I am familiar with from working in the publishing world, but have never had a direct hand in (other than writing some back cover copy). However, there are plenty of freelance book marketing professionals on sites like Reedsy who can help create and enact a plan. Something I stress to every author is that marketing teams will only go so far, but you as the creator and expert need to have your hand in marketing directly. The best person to talk about your book is always going to be you!
A few participants asked if my services included publishing. That was interesting to me as someone who has been in the industry for quite some time and can walk someone through the life of a book in their sleep. I don’t have a magic wand to just PUBLISH a book. I’m not even equipped to typeset or layout a title for print. There is so much more that goes on during the production side of book creation that I never touch. My work is all editorial. While I thought that distinction was obvious, it was good to be reminded that it’s new information to most people. My job will always be to get a manuscript to a good place, but that’s not where the journey ends. Even if an author plans to self-publish, there is a lot they can do with interior and cover design, marketing and publicity, formatting and typesetting, beta reading, and more.
Lastly, everyone wanted to know about proposals! I came equipped with a sample proposal guideline document (which included a sample proposal package) and there were still lots of questions. The general consensus seemed to be that most participants saw proposals as a foot in the door to understanding submitting to publishers. Which, isn’t untrue. But something I wanted to get across, and I should have reiterated, is that proposals also serve the author as a guideline for their own work. It can be easy to get swept up in the writing process, the edits, and the never-ending possibilities when you get signed to a publishing house and begin your project in full. But the core of the work should remain the same, and the proposal is a great place to reference that initial concept. Sure, the details can change, and the book specs will change. But your title was picked for a reason, and while pivots will happen, that central idea is what you always want to come back to.
Take a look at my slideshow below to see the material I presented. And don’t hesitate to reach out via the Contact Page for more information.