What Is Publishing? The Seven Processes of Book Publishing

Before listing the seven processes of publishing, a quick look at formats. In the old days, books began as print and in a publishing contract, electronic or audio editions were handled as “subsidiary” to that ore format. Hence a whole section in publishing contracts covering subsidiary rights.

Today’s indie authors use digital tools to produce books in three formats: ebook (electronic), pbook (print), and abook (audio) and most authors now start with the cheapest and easiest format which is ebooks.

We all have our preferred reading format and many older readers, in particular, are romantic about print, loving the feel, the smell and the weight of a print book in the hand. A good author-publisher knows that how we ourselves like to read, as a reader or writer, is irrelevant. Our job as a publisher is to get our books into as many formats as possible so that the readers can choose their own preferred format.

If you are currently publishing your first book, It's recommended you begin with making, supplying and sell an ebook first, as it’s the easiest and cheapest format to work with. Ebooks will set you up fastest for book sales and allow you to make your inevitable mistakes more cheaply, and in a way that is easiest to rectify and change.

The elements and processes of publishing are the same across the three formats. Once you’ve mastered ebooks, you can build on those skills to produce print and audio, the tricker formats that need more investment.

So what are those elements and processes?

The Seven Processes of Publishing: Three Elements

The three elements of commercial book publishing are: book making, books supply and book sales. These three elements encompass seven key processes that make up the craft of publishing.

• Book making relies on the processes of editorial, design and production.
• Book supply relies on the processes of distribution and marketing.
• Book selling relies on the processes of promotion and rights management.

Digital tech and tools have revolutionised publishing in the last decade and there are now more ways to make, supply and sell books than ever before, but these fundamental elements and processes of publishing never change.

Publishing Element One: Book Making

Process 1: Editorial
The first process in publishing is editorial: revising, amending, rearranging and improving the words and flow of a manuscript, aiming for clarity, simplicity, brevity and artistic effect.

Process 2: Design
The second process in publishing is book design: configuring the cover and interior text to consolidate the content, style, format, and sequence of the book into a coherent visual unit.

Process 3: Production
The third process in publishing is book production: assembling the book in audio, electronic, or print format.

Publishing Element Two: Book Supply

Process 4: Distribution
The fourth process in publishing is book distribution and sales: circulating the book through channels that make it available to readers for purchase.

Process 5: Marketing
The fifth process in publishing is book marketing: ongoing, repeatable activity which generates awareness of a book and its author among book distributors, retailers and readers. Marketing positions you as an author, and your books, to be what the publishing business calls “discoverable”–which means you can be easily found by readers who are searching for a book like yours. Marketing covers ongoing activity like tending to your website, your regular social media activity, growing and communicating with your email list.
Publishing Element Three: Book Selling

Process 6: Promotion
The sixth process in publishing is book promotion: concentrated sales-driven activity behind a particular book for a particular period of time. Promotion takes one book and brings it to its target readers, with enticement to buy. It covers things like advertising, price promotions, blog tours, real-life book tours, media coverage and more.

Process 7: Selective Rights Licensing
The seventh process in publishing is rights licensing: assigning the right to publish, produce or otherwise exploit a book’s content or characters in exchange for royalties (a percentage of sales revenue).

If it’s your first time self-publishing, thinking about the process in this way may be new to you. Even if you’ve published before, you may not have identified or been aware of all these processes, or you may be more familiar with some of the processes than others. For a self-publisher, each of these seven processes is an opportunity to express your vision, clarify your brand, and grow your business.

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