How long does it take to get a publishing deal?

 Securing a traditional publishing deal is often a long, uncertain, and multi-phase process. While some rare cases involve overnight success, most authors spend months—sometimes years—moving from finished manuscript to a signed contract. The total time it takes can range from six months to several years, depending on many factors including the quality of your manuscript, the strength of your pitch, the genre, market trends, agent representation, and the publishers you’re targeting.

This article breaks down each phase of the process and what affects the timeline, so you can set realistic expectations and plan your publishing journey with clarity and confidence.

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1. Overview: The Stages That Affect the Timeline

To understand how long it takes to get a traditional publishing deal, consider the process in phases:

1. Writing and editing your manuscript

2. Researching and querying literary agents

3. Waiting for agent responses (rejections or requests)

4. Working with an agent (if signed) to revise the manuscript

5. Submission to publishers

6. Waiting for editorial decisions

7. Offer of publication and contract negotiation

Each phase involves wait times, multiple steps, and sometimes, rejections followed by revisions and repeat attempts.

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2. Phase 1: Writing and Preparing the Manuscript (3–12 months or more)

Before approaching agents or publishers, your manuscript must be:

• Fully written (especially for fiction)

• Revised and proofread

• Reviewed by critique partners or beta readers

Depending on your genre and writing speed, this could take anywhere from a few months to multiple years. Rushing to submit an underdeveloped manuscript is a common reason new authors face long delays and rejections.

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3. Phase 2: Querying Literary Agents (3–12 months)

Once your manuscript is ready, the next step (for most traditional publishing routes) is to query literary agents. This process alone can take several months to over a year, due to:

• Researching the right agents who represent your genre

• Crafting personalized query letters and following submission guidelines

• Staggering submissions: Many authors query 5–10 agents at a time to refine their pitch based on feedback

• Waiting for responses: Some agents reply within days; others take months. Some never respond at all.

Response time averages:

• Queries: 2–12 weeks

• Partial requests: 1–2 months

• Full manuscript requests: 1–6 months

If you’re lucky, you may land an agent quickly. But it’s more common to face multiple rounds of rejection, revise your manuscript or query, and start again.

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4. Phase 3: Working With an Agent (1–3 months or longer)

Once you sign with an agent, they may request revisions before sending your manuscript to publishers. Many agents want to polish the manuscript to align with market trends or increase its chances of being acquired.

This can involve:

• Structural or plot edits

• Tightening prose or dialogue

• Clarifying target audience

Depending on the depth of edits, this process could take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.

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5. Phase 4: Submission to Publishers (3–6 months or more)

After revisions, your agent will begin submitting to acquiring editors at publishing houses. This phase is often called being “on submission.”

Submission timelines vary widely:

• Some editors respond within 2–4 weeks

• Others take 3–6 months or more

• Some never respond at all

Rejections at this stage are common and usually vague (“not the right fit,” “didn’t connect”). If no offers come in, your agent may revise the submission strategy or ask for changes to the manuscript before trying again.

It’s not uncommon for manuscripts to be on submission for 6–12 months before getting a deal—or not selling at all.

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6. Phase 5: Offer and Contract Negotiation (2–8 weeks)

If an editor makes an offer, your agent will:

• Notify other editors who have the manuscript (to see if they also want to offer)

• Negotiate advance, royalties, rights, and deadlines

• Finalize the publishing contract

This negotiation phase can take a few weeks, depending on how many offers there are and how complex the terms are. Once everything is agreed upon, the contract is signed.

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7. Total Timeline to Secure a Deal

Let’s summarize the average total time from manuscript completion to deal:

Stage	Typical Duration
Manuscript writing & revisions	6–12 months (or more)
Agent querying	3–12 months
Agent revisions (post-signing)	1–3 months
On submission to publishers	3–12 months
Offer and contract signing	1–2 months

Total: 1.5 to 3 years on average.

In rare cases, authors land an agent and a deal within 6–9 months. But more often, it’s a slow, repetitive, and unpredictable process.

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8. Why Does It Take So Long?

Publishing moves slowly due to multiple reasons:

• Agents and editors juggle hundreds of submissions

• Publishers make acquisition decisions through multiple departments (editorial, marketing, finance, sales)

• There are seasonal submission schedules, where decision-makers go on summer/winter breaks

• Contracts involve legal teams and multiple sign-offs

• Each book is an investment—publishers are cautious about what they take on

Additionally, many editors are reading submissions on top of their regular publishing duties, meaning your manuscript may sit for weeks before it's even opened.

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9. What If You Don’t Get a Deal?

It’s entirely possible to go through the full process—writing, querying, revising, submitting—and still not land a deal. This doesn’t mean the end of your writing career.

Your options include:

• Revising the manuscript and trying again later

• Writing a new book (many authors get published with their second or third manuscript)

• Querying new agents

• Submitting directly to independent or small presses

• Considering self-publishing

Many successful authors faced years of rejection before breaking through.

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10. How to Speed Up the Process (Without Rushing)

While you can’t fully control the timeline, you can improve your chances and reduce delays by:

• Submitting only when the manuscript is truly ready

• Researching and targeting the right agents and publishers

• Following submission guidelines precisely

• Writing a compelling query and synopsis

• Staying organized with a submission tracker

• Continuing to write new material instead of waiting passively

Being proactive, informed, and professional gives you a competitive edge.

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11. What Happens After You Get the Deal?

Once the contract is signed, the publishing journey still isn’t over. Your book now enters the production and marketing timeline, which can take another 12 to 24 months before the book hits shelves.

Stages include:

• Developmental and copy edits

• Cover design and title selection

• Marketing strategy planning

• Advance review copies (ARCs) sent to reviewers

• Pre-order setup and distribution planning

So, even after you land the deal, your book’s release may not happen for 1–2 years.

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Conclusion

Getting a publishing deal is a long game. From writing to querying, submission to signing, the process often takes 1.5 to 3 years or more. While it’s natural to want fast results, traditional publishing involves layers of review, decision-making, and production that simply take time.

The key is to stay patient, persistent, and focused on the long-term goal: building a lasting career as an author. Use the waiting periods to improve your craft, network with other writers, write your next book, and educate yourself about the industry. Publishing is a marathon—not a sprint—and the authors who succeed are those who keep showing up, manuscript after manuscript, query after query, with passion and perseverance.