At many presses, the production process will take nine months to a year. However, this timeline will vary depending on your press’s production schedule. It’s a good idea to ask your editor for an estimate when you submit your final manuscript. In most cases, the manuscript will go through a series of steps: the manuscript will be copyedited, then it will be sent back to you to approve those copyedits, then the manuscript will be sent to a compositor who will set or typeset the text into book pages, or page proofs. Then those pages will be proofread and indexed, usually by the author. Meanwhile, a cover for the book will be designed and the marketing and editorial departments will work on jacket copy and endorsements for the book that will also be sent to the cover designer for the creation of the book jacket. Once all of those elements are completed, the book will be tagged for conversion into ebook format (there are many different types of ebooks and most require a specific type of format unique to them). The book will also be sent to a printer for physical manufacturing. Copies are printed and bound and then sent to a warehouse from which they are then sorted and sent out to those who have ordered the book (both individuals and booksellers).
—AUPresses Faculty Outreach Committee