How Long Does It Take to Write a Book?
The honest answer: most first-time authors take 6 to 18 months to finish a book. Some take years. A small percentage never finish at all.
But the real answer depends on what kind of book you're writing, how fast you write, and whether you're doing it yourself or getting help.
Below is a realistic breakdown of timelines by book type, method, and writing pace, so you can plan accordingly.
Average Timelines by Book Type
Not all books are created equal. A 30,000-word business book and a 100,000-word novel are completely different projects with completely different timelines.
| Book Type | Word Count | Average Time (DIY) | Average Time (With Help) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short business/nonfiction book | 20,000 – 35,000 words | 3 – 6 months | 1 – 3 months |
| Standard nonfiction book | 40,000 – 60,000 words | 6 – 12 months | 2 – 5 months |
| Memoir | 50,000 – 80,000 words | 9 – 18 months | 3 – 6 months |
| Novel (fiction) | 70,000 – 100,000 words | 6 – 24 months | 4 – 12 months |
| Academic or research book | 60,000 – 120,000 words | 1 – 3 years | 6 – 18 months |
| Ghostwritten business book | 20,000 – 40,000 words | N/A | ~1 week (TurnkeyBook) |
These timelines include writing the first draft, revising, and editing. They don't include publishing, cover design, or marketing, which can add weeks or months depending on your approach.
What Determines Your Writing Speed?
1. How Much Time You Have Per Day
This is the biggest factor, and it's the one most people underestimate.
If you're a coach, consultant, or business owner writing a book on the side, you probably have 30 to 60 minutes per day to write. Maybe less. Some weeks you won't write at all.
At 500 words per day (a realistic pace for non-professional writers), a 40,000-word book takes 80 writing days. That sounds like less than 3 months, but in practice it takes 6 to 9 months because life gets in the way. Client calls, travel, holidays, writer's block, and plain exhaustion all eat into your schedule.
Professional full-time writers typically produce 1,000 to 2,000 words per day. At that pace, a 40,000-word first draft takes 20 to 40 days. But you're probably not a professional full-time writer. That's the point.
2. How Much You Already Know About Your Topic
If you're writing a book based on expertise you've developed over 10+ years, the ideas are already in your head. You're organizing and articulating what you know. That's faster than researching a topic from scratch.
If you're writing about something that requires interviews, data gathering, or original research, expect to add 2 to 6 months to your timeline just for the research phase.
3. Whether You Outline First
Writers who create a detailed outline before they start drafting finish faster. Significantly faster. An outline gives you a roadmap so you never sit down to write and think "what do I say next?"
Writers who skip the outline (sometimes called "pantsers" in fiction) tend to write more words overall because they go down dead ends, restructure chapters, and sometimes throw out entire sections.
For nonfiction, outlining is practically mandatory. Your book is making an argument or teaching a framework. That requires structure.
4. Your Revision Process
The first draft is only half the work. Most books go through 2 to 5 rounds of revision before they're ready to publish. Each round can take 1 to 4 weeks depending on how much needs to change.
A common mistake first-time authors make is assuming the first draft is close to done. It rarely is. Budget at least 30% of your total timeline for revision and editing.
The Real Bottleneck: It's Not Writing Speed
Here's what most articles about book timelines won't tell you: the hardest part isn't writing fast enough. The hardest part is staying consistent.
Research from the publishing industry shows that roughly 80% of people who say they want to write a book never finish. The number one reason isn't talent or lack of ideas. It's consistency. People start strong, hit a wall around chapter 3 or 4, and slowly stop writing.
This is especially true for busy professionals. If you're running a business, managing clients, and trying to write a book on the side, the book is always the thing that gets pushed to tomorrow.
That's not a character flaw. It's a prioritization reality. Your business generates revenue today. Your book generates revenue later. The urgent always beats the important.
How to Write a Book Faster
If you're committed to doing it yourself, here are the tactics that actually work.
Set a Daily Word Count Target (and Make It Small)
500 words per day is better than 2,000 words twice a week. Consistency beats intensity. A 500-word daily habit gets you a 40,000-word first draft in about 3 months.
Block Your Writing Time
Put it on your calendar like a client meeting. Early morning works best for most people because your willpower is highest and your inbox hasn't taken over yet.
Use the "Interview Yourself" Method
For nonfiction, record yourself answering questions about your topic. Talk for 30 minutes, get it transcribed, and you'll have 4,000 to 5,000 words of raw material. It's not a finished chapter, but it's a starting point that's much easier to edit than a blank page.
Hire an Editor Early
Don't wait until the manuscript is "done" to bring in an editor. A developmental editor can review your outline and first few chapters early, saving you from structural problems that would require a major rewrite later.
Lower Your Standards for the First Draft
Your first draft is supposed to be bad. Every professional writer knows this. Get the ideas down, then fix the writing later. Perfectionism in the first draft is the single biggest time killer.
The Fastest Legitimate Way to Get a Book Done
If your goal is to have a published book that builds your authority, generates leads, and positions you as an expert, you have three realistic options:
Option 1: Write it yourself (6 to 18 months) You do all the work. It's the cheapest option in terms of money, but the most expensive in terms of time and opportunity cost. For a consultant billing $200/hour, 300 hours of writing time represents $60,000 in lost revenue.
Option 2: Hire a traditional ghostwriter (3 to 6 months, $15,000 to $50,000+) A professional ghostwriter interviews you, writes the book, and delivers a polished manuscript. Faster than doing it yourself, but expensive and still takes months.
Option 3: Use a done-for-you book service (~1 week, $2,800) Services like TurnkeyBook handle everything: interviews, writing, formatting, and publishing. The entire process takes about a week. You get a finished, published book without spending months in the writing trenches.
The right option depends on your budget, timeline, and how much you enjoy the writing process itself. If you love writing and have the time, option 1 is fulfilling. If you want results fast and don't want to spend $30,000+, option 3 exists for exactly that reason.
Timeline Comparison at a Glance
| Method | Timeline | Cost | Your Time Commitment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write it yourself | 6 – 18 months | $0 (plus editing costs) | 200 – 400 hours |
| Book coach + you write | 4 – 9 months | $3,000 – $10,000 | 150 – 300 hours |
| Traditional ghostwriter | 3 – 6 months | $15,000 – $50,000+ | 10 – 30 hours (interviews) |
| Done-for-you service (TurnkeyBook) | ~1 week | $2,800 | 2 – 4 hours (interviews) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you really write a book in a week?
You personally? Probably not, unless you're a full-time professional writer with nothing else on your plate. But a team of experienced ghostwriters working from structured interviews with you? Yes. That's exactly what done-for-you services are built for.
How long does the editing process take?
For a self-written manuscript, expect 4 to 12 weeks for professional editing (developmental edit, copy edit, and proofread). With a done-for-you service, editing is built into the delivery timeline.
How long does publishing take after the book is written?
Self-publishing on Amazon KDP takes 24 to 72 hours once your files are uploaded. Traditional publishing takes 12 to 18 months after your manuscript is accepted. If speed matters, self-publishing is the clear winner.
What's the minimum viable length for a nonfiction book?
For a business or self-help book, 20,000 to 30,000 words is the practical minimum. That's roughly 100 to 150 pages. Readers expect substance, but you don't need 300 pages to make your point. Some of the most influential business books are under 200 pages.
The Bottom Line
For most people writing on their own, a book takes 6 to 18 months. That timeline shrinks dramatically when you get help, whether that's a book coach, a ghostwriter, or a done-for-you service.
The question isn't really "how long does it take to write a book?" The real question is: how long are you willing to wait before your book exists and starts working for you?
If the answer is "not long," you have options.