The Delay Between Production and Publication

The journey to publishing my first children’s book moved surprisingly fast once I got started.

I knew what the words should be. I enjoyed the tedious task of formatting pages and creating illustrations. Eager to launch my creation into the world, I proudly uploaded my files and waited for my first proof to arrive.

That moment is a once-in-a-lifetime feeling, and you will LOVE it when it happens. Trust me.

My proof from Amazon KDP arrived within a few working days, and I was excited to move forward.

This is where the waiting game I never saw coming began.

You see, I wanted—no, insisted—that a hardcover version needed to exist. Hardcovers are important for gifting, retail opportunities, and school and library settings. I wanted that reach.

Enter IngramSpark.

For reference, here’s the timeline for my first title, Welcome to the Forest.

I submitted my files to IngramSpark on June 8. On June 9, I received a cover rejection. Fortunately, it was a minor issue, and I had the correction made and resubmitted within fifteen minutes. That same evening, an eProof arrived in my inbox for approval.

Feeling productive, I immediately approved the files and ordered what I considered proof copies for review.

I’m literally laughing as I type that.

Four books later, I’m writing this blog around lunchtime on June 24, and that original hardcover order still hasn’t shipped.

Welcome to the Forest?

No.

Welcome to waiting.

I now have three hardcover titles in the queue waiting to be received.

To be clear, this isn’t criticism of IngramSpark. This is simply the reality I never anticipated. I genuinely didn’t consider that it could take this long to get a hardcover copy of my own book in my hands.

Based on my experience so far, you should plan on a minimum of three weeks for an IngramSpark hardcover.

That completely blew my mind.

But I pivoted.

No worries. The moment my first three titles and activity book went live, I ordered author copies of the paperbacks through Amazon KDP.

Those orders were submitted on June 10—the date I now consider mildly unlucky—and most of them are finally arriving today.

Again, I was shocked.

The books are available with Prime shipping for customers.

Yet somehow, I, the actual author, can’t get my own books.

Once again, I’m laughing.

Because what else can you do?

Here’s the thing: I’m a planner.

I LOVE a schedule.

Publishing has taught me the hard way that it is often a hurry-up-and-wait business.

When you’re creating seasonal books—like my back-to-school title and upcoming holiday releases—you quickly realize how important timing becomes.

While it’s 100 degrees outside, I’m creating pumpkin patches, autumn festivals, and sleigh-filled Christmas scenes because those books need to be ready long before readers are thinking about them.

You can only work as hard as possible until the project reaches a point where you’re waiting on everyone else.

Printers.

Distributors.

Shipping companies.

Processing queues.

At some point, the timeline is no longer yours.

So if you’re planning your first book launch, my advice is simple:

Plan ahead.

Then add another week.

Then maybe add one more.

Because that’s Publishing 101, and it’s a lesson I missed right out of the gate.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to refresh an IngramSpark dashboard and hope to finally see something ship.

Your Friend in the Hedges,

Morgan