How Many Drafts Does a Novel Need?
- Poppy Solomon
- 23 hours ago
- 4 min read
Have you noticed that publishing a book isn’t just about writing a quick draft that a publisher picks up and magics into an overnight bestseller? If you’re in the early drafting stage of your novel, it could be years before you hold a physical, finished copy of it in your hands. This frightens a lot of would-be authors. It's a huge job to take on, and they start to wonder, just how long is this going to take?
If you want an exact number of how many drafts before your book is 'done', I can't really give you one. It's like if I were a chef and told you that everything you cook needs exactly an hour in the oven at 160 degrees. I don't know if you're doing a roast, baking a cake, or simply heating up yesterday's dinner!
Similarly, all authors and all books are different. Some authors can write incredibly well-done first drafts that need only a little editing. Other authors need many drafts before the story even starts taking shape. There's no right or wrong way about it - it's about finding a process that works well for you.
Why do novels need so many drafts?
First, why do we do multiple drafts?
Some authors edit as they go rather than working on their book one draft at a time. For most, however, this is a dangerous trap. Editing as you write means you can easily get stuck, or spend too long on elements that will only change in the next draft. Trying to perfect everything in just one draft and hoping that once you write the story once, you'll be done, is unlikely to work.
Multiple drafts, especially when you take breaks in between those drafts, allow you to see your book more objectively each time. You can also focus on different story elements in each draft to keep your focus. Maybe you want to specifically make sure Nicole's dialogue sounds realistic, or you need to check for inconsistencies in the worldbuilding.
Each time we return to our book, we improve it further and learn more about our writing voice and skills. Every draft, or round of self editing, makes the book stronger. It alerts you to weaknesses and helps you understand and deepen the story so it's more enjoyable to readers.
What does a typical book writing process look like?
I typically give this list to aspiring authors wondering how a book comes to be. Of course, although this is a typical process, everyone's will be different!
The book idea arises
Research, planning, and outlining
The first draft – rough idea of the story
The second draft, or first round of self edits – a wide focus on developmental aspects
Engaging a developmental editor (optional)
Third, fourth, fifth drafts, and so on as needed – narrowing focus on polishing prose, copy editing, checking for plot holes, etc.
Beta reads
Another draft, with edits made based on feedback
More drafts to polish
The final draft, polished to the best you can get it to on your own
Engaging an editor/querying agents and publishers
What are the types of drafts?
Okay, I'll give you a number. I recommend at least five drafts, or five drafting stages:
Rough draft (getting down the general idea, telling yourself the story)
Developmental draft (figuring out the overarching story, deepening the characters and world)
Line editing (working on tone and voice)
Copy editing (ironing out inconsistencies and errors)
Polish (a final check to ensure the book is ready for querying or professional editing)
I call this editing process the funnel method. You go from focusing on the largest elements of the book to the most nitty-gritty. Why? Because it doesn't matter that you've caught every typo in draft two, if you're only going to change a lot of your sentences in draft three! We want the structural work done before we do any copy editing - just like how you wait until a house is built to decorate it.
You could do just five drafts, or take these stages and do dozens of drafts. It's up to you to figure out, at each point, what kind of work your manuscript needs. This is why engaging a developmental editor, manuscript assessor, or beta readers is so helpful. At any stage, they can help you hone in on your strengths and weaknesses so you can see the best next steps to take to get your book where you want it to be.
Discover more about editing
I'd love to help you learn more about editing your work. Check out my writing guidebook, HOW TO EDIT YOUR OWN NOVEL, or contact me to discuss my editing and coaching services for authors.
Poppy Rose Solomon’s creative pursuits are a manifestation of her passions for the whimsical and magical. Evoking inspiration and escapism is the goal of her storytelling. From her home in Lutruwita/Tasmania, she freelances as a YA editor and coach through her business Poppy’s Pages. Woken Kingdom is her first series, with plenty more novels to come, and she has also released a book to help other authors titled How to Edit Your Own Novel.
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