ADHD and Traditional Publishing: The Good, the Bad, and the Overwhelming
I decided that I wanted to write a book about adult ADHD about 3 years before I typed the first word of the manuscript that would become It All Makes Sense Now. During that time, I thought about writing every day, but instead of getting words on a page I spent my time overwhelmed and confused about the publishing process and the options available.
It wasn’t until I began to connect with other writers in my industry that my view of the publishing world became a bit clearer. Hearing from other’s that could relate to the unique challenge of navigating publishing with ADHD, gave me the push I needed to finally commit to pursuing traditional publishing. I’ll share my reasons why this worked best for my particular brand of ADHD below, but first here’s a quick overview of the main steps to the traditional publishing process for those that might not be familiar. Keep in mind, there are exceptions to this process, but this is a rough idea of how it most commonly works.
Securing an Agent - Typically this happens after an author has completed a draft of a manuscript (for fiction) or a book proposal (for non-fiction or memoir). The author prepares a query letter and distributes to agents they feel would be a good fit to represent their work. This process can be long and filled with disappointment and rejection. To help cope with the disappointment and strong emotions that almost always accompany this part of the process, I highly recommend building a supportive community of writers around you.
sidenote - It is possible to be approached by a publishing house’s acquisition editor if you are un-agented, but it is much rarer and usually only occurs if you already have a large following or connections in your field.
Going out on Submission - After you have representation and your agent feels your work is ready, they will begin to contact editors and pitch your work. The end goal of this process is an offer for a book deal (or more than one if you are really lucky.)
Contract Negotiation - When an offer is accepted you will move into the contract negotiation process. Once the details are agreed upon by both parties you will sign and move into the editing process with your publishing house.
Editing - Many houses will have their own approach to the editing process, however, its common to go through three rounds of edits. A developmental edit which will give you broad feedback about flow, plot holes and the overall feel of the book. After you complete your revisions, a line edit takes place. This is when components like sentence structure and readability are examined. The editing process typically concludes with a proofread to eliminate any typos.
After the editing process is complete your book is sent to press, and several months later your book will hit shelves.
There are several more components, like approving cover design, formatting and fact checking but the above gives you a general idea of the pieces that will create the biggest demand on your time and bandwidth.
Pros of traditional publishing for ADHDers
Less decision fatigue. There are several big decisions to make throughout the traditional process, but they tend to be front loaded at the beginning. I personally tend to ruminate on decisions whether they are big or small and felt traditional publishing would reduce this. Once a contract was signed, I was assigned an editor, presented a cover design for approval and a publishing date was determined. There was relief in not needing to find service providers and make decisions around how much to invest in these components.
Accountability. Like many ADHDers I tend to have all of the ideas but struggle to take action. Having a signed contract meant this project was actually going to happen. Any imposter syndrome I felt about publishing had to be dealt with and couldn’t keep me from completing my book any longer.
Deadlines. ADHD brains tend to be activated by urgency. I personally felt that having deadlines throughout the process would be a huge motivator.
Cons to Traditional Publishing for ADHDers
Less control. You do give up a bit of control when choosing the traditional publishing route. While you can give input on your cover, typically the final design is determined by the publisher. You also usually are assigned an editor, and they may not understand how your ADHD brain operates differently than the neurotypical clients they work with. If self-publishing, you could choose to hire the person that feels like the best fit for you. You also give up control around publishing dates. If there is an exact time you’d like to publish, self-publishing might be a better option.
You don’t escape having to market your book I’ve talked to many writers whose chief motivation for pursuing traditional publishing is a belief that they won’t have to be as involved in the promotion of their book. While your publishing house may take on some marketing, most authors find that they are still expected to manage most, if not all of this aspect.
Things don’t usually move quickly. If you are the type of ADHDer that struggles to get anything done if you have a 4:00 p.m. appointment on the calendar, then traditional publishing might not be the best fit for you. The time between finalizing your book and its release date can feel like the longest “waiting mode” ever. In self-publishing you don’t have to spend months ruminating about your upcoming release.
Conclusion
Choosing the right publishing path is a deeply personal decision, especially for ADHDers navigating their unique strengths and challenges. For me, traditional publishing offered the structure, accountability, and external deadlines I needed to bring It All Makes Sense Now to life — even if it tested my patience at times.
If you’re considering writing a book, my best advice is to connect with other authors, explore your options, and be honest with yourself about what kind of support you need to get across the finish line.
Notes from Jesse
As someone that went the self-published route, all three of those pros for going with a publisher definitely ring true! The hardest part of self publishing is the lack of accountability and deadlines, and just needing to make thousands of decisions without ever feeling like you have enough context to know if any of them are the correct one. In the same way, it can often feel lonely when you don’t have someone to bounce ideas off that has enough experience to be able to offer you any meaningful advice, certainly another reason worth considering your path to publishing.
What do you think is the most challenging part of the publishing process for ADHDers? Share in the comments below!
“If you’re the type of ADHDer who struggles to get anything done when you have a 4pm appointment in your calendar”. Ermmm… not just me then?!
I self published a decade ago and I’d love a trad publisher next time but my trepidation is the delay between writing and selling.
I will be well and truly over it by the time I’ve got to start promo.
This was such a validating read. It's refreshing to see the challenges of traditional publishing through a neurodivergent lens—thank you for sharing this perspective with honesty and clarity.