What it takes to get a book published

What it takes to get a book published

From Life Kit by NPR

April 7, 2026 · 22 min

About this episode

The episode explores the intricacies of writing and publishing a book, highlighting the financial and creative aspects involved.

Writing and publishing a book is just as much about money as it is about creativity. Planet Money co-host Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi walks us through how publishing works. He also explains the differences between publishing fiction and nonfiction, the chain of people that help get a book from rough draft to hard copy, and when self-publishing is a good option. Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit Sign up for our newsletter here. Have an episode idea or feedback you want to share? Email us at lifekit@npr.org Support the show and listen to it sponsor-free by signing up for Life Kit+ at plus.npr.org/lifekit See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

People in this episode

Guest: Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi

Topics covered

  • book publishing
  • writing
  • self-publishing
  • fiction
  • nonfiction
  • publishing process

Keywords

  • book publishing
  • writing process
  • self-publishing
  • fiction vs nonfiction
  • publishing industry

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NPR

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