Free Book Writing Schedule Template
A book writing schedule lays out the stages of writing, review points, and handover tasks so a manuscript moves from setup to final delivery.
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Interviews pile up, the draft drifts, and the first chapter lands sounding like somebody else. The Book Writing Schedule gives the work a clear production line, so voice checks and sign-offs happen before the manuscript gets too far ahead of the source material.
The board moves from Agreement and setup through Polish and handover, with each column carrying the actual tasks that push a manuscript forward. The headings sit in Syne over Inter body text, with an inked-rose and slate-blue palette that reads like an editorial workflow, not a pitch.
- Agreement and setup Covers the intake: collect the signed proposal and deposit, send the onboarding questionnaire, and book the discovery interview.
- Discovery and capture Tracks the discovery interview, gathers existing materials and references, and captures a usable transcript with timestamps.
- Outline and plan Builds the book premise and chapter list, then routes the outline through review, sign-off, and final revision.
- Drafting and revisions Moves chapters through first draft, feedback, second draft, and a voice consistency pass before the final edit.
- Polish and handover Handles flow and clarity edits, front and back matter and citations, permissions notes, final delivery, and the final invoice step.
Plutio runs the schedule as a project with tasks, which means you add your own dates, assign the cards to whoever’s writing, interviewing, or editing, and then work the columns in order. The board keeps the sequence without pretending to be a calendar, so the only setup is owners, dates, and any card wording you want to match the book.
We went from spending hours on every proposal to creating fully customized ones in under 5 minutes. That's not an exaggeration - we timed it.
What is on this board
6 columns carrying 21 cards. Adding it builds the whole thing as a project in your workspace, with every column and card in place.
| Column | What is in it |
|---|---|
Agreement and setup | Collects the intake tasks that kick the work off: signed proposal and deposit, onboarding questionnaire, and a booked discovery interview.
|
Discovery and capture | Holds the discovery tasks, including requesting reference material and producing a timestamped transcript you can draft from.
|
Outline and plan | Covers the outline workflow from premise and chapter list through review, sign-off, and a finalised version.
|
Interviews and transcripts | Carries the per-chapter interview plan, the interviews themselves, and the transcribed and summarised notes that feed the draft.
|
Drafting and revisions | Tracks chapter drafting in batches, feedback collection, revisions to a second draft, and a voice consistency pass.
|
Polish and handover | Finishes the manuscript with edits, front and back matter and citations, permissions checks, delivery, and the closeout steps.
|
What happens when you install it
- A project is created with its board, 6 columns and 21 cards already there.
- Nothing carries a due date, because a board holds the order the work runs in rather than a calendar. The dates go on once you know when the job starts.
- Every card opens as a task with its own description, assignee, dates, subtasks and files, and columns are renamed, reordered or deleted like any other.
Who it is for
Ghostwriters, editors, and collaborators handling books and memoir projects where the work needs to move from discovery to a delivered manuscript without losing the author’s voice.
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Questions about this project template
What should a book writing schedule include?
A book writing schedule usually covers setup, discovery, outlining, interviews, drafting, revisions, and a final polish and handover stage. This board also includes tasks for voice consistency, permissions checks, and front and back matter and citations.
How do you keep a ghostwritten book sounding like the author?
A voice check needs its own step, not a hope at the end. The schedule includes a dedicated voice consistency pass after chapter revisions, so the manuscript gets checked while changes are still easy to make.
How do you stop interviews from dragging on without pages getting written?
Interview work needs a boundary and a handoff into drafting. The board separates discovery from per-chapter interviews and ties each interview phase to transcripts and summaries that lead directly into drafting tasks.
Is a writing schedule the same as a calendar?
A writing schedule is the order and dependencies of the work, while a calendar is the specific dates. This template keeps the sequence in columns, leaving you to add your own dates based on the project.
What do you need from the author each week to keep a book moving?
Most projects stall when requests are vague or scattered. The schedule calls out when materials and references get requested, when interviews happen, and when outline or chapter feedback is due so the author knows what’s next.
Who owns the tasks in a book writing schedule?
A schedule works when each task has a clear owner. You add the people doing the work and assign the cards, so interviewing, transcription, drafting, and editing don’t sit unclaimed.
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