Revert "add changesets to 17.x.x alpha (#4599)"

This reverts commit ed7b1b8.

Author: yaacovCR

.changeset/README.md

@@ -86,11 +86,28 @@ Feel free to reach out via the [graphql-js channel](https://discord.com/channels
 
 ## Release on NPM
 
-Releases are managed by Changesets and GitHub Actions:
-
-- Contributors add changesets in PRs (`npm run changeset`) for user-facing changes.
-- Changesets release automation is currently enabled only on `17.x.x`.
-- Merging the release PR triggers publish to NPM.
+_Only core contributors may release to NPM._
+
+To release a new version on NPM, first ensure all tests pass with `npm test`,
+then use `npm version patch|minor|major` in order to increment the version in
+package.json and tag and commit a release. Then `git push && git push --tags`
+to sync this change with source control. Then `npm publish npmDist` to actually
+publish the release to NPM.
+Once published, add [release notes](https://github.com/graphql/graphql-js/releases).
+Use [semver](https://semver.org/) to determine which version part to increment.
+
+Example for a patch release:
+
+```sh
+npm ci
+npm test
+npm version patch --ignore-scripts=false
+git push --follow-tags
+cd npmDist && npm publish
+npm run changelog
+```
+
+Then upload the changelog to [https://github.com/graphql/graphql-js/releases](https://github.com/graphql/graphql-js/releases).
 
 ## License