1. Finish the manuscript
- Complete revisions with beta readers or critique partners.
- Commission a developmental edit if structure is uncertain, then a line edit and copyedit.
- Keep a style sheet of names, spellings and decisions.
- Freeze the text before typesetting — late changes are expensive.
2. Decide formats and specs
- Choose formats: ebook, paperback, hardcover, large print, audiobook.
- Choose a trim size available in all print formats.
- Choose paper (white or cream) and interior ink (black or colour).
- Estimate the page count with the calculator.
3. Set up your publishing identity
- Pick an imprint name and check it is not already used by another publisher.
- Buy ISBNs from your national agency — one per format.
- Open accounts with your chosen platforms (for example KDP, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital, an audiobook distributor).
4. Design the interior
- Typeset with a book-quality font and proper margins (see interior typography).
- Assemble front and back matter, including the copyright page.
- Proofread the typeset pages, not just the manuscript.
- Export a print PDF (fonts embedded, correct page size, bleed only if needed) and a validated EPUB.
5. Design the cover
- Brief a designer with genre comparables, trim size, page count and paper.
- Get the final page count before the full wrap is finalised — the spine depends on it.
- Use the printer's template; check barcode placement and spine text margins.
- Create ebook and square audiobook versions.
6. Write the metadata
- Title and subtitle exactly as on the cover and title page.
- A book description that sells.
- Categories and keywords, contributor bios, series information.
- Prices for every format and territory.
7. Upload, proof and fix
- Upload files and review the platform's online previewer.
- Order a printed proof of every print format. Read it on paper.
- Check: margins, gutter, page numbers, running heads, image quality, spine alignment, colours, barcode.
8. Legal and library steps
- Register copyright where it brings benefits (for example with the US Copyright Office).
- US publishers can request a Library of Congress Preassigned Control Number before publication.
- Fulfil legal deposit requirements in your country (for example the British Library in the UK).
9. Launch
- Set a release date with enough lead time for advance reader copies and preorders.
- Follow a marketing timeline.
- Plan what happens after launch: newsletters, events, the next book.