Decide how the book will be published
Choose the intended forms of the book before final preparation: printed paperback or hardback, ebook, home-printed booklet, direct PDF, or a combination. Each form has different constraints, and one source manuscript may need several separate outputs.
If a printing or distribution service will be involved, read its current file, page-size, cover, colour and metadata requirements. Record those requirements in one place. Do not reshape the only copy of the manuscript around a single supplier’s template.
Complete the editorial stages before page design
Developmental editing considers the argument, story, sequence and missing material. Copy-editing addresses clarity, consistency, grammar and factual detail. Proofreading comes later, after the words have been placed into their final pages or ebook structure.
Use a deliberate cut-off between editing and design. Rewriting remains possible afterwards, but substantial late changes can move page breaks, alter the cover spine and invalidate a completed contents page or index.
- Resolve comments, placeholders and tracked decisions.
- Confirm names, dates, quotations and repeated terminology.
- Use consistent heading levels rather than visual formatting alone.
- Check that every chapter and section is present and correctly ordered.
Assemble the whole book
A manuscript is more than its chapters. Decide which front and back matter the book genuinely needs. This may include a title page, copyright page, dedication, contents, introduction, acknowledgements, notes, bibliography, index or information about the author.
Keep structural elements identifiable. A designer or export process should be able to distinguish a chapter title from an ordinary heading, a quotation from body text and a deliberate blank page from missing content.
Clear rights and permissions
Confirm that you have the right to publish every substantial quotation, photograph, illustration, map, table and other contributed element. Permission may restrict territory, language, edition, format, print quantity or promotional use.
Keep written permissions and source information with the project. Credit lines should be settled before layout because their length and placement can affect the finished page. When rights are unclear, obtain appropriate professional advice rather than assuming that attribution alone is enough.
Prepare accurate book information
Write the title, subtitle, contributor names, edition, description, categories, keywords and publication date consistently. Prepare a concise description for catalogues and a separate, suitably sized author biography if one is required.
An ISBN identifies a particular publication and format; requirements vary with country, format and publishing route. Check the relevant ISBN agency and distributor rather than copying an identifier from another edition.
Create separate files for each format
A print PDF preserves fixed pages. An ebook must adapt to different screens and reader settings. A booklet rearranges pages for folding. Treat these as related editions made from the same work, not as one interchangeable file.
For print, settle page dimensions, margins, typography, image resolution, colour handling and bleed before exporting. For ebooks, concentrate on semantic structure, a logical reading order, useful navigation, accessible image descriptions and restrained formatting.
Proof the finished publication
Proofreading the manuscript alone is not enough. Inspect the actual final PDF or ebook file independently. Check every page or screen in sequence, including covers, blanks, contents links, running heads, page numbers, images and the first and final lines of chapters.
Order or make a physical proof when producing a printed book. Read it in ordinary conditions, mark corrections against one controlled list and generate a fresh final file. After approval, archive the source, publication settings, final outputs and the date of release together.
- The page count changes after proofing
- Regenerate the contents, index, cover dimensions and any imposed booklet file before approval.
- The ebook looks unlike the print edition
- Judge it as a flexible reading experience rather than trying to reproduce fixed print pages.
- Different files contain different corrections
- Apply approved changes to the controlled source first, then recreate every affected output.