Short link: https://link.deannasworld.com/publishing-checklist-1
An Author’s Start-to-Finish Publishing Checklist
- Concept Brainstorming: Building from a "flicker of an idea" to a concrete story structure, and determining if the story will be a standalone or a multi-book series.
- Deep Research: Researching and verifying historical, technical, scientific, or cultural nuances for authenticity in the storytelling.
- World Building: Designing fully realized and internally consistent worlds or (magic) systems. Even modern and contemporary settings without magic or sci-fi require some form of world building.
- Publishing Path: Determining long term publishing career goals and choosing between traditional vs indie publishing.
- Drafting the Manuscript: Writing the first draft of the manuscript.
- Alpha Reading: Getting early feedback on core story elements before the manuscript is polished.
- Developmental Editing: High-level sculpting of plot, pacing, world-building, and character arcs.
- Beta Reading: Gathering feedback from readers who fit the profile of the target audience to identify any remaining confusion or plot holes.
- Line Editing: Sentence-level refining to tighten prose and ensure the writer’s unique voice remains consistent and engaging.
- Copy Editing: Meticulous checking for grammar, punctuation, and spelling to industry standards (typically Chicago Manual of Style). This can sometimes be combined with line editing, depending on the editor selected and their process.
- Fact-Checking: A final pass to ensure all technical or historical details within the narrative are accurate.
- Cover Design: Iterative design of an eye-catching, genre-appropriate cover that serves as a book’s primary marketing tool.
- Interior Formatting (Print): Setting professional margins, fonts, and headings to meet printer and distributor requirements.
- Ebook Formatting: Ensuring correct display and functionality across major platforms like Kindle, Kobo, Nook, etc.