Author Resource · Publishing
Publishing Preparation Guide
Turn a finished manuscript into a publish-ready book.
A finished book and a publishable book are not the same thing. This resource walks you through formatting, front/back matter, cover specs, and metadata for KDP, IngramSpark and more.
Practical checklist
What a finished pass looks like
Work through each item before you call this phase done.
Front matter complete
Title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents — in order.
Back matter complete
About the author, acknowledgements, also-by list.
EPUB validates cleanly
Run through EPUBCheck — zero errors before upload.
PDF is print-ready
Embedded fonts, correct trim size, bleed where needed.
Cover meets spec
300 DPI, correct dimensions, spine width matched to page count.
Metadata is searchable
Title, subtitle, 7 keywords, 2 categories, a 4,000-character description.
Step by step
The full walkthrough
- 01
Step 1 — Build the front and back matter
In order: half title, title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents.
- 02
Step 2 — Format the DOCX manuscript
Use Word styles. No double spaces, no manual indents. Page break before every chapter.
- 03
Step 3 — Export a print-ready PDF
Trim size first (6x9 default). Embed all fonts. Start page numbers at chapter 1.
- 04
Step 4 — Design (or commission) a cover
Title legible at 100-pixel thumbnail. For print, calculate spine width from page count.
- 05
Step 5 — Write the metadata
Title and subtitle do the SEO work. Pick two categories. Seven keyword phrases.
In this resource pack
Templates & worksheets
Bundled with every StoryMaster.ai project — open them inside the app or export to your tool of choice.
Manuscript Formatting Template
Word + Google Docs
Pre-styled chapters, front and back matter.
Get this resourceMetadata & Keywords Worksheet
1 page
Title, subtitle, seven keywords, two categories, and a description framework.
Get this resource
