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How it works

Nine stages, and what each one hands you.

A book moves forward one stage at a time and never silently backwards. If the pre-flight check finds something, it says so and returns the book to the stage that can fix it.

  1. 01

    Draft

    An empty book with a subject, a trim size and a binding.

    You controlEverything. Nothing has been written or committed yet.
  2. 02

    Researching the subject

    Sources gathered and summarised, with the claims that will need checking marked as you go.

    You controlAdd or remove sources, and steer what the book should not cover.
  3. 03

    Building the outline

    A chapter structure with a word budget per chapter, sized to the page count you want.

    You controlThe last point where structure is cheap to change. Reorder, split, merge, or cut chapters.
  4. 04

    Writing chapters

    Chapters drafted against the outline, one at a time, in order.

    You controlRegenerate any single chapter without touching the rest. This is the longest stage — it reports which chapter it is on, not a percentage.
  5. 05

    Editing and continuity

    A pass across the whole manuscript for repetition, contradictions, and terms used two different ways.

    You controlAccept or reject changes per chapter.
  6. 06

    Formatting the interior

    The manuscript typeset to the trim size: margins, gutter, running heads, folios, and a real table of contents.

    You controlChange the interior template. The text is settled by this point.
  7. 07

    Checking against the retailer's spec

    Every rule the retailer will apply, applied first: bleed, gutter against page count, spine width, image resolution, embedded fonts.

    You controlNothing to change here — this stage tells you what to fix, and sends the book back a stage if it finds something.
  8. 08

    Ready to publish

    A print PDF, a cover flat at the correct spine width, and an EPUB. Yours to download.

    You controlPublish, or go back and revise. Nothing expires.
  9. 09

    Published

    Recorded as published, with the specification it went out with.

    You controlRevise into a new edition; the previous specification is kept.

Start with a subject and a trim size.

Everything after that is a decision you can revisit. Nothing expires, and you can export the manuscript and the finished files whenever you want them.

Start a book