/publishing

name: publishing
description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "self-publish", "publish my book", "ISBN", "copyright page", "book metadata", "BISAC", "keywords", "KDP", "IngramSpark", "Draft2Digital", "go wide", "Kindle Unlimited", "print interior", "trim size", "paperback", "ebook", "EPUB", "cover wrap", "spine width", "pricing", "launch plan", "ARC team", "advance readers", "newsletter", "reader magnet", "Amazon ads", "BookBub", "rights", "foreign rights", "audio rights", "film rights", "publishing contract", or wants to take a finished manuscript through production, distribution, launch, and rights management. It owns contracts and rights sales; NOT for permission to quote lyrics, epigraphs, or other material in the book (use editorial-review), or for drafting the blurb or retailer description (use submission).

Publishing

Overview

Take a final manuscript into readers' hands. This skill fills the publishing metadata in `story.md`, writes the copyright page, builds and checks the ebook and print interior, walks the author through distribution, pricing, and launch, and keeps an inventory of the rights the author holds. Planning files live under `publishing/` in the story project. The author makes every account, upload, purchase, payment, and signature; this skill prepares, checks, and records.

Prerequisites

A story project whose manuscript is final or nearly so. Verify `story.md` exists and read `title`, `status`, `author` or `authors`, `genre`, `series`, `book-number`, `cover`, and any publishing fields already set. If `status` is not `complete`, say that metadata and launch planning can start now but the files must be rebuilt after the last revision.

Language And Market

Read `language` in `story.md` (a missing field means `en`) and ask which countries the author is publishing in. The book's language decides the language of the description, keywords, and copyright page; the market decides the ISBN agency, subject schemes, retailers, and pricing rules. The references start from the US and UK English-language market and note the rest: Thema subjects and ISBN agencies elsewhere in `references/metadata-checklist.md`, other retail routes and fixed book prices in `references/launch-plan.md`, and rights by language and territory in `references/rights-one-sheet.md`. Never assume a US retailer, scheme, or law applies elsewhere; say what to check.

When to Use

• Filling retailer metadata: ISBN, publisher, date, description, keywords,

BISAC and Thema subjects, language, cover alt text, AI disclosure

• Writing the copyright page and recording the permission status of quoted

matter (clearance questions go to `editorial-review`)

• Building and checking the EPUB or the print interior; choosing trim size
• Choosing retailers and exclusivity, setting prices, planning a launch
• Recording rights, reviewing a contract offer, drafting a rights one-sheet
• NOT for query letters, agent submission, synopsis, blurb, or retailer

description drafting (use `submission`; this skill reuses its blurb and retailer description)

• NOT for audiobook scripts, screenplays, translations, or other formats

(use `adaptation`)

• NOT for revising the manuscript (use `revision-continuity`)

Hard Rules

• Never invent an ISBN, publisher or imprint name, publication date, price,

review, endorsement, sales figure, award, or bestseller claim. Ask, or leave a `[TODO: author to supply]` placeholder.

• Never assert current retailer specs, royalty rates, or fees as fact.

They change. Give the working figure as a starting point and tell the author to check the retailer's current spec before relying on it.

• Legal, tax, and contract matters are **not legal or tax advice**. Flag

issues, explain why they matter, and recommend an agent, a publishing lawyer, an accountant, or an author organization's contract-vetting service.

• Never create accounts, upload, buy, sign, or send. The author does.
• `ai-disclosure` must say what actually happened. Ask the author how AI

tools were used; never minimise it.

Workflow

1. Readiness

story reindex .
story wordcount . --write
story check .
story prose .
story build . --format metadata

The metadata sheet lists every missing field in its readiness checklist, including a `Permissions cleared for quoted matter` row that names each matter page still at `permission: pending`, whatever the story status, a ``No `[TODO` markers in chapter prose`` row that names each chapter still holding a `[TODO` marker, which every build would print, and a ``No `[TODO` markers on matter pages`` row that names each matter page still holding one, such as a `[TODO: author to supply]` ISBN line. Report the checklist with the validate findings, and any `has no prose yet` warning from the build: that chapter would ship as a heading-only page, so ask whether to write it or remove it. `validate` warns about `permission: pending` only once the story `status` is `complete`, and about a research note with a `risk` but no `reviewed-by` only when a final or complete chapter uses it, so also list them directly before publication:

story list matter --where permission=pending
story list research --where risk --where '!reviewed-by'

Report every pending permission, and every risky note without `reviewed-by`, whatever the chapter status. If `story passes .` shows unfinished revision passes, say so before production starts.

`story export` and every build that prints matter pages (markdown, EPUB, DOCX, HTML, print, narration) leave out a page whose `permission` is `pending`, misspelt, or any value but `not-needed`, `granted`, or `public-domain`, and warn `permission-pending-left-out` for it, so a file built for upload, a printer, or readers never carries the uncleared quote. Report each such warning: the book builds without that page until the author confirms the permission. Add `--include-pending` only when the author asks to see the p