Course outline
Module 5 · Getting Ready to Publish
Submission, review and going live
What you'll understand: Know what happens between pressing publish and your book appearing for sale.
- 1Files are submitted through your publishing account.
- 2The platform reviews them — automated checks plus, in some cases, human review.
- 3Approved files go live and a listing appears on the retail site.
- 4The listing settles over time. Things like format linking, a preview of the interior and search indexing may appear or update after publication, and the timing is controlled by the platform.
Review typically takes a short period rather than an instant, and timing varies by platform and season. Plan for it rather than announcing a date you can't control.
After it's live
- Order author copies and check a real printed book from the live listing.
- Verify the listing: title, author, description, categories, price, formats.
- Optionally, set up an author profile through the platform's author programme. It isn't required, and it isn't part of every publishing project.
- Where available, enhanced listing content can be added later. It's optional and isn't part of every project.
Why this matters
Knowing the review step exists prevents the panic of a book that isn't instantly visible — and stops you announcing a publication date you can't control.
What to do with this information
Choose a target publication window rather than a fixed day, and work backwards from it.
Quick check
No score, no pass mark — just a way to check the idea landed.
What happens immediately after you submit your files?