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Book Publication – Process

1. Introduction

The publication or release of a monograph or edited collection is a major moment in the lifecycle of a manuscript. At this point the "finished product" is released to the world and disseminated through the various channels that we have at our disposal. This is also a "point of no return." Even though small corrections can be made after publication, the entire process is aimed at minimizing the occurrence of such requests.

2. Goal & Objectives

The primary goal of this process is to release a reviewed, copyedited, and proofed manuscript as a publication in print and digital formats.

The process covers the following objectives:

  • The creation of a complete metadata record for a release
  • The creation of finalized print and digital files for a release
  • The completion of the book page on the website and triggering of sales
  • The annoucement to the author

3. Role Model

The following roles are relevant in the context of this process and need to be assigned to persons or teams / groups involved in the process.

Role Task Assigned staff
Process Manager (PM)
  • To maintain the process definition / description (this document)
  • To perform process reviews as a basis for the continual improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of the process
  • To ensure adequate communication to increase the awareness for the process
  • To organize trainings on the process for people involved in the process
 Vincent
Typesetter
  • To generate the digital and print book files 
 Vincent
Metadata Manager
  • To update the metadata record
  • To update the web page
 Vincent
Publisher
    To update the web page To inform the author     		Vincent

    4. Relevant Business Objects

    Business objects are “things” that are required, produced, or processed by the process or one of its activities. The following objects are relevant:

    Business Object Description
    Print PDF

    The final PDF generated by the Typesetting Software
    Ebook PDF

    The final PDF generated by the Typesetting Software with front cover generated by the Illustration and Photo Editing Software
    Metadata Record

    The metadata record of the publication hosted and maintained on the Metadata Management platform
    Letter to the Author

    The standard letter sent to the Author upon release of the publication
    Web Page

    The page on the publisher website dedicated to the publication
    Thoth Identifier

    The identifier of the publication metadata record. This is a hash that is part of the URL of the metadata recod in Thoth, for example 1841b54c-b495-4bb5-9bcf-054e5c393af3

    5. Activities

    5.1 Generating Print PDF

    This activity generates a print-ready PDF that can be uploaded to the Publishing Platform.

    Input Finalized InDesign book and document files (from Proofing)
    Roles Involved

    Typesetter
    Outputs

    Print-ready PDF file of the publication interior
    Actions
    1. PDF Generation
    2. Final PDF Final Check
    3. If correction needed, correct the InDesign file and return to 1. 
    4. Otherwise done.
    Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information

    5.2 Extracting and Uploading DOI References

    Input Print-ready PDF (from 5.1); DOI Extraction Script; DOI Upload Script; Thoth Identifier
    Roles Involved

    Metadata Manager
    Outputs

    Metadata Record updated with DOI references
    Actions
    1. DOI Extraction
    2. DOI Check
    DOI Upload
    Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information
    During DOI Check you may find additional small errors in the PDF. Return to 5.1.

    5.3 Updating the Metadata Record

    Input Metadata Record Roles Involved

    Metadata Manager

    Outputs

    Metadata Record

    Actions
      If the publication is an edited collection, Chapter Metadata Addition Final Metadata Record Update Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information During Chapter Metadata Addition you may find additional small errors in the PDF. Return to 5.1.

      Document Control

      Document ID SPM-PUB-001
      Document Owner Vincent
      Version 1.0
      Last Date of Change October 2, 2025
      Next Review Due Date
      Version & Change Tracking
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