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) |
|
Vincent |
| Typesetter |
|
Vincent |
| Metadata Manager |
|
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 |
| Book 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 |
| Front Cover PDF |
The final PDF of the front cover generated by the Illustration and Photo Editing Software |
| Front Cover JPG |
The final JPG of the front cover generated by the Illustration and Photo Editing Software |
| ISBN Record |
The metadata record of the publication on the ISBN Management platform |
| Print Book Product Page |
The product page for the print book on the Print Publishing platform |
| Print Book Distribution Product Page |
The product page for the print book on the Print Distribution platform |
5. Activities
5.1 Pre-Release
5.1.1 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 PDF file of the publication interior |
| Actions |
|
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information |
5.1.2 Extracting and Uploading DOI References
| Input | Print PDF (from 5.1); DOI Extraction Script; DOI Upload Script; Thoth Identifier |
| Roles Involved |
Metadata Manager |
| Outputs |
Metadata Record updated with DOI references |
| Actions | |
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information | During DOI Check you may find additional small errors in the PDF. Return to 5.1. |
5.1.3 Adding Chapter Metadata to the Metadata Record
| Input | Metadata Record |
| Roles Involved |
Metadata Manager |
| Outputs |
Metadata Record |
| Actions |
|
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information | During Chapter Metadata Addition you may find additional small errors in the PDF. Return to 5.1. |
5.1.4 Uploading Print PDF
| Input | Print PDF, Front Cover JPG |
| Roles Involved |
Typesetter |
| Outputs |
Ebook PDF |
| Actions | |
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information |
5.1.5 Generating Ebook PDF
| Input | Print PDF, Front Cover PDF |
| Roles Involved |
Typesetter |
| Outputs |
Ebook PDF |
| Actions | |
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information |
5.1.6 Updating the Metadata Record before Release
| Input | Metadata Record |
| Roles Involved |
Metadata Manager |
| Outputs |
Metadata Record |
| Actions | |
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information |
5.1.7 Updating the ISBN Records
| Input | ISBN Record, Metadata Record |
| Roles Involved |
Metadata Manager |
| Outputs |
ISBN Record |
| Actions | |
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information |
5.1.8 Adding Publication to SQL Database
| Input | Metadata Record |
| Roles Involved |
Metadata Manager |
| Outputs | Updated SQL Database |
| Actions | |
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information |
5.1.9 Adding Publication to the Internet Archive Usage Data Python Script
| Input | Thoth Identifier, Internet Archive Usage Data Python Script |
| Roles Involved |
Metadata Manager |
| Outputs | Updated Internet Archive Usage Data Python Script |
| Actions | |
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information |
5.2 Post-Release
Part 2 of the release can be undertaken after the Print Publishing platform has approved the book for publication. This takes between 24–72 hours, and the platform will send a notification email to info@punctumbooks.com with the subject "Your paperback book has been published!"
In the meantime the ebook PDF has been uploaded to the Cloud Storage of the Metadata Management platform
5.2.1 Updating the Metadata Record after Release
| Input | Metadata Record, Print Book Product Page |
| Roles Involved |
Metadata Manager |
| Outputs |
Metadata Record |
| Actions | |
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information |
5.2.2 Updating the Book Web Page
| Input | Metadata Record, Book Web Page |
| Roles Involved |
Metadata Manager |
| Outputs |
Book Web Page |
| Actions | |
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information |
5.2.3 Creating the Print Distribution Product Page
| Input | Metadata Record |
| Roles Involved |
Metadata Manager |
| Outputs |
Print Book Distribution Product Page, Metadata Record |
| Actions |
|
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information |
5.2.34 Uploading to Repositories
| Input | Metadata Record, Ebook PDF, Front Cover JPG |
| Roles Involved |
Metadata Manager |
| Outputs |
– |
| Actions | |
| Alternative Actions, Exceptions, Additional Information |
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 |