Publishing lessons on book production I learned the HARD way

From cover consultations to packaging and sprayed edges, I’m sharing eight book production challenges I faced so YOU’RE prepared to handle them.

First, I’m sorry for the delay on this post. I’ve been busy prepping for exciting announcements in 2026, which involves splitting my mailing list in two: one for my readers (on my website), and one for authors (here on Substack). I’ve waffled over this for years, and it’s finally time! The backend prep has been extensive—you’ll already see some branding changes here—but I’m not quite ready to announce it yet. Still, I didn’t want to leave you hanging since I promised this post a while ago. So stay tuned for those updates, especially if you want all my book-related content and to be the first to know about ARC opportunities!

Now let’s dive in.

My publishing journey so far has been a comedy of errors. I’ve had four books traditionally published, and I’m grateful and proud to have gotten this far. But things have gone wrong almost every step of the way—some out of anyone’s control (hello, pandemic on launch week), others fixable or preventable.

In the book production process, the snafus I experienced would have been either (1) less heartbreaking or (2) avoided entirely if I’d known they were possibilities from the start.

So I’m sharing lessons I’ve learned the hard way so you don’t have to. Today’s article is part of a series:

• 80+ ways publishing can reject you AFTER a book deal

• Writing and editing

• Book production 👈 you’re here!

• Book marketing

• Life as an author

To be clear, this one’s not meant to throw publishers under the bus. Their employees are overworked and underpaid, and I’m grateful for the time and effort they’ve dedicated to my stories. Rather, it’s to help fellow authors avoid similar snafus, have smoother experiences, or at least be aware of potential pitfalls so they’re not so surprising. But I’m candid about my experience—with each tip, I share a personal anecdote—so this one’s just for VIP subscribers.

As a preview, here are the tips I’ll cover in this article:

1. Get “cover consult” in your contract

2. Include all your books on the “Also by” page

3. Ask for mockups of casing & jacket design elements

4. Confirm sprayed edges will cover all three

5. Add Amazon A+ graphics pre-launch

6. Confirm accolades appear on retailer pages

7. Check your book’s copyright registration

8. Confirm change requests on the next printing