Publishing the book

The runbook for taking Meaning Through Connectivity from this site to the stores. Every artefact a print-on-demand service needs is already generated and gate-checked on every release; this page is the ordered path from those files to a listed book, platform by platform. Every field the platforms will ask for is pre-answered on the metadata sheet.

What we are publishing

The pipeline produces every file the platforms need, regenerated on every release and stamped with the site version. Nothing on this list is made by hand:

The gate ties the set together: the spine width is recomputed from the interior's page count on every release, and the build fails if the book grows and the cover does not follow. So the upload-day rule is simple: always take all the files from the same tagged release, from the live site or from the tag in the repository, and never mix versions.

KDP: the paperback, step by step

Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is the print-on-demand service behind Amazon's paperback listings. It is the primary target: the interior and the wrap were built to its published specification from the start, and both match it exactly (trim equals page size, bleed 0.125″, spine at the black-ink-on-white multiplier, spine text allowed because the book is over 79 pages, barcode zone clear).

1. Account. kdp.amazon.com, sign in with an Amazon account, complete the tax interview once. Royalties pay out about 60 days after month end.
2. Create → Paperback. Fill the details from the metadata sheet: title, subtitle, author, description, seven keywords, three categories. Publishing rights: I own the copyright and I hold the necessary publishing rights. This is our own original work; that is the truthful answer.
3. ISBN (International Standard Book Number). Two roads, and the choice is one-way per listing:
   • Free KDP ISBN: zero cost, instant, but the listing's publisher reads Independently published and that ISBN is not usable anywhere off Amazon.
   • Our own ISBN (in the UK, from Nielsen): the publisher line can read The SGit Project, the imprint must match the Nielsen registration exactly, and the same route is required by IngramSpark later. A free ISBN cannot be converted afterwards; switching means a new listing.
   Recommendation: if the SGit Project imprint matters, and it does, buy the ISBNs first; a block is much cheaper per unit than singles, and each format and each numbered edition consumes one.
4. Upload the interior PDF, then the cover PDF, from the same tagged release. Run the previewer to the last page; it re-checks trim, bleed, margins and the spine against the page count.
5. Paper stock: white. The spine was computed at the white-paper multiplier (0.002252″ per page). Choosing cream at upload (0.0025″ per page) would make the printed spine wider than the artwork. If cream is ever preferred, change one constant in gen_cover.py and regenerate; do not decide it at the upload screen. Cover finish: matte suits this design.
6. Pricing. Printing cost at current rates is $1.00 + $0.012 per page = $2.50 for 125 pages (US), roughly £2.10 (UK); the minimum list price is the printing cost divided by the 60% royalty rate. Worked numbers and suggested prices are on the metadata sheet. Confirm in KDP's calculator at setup.
7. Order an author proof before approving the listing. The screen previewer does not show ink density, spine alignment on a real spine, or the matte finish. One proof copy at printing cost is the cheapest possible insurance.
8. Publish. Review typically completes within 72 hours.

Leanpub: our files, their storefront

Leanpub is the natural second home: a store built around publish early, publish often, selling DRM-free bundles, with readers receiving every update of a book they bought for free. That is this project's release model as a store.

1. Create the book at leanpub.com and choose the mode where you upload your own PDF and EPUB files rather than writing in their in-house markdown. Our pipeline is the typesetter; Leanpub is the counter.
2. Upload the screen PDF as the book: it is the edition designed for reading on a device, which is what Leanpub buyers get. The EPUB slot stays empty until the reflowable edition exists (task T13); Leanpub is happy to sell a PDF-only book, and the EPUB joins the same bundle later without a new listing.
3. Cover: export front.svg to PNG (1600 × 2400 or larger) and upload.
4. Book page copy: the description, author line and licence statement from the metadata sheet, unchanged. Same words everywhere.
5. Pricing is a minimum plus a suggested price, and readers slide between them. Royalty is 80% of what the reader pays (a flat $0.50 comes off purchases under $7.99). A minimum of $0 is allowed, which is the honest match for a CC BY book that is free on its own site: free to take, easy to pay for. The founder call and the worked options are on the metadata sheet. No ISBN is required.
6. Publish. There is no review queue; the book is live immediately, and every later release is one re-upload.

Zenodo: a DOI for a versioned book

Zenodo, the open repository run by CERN, is not a store; it is the missing piece of this book's own argument. It assigns a DOI (digital object identifier) to every upload, keeps a concept DOI that always resolves to the latest version alongside a distinct DOI per version, defaults to exactly our licence (open access, CC BY 4.0), and is free. A book that republishes on every major step and preaches supersede-never-delete should be citable per edition, and this is the mechanism.

1. Create a record; upload the print PDF and the screen PDF of the current release.
2. Metadata from the sheet: type Book, licence CC BY 4.0, author Dinis Cruz, publisher The SGit Project, and the site URL as the related identifier.
3. Publish; note both DOIs. Each new edition is a new version of the same record, never a new record.
4. Follow-up for the pipeline: once minted, the concept DOI belongs in the colophon and on the About page, stamped by gen_book.py like everything else.

The other platforms, evaluated

The upload-day checklist

1. Confirm the release: the live site, the tag and book/manifest.json agree on the version, and the cover's pages_basis equals the interior's page count (the gate already enforces this; look anyway).
2. Download the four artefacts from the tagged release. Export the front cover PNG.
3. KDP: title setup from the sheet → ISBN → upload interior and wrap → previewer to the last page → white paper, matte cover → pricing against the calculator → order the proof copy → approve after the proof.
4. Leanpub: create book → upload screen PDF and cover PNG → copy from the sheet → set minimum and suggested price → publish.
5. Zenodo: record → both PDFs → CC BY 4.0 → publish → record the two DOIs on the board for the colophon follow-up.
6. Google Play Books: Partner Center → screen PDF and cover → description from the sheet → price (free is allowed) → publish.
7. Add a release row for the publication, with links to the listings; the store links then belong on the book page.