How does a small press manage book handoffs?
- A book moves through a fixed chain: author, editor, designer, marketer, distributor.
- Each handoff needs explicit done-criteria before the next stage starts.
- One canonical file prevents two people working different versions.
- A handoff log records who has the book and what state it is in.
- Most small-press delays happen at handoffs, not within stages.
A small press manages handoffs by defining the chain explicitly — author to editor to designer to marketer to distributor — and giving each handoff clear done-criteria, a single canonical file, and a record of who currently owns the book. The receiving person should know exactly what "ready" means before the work reaches them. Handoffs, not the stages themselves, are where small presses lose time, so making each transition deliberate is the whole discipline.
Chapter i·Why it matters
In a small press, a book changes hands several times, and every handoff is a chance for a file to fork, a step to be skipped, or a book to stall in someone's inbox unnoticed. A defined chain with done-criteria and one canonical file removes the ambiguity that causes those failures. Most missed pub dates trace not to slow work but to a handoff that quietly went wrong.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A defined handoff chain: author, editor, designer, marketer, distributor.
- Done-criteria for each stage before the next begins.
- One canonical file as the single source of truth.
- A handoff log naming the current owner and state.
- A checklist the receiver confirms on accepting the book.
- A flag for any book sitting too long between stages.
Chapter iii·Example
A small press routes every title through a defined chain. When the editor finishes, she marks the canonical file "edit complete," updates the handoff log, and the designer picks it up knowing exactly what is done. A book that sits more than a week between stages gets flagged. Pub dates stop slipping, because the press fixed the handoffs rather than pushing everyone to work faster.
WriteLoom routes a book through every stage in one shared workspace, with a canonical file and a handoff log so nothing forks or stalls.
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