You've finished your draft – congratulations, your story is written! You've let it sit for a while (many writers recommend at least six weeks) and have gone back through it with a clear, clinical eye. Maybe your manuscript has enjoyed two or three rewrites – whatever the number, you're now ready for a professional edit.

Your manuscript has been through a full professional copyedit and you've worked through your editor's notes, as well as any other suggestions and recommendations that have come from early readers. Your manuscript is almost ready to become a book. Now it's time for one final, meticulous proofread.

Every book is judged by its cover, and yours is no exception. It's the first thing readers see, and it needs to show them they're in the right place. To stand the best chance of success, your cover should be on-trend, aligning perfectly with the rest of the genre. Furthermore, the blurb must be compelling – just enough detail to be intriguing, without giving away too much about the adventure that awaits inside.

Your manuscript is refined and errors caught and corrected. Your cover and blurb do not look out of place among the rest of the genre. You're ready to publish, but in what format? Ebook? Paperback? Both? Different formats require different filetypes – and then there's the font, chapter and section header styles, gutter width, and more to think about.

Just when the end was in sight, a new consideration arises. Metadata – the book's title, subtitle, series name (if applicable), keywords and search terms, category placement. In essence, the stuff that makes your book visible to browsing readers. Getting this right is crucial to ensuring your book is discoverable.

This is an often overlooked and underappreciated step. Appropriate pricing should maximise your reach to potential readers while optimising your revenue. Pricing too high can place your book out of reach, but pricing too low can undersell your talent and create the wrong impression.

Most independent authors underestimate this step – and most promotion services prey on that. For every reputable tactic, there are tens of disreputable ones seeking only to part you with your money. Knowing which services and tactics are valuable gives you the best chance to see a return on your investment.

Congratulations! You've made it to the final, long-awaited step. You've eliminated the errors in your manuscript. Your book looks great. You've researched your keywords and categories, and have set your price. Promotions are lined up, ready to fire as soon as your book goes live.

All that's left is to hit that 'PUBLISH' button!