Book Readiness Assessment

What this assessment measures

This is a structured self-assessment for authors preparing to print a professional-quality book in quantities of 25 to 5,000 copies. It evaluates four areas: production readiness, quality alignment, market readiness, and reputation risk.

Answer each question honestly. The results do not generate a score. They reveal patterns — and each pattern points to a specific next step.

Section 1: Production Readiness

These questions determine whether your manuscript and files are ready to enter a professional print workflow.

Is your manuscript complete, with no pending structural revisions?
Has your manuscript been professionally copy edited by someone other than you?
Has a separate proofreader reviewed the final version after layout?
Do you have a press-ready interior layout file (PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4) with correct margins, bleeds, and trim marks?
Do you have a cover design file built to your exact trim size, spine width, and bleed specifications?
Have you confirmed your page count is final, including front matter, back matter, and any blank pages required by your binding method?

What “yes” means here: Your files can go to press without rework. Production timelines and quotes will be accurate.

What “no” means here: Files that are not press-ready cause delays, added costs, and quality problems that carry through the entire print run. Every “no” in this section is a task to complete before requesting a print quote.

Section 2: Quality Alignment

These questions identify whether your physical book expectations match your budget and print specifications.

Have you chosen a specific binding method (perfect binding, case binding, spiral, saddle stitch) based on your book’s function and audience?
Have you selected a paper stock and weight appropriate to your genre and content type?
Does your budget account for the cover finish you want (gloss lamination, matte lamination, soft-touch, spot UV, foil)?
If your book contains images, have you confirmed whether you need full-color printing on coated stock versus black-and-white on uncoated stock?
Have you compared your per-unit cost target against actual quotes for your chosen specifications?
Are you willing to adjust specifications if your current choices exceed your budget, rather than cutting quality in ways readers will notice?

What “yes” means here: You understand the physical product you are building and can pay for it. Your printer can deliver what you expect.

What “no” means here: There is a gap between what you want and what you have budgeted. That gap does not close on its own. It surfaces as a cheaper paper stock, a binding method that does not hold up, or a cover finish that telegraphs the book block underneath. See How Much Quality Actually Costs before finalizing your specifications.

Section 3: Market Readiness

These questions evaluate whether you have a plan for selling and distributing the books you print.

Do you have an ISBN registered under your own imprint or a publisher imprint you control?
Is your book listed (or ready to list) with at least one wholesale distributor that serves bookstores?
Do you have a retail pricing strategy that accounts for wholesale discounts (typically 40-55% off list price)?
Have you confirmed that your per-unit print cost allows a viable margin at your intended retail price?
Do you have a plan for storing and fulfilling direct orders for the quantity you intend to print?
Have you identified at least three specific sales channels (events, bookstores, online, direct, institutional) where you will sell this print run?

What “yes” means here: You have a distribution path. The books you print will reach readers through defined channels at a price that works.

What “no” means here: Printing books without a distribution plan is the most common financial mistake in self-publishing. Boxes of unsold inventory are not a backup plan. Address distribution before committing to a print quantity. See the Book Distribution Guide for a realistic walkthrough.

Section 4: Reputation Risk Factors

These questions apply specifically to authors who have existing readership, previous editions, or professional stakes tied to their book.

If this is a revised edition, have you addressed known issues from the previous version (typos, layout problems, factual corrections)?
If you have received professional reviews of a previous edition, are you confident the new edition meets or exceeds the production quality reviewers noted?
Are you prepared for your book to be physically compared to traditionally published titles in the same genre and shelf category?
If you plan to submit to review outlets (Kirkus, Foreword, BlueInk, trade journals), does your production quality meet their evaluation standards?
Have you confirmed that your cover, spine, and back matter look professional at bookstore shelf distance — not just on screen?
If you sell at events or through your professional practice, does the physical book reflect the quality level your audience associates with your work?

What “yes” means here: Your book can stand next to traditionally published titles without signaling a lower production standard. Your reputation is protected.

What “no” means here: A book that looks or feels less professional than your audience expects does not just underperform. It actively works against your credibility. This is especially true for authors whose books function as professional credentials. See When NOT to Self-Publish for a detailed breakdown of where production quality becomes a reputation risk.

Reading Your Results

The value of this assessment is in the pattern, not in a total count. Look at where your “no” answers cluster.

Mostly yes across all sections

You are ready for professional short-run printing. Your manuscript is prepared, your specifications match your budget, you have a distribution plan, and your production quality protects your reputation.

Your next step is to get a print quote based on your final specifications. Use the pricing calculator to see exact per-unit costs for your trim size, page count, binding, and quantity.

Production gaps (Section 1 has multiple “no” answers)

Your book is not yet press-ready. This is normal and fixable, but it must be addressed before you request quotes or commit to a timeline.

Common gaps:

Manuscript still in revision — finish editing before layout.
No professional proofread — errors in a printed run cannot be recalled without reprinting.
Files not built to press specifications — template issues, wrong color profile, or missing bleeds will cause production delays.

Complete each production step in order. Skipping ahead creates compounding problems.

Quality-budget mismatch (Section 2 has multiple “no” answers)

You want a level of quality your current budget does not support. This is the most common source of disappointment in short-run printing.

The solution is not to print cheaper. It is to either adjust your specifications to match your budget or adjust your budget to match your specifications. Both are legitimate choices. Printing a book that falls between the two is not.

Review How Much Quality Actually Costs to understand the full cost stack. Then use the pricing calculator to test different specification combinations against your budget.

Market gaps (Section 3 has multiple “no” answers)

You are ready to print but not ready to sell. Printing before your distribution plan is in place means you are converting cash into inventory without a path to revenue.

Address these questions first:

Where will these books be sold?
At what price, and at what margin after discounts?
Who handles fulfillment, and where will you store inventory?

The Book Distribution Guide covers wholesale, retail, direct sales, and hybrid models for short-run authors.

Reputation risk (Section 4 has multiple “no” answers)

Your current production plan may not protect your professional reputation. This is the highest-stakes pattern in the assessment.

If your book functions as a credential, if you have an existing readership, or if you intend to submit for professional review, production quality is not optional. A book that signals amateur production undermines everything else you have built.

Before proceeding, read When NOT to Self-Publish and The Hidden Failure Modes of Book Printing. These pages explain exactly where production failures damage author credibility and how to identify them before they reach readers.

Next Steps

Based on your results, start with the page that addresses your primary gap:

Ready to print — Get a quote for your specifications.
Production gaps — How to Print a Book for the full pre-press workflow.
Quality-budget mismatch — How Much Quality Actually Costs to realign expectations and budget.
Market gaps — Book Distribution Guide for distribution planning.
Reputation concerns — When NOT to Self-Publish for a candid assessment of risk factors.

If your results show gaps in multiple sections, address them in this order: production first, then quality alignment, then market readiness, then reputation. Each layer depends on the one before it.

Have questions about where you stand? Contact Origin Books with your assessment results and we will point you to the right starting place. No sales call. Just direction.