Ask what is actually being sold
Request a written scope that names the deliverables, files, revisions, schedule, contributors, credits, and acceptance process. “Publishing package” can mean anything from file conversion to editorial work, print distribution, advertising management, warehousing, or a logo on a book. A useful proposal identifies the work, the responsible person, and the evidence that the work was completed.
Separate services from outcomes. Editing can be scoped; a retailer listing can be submitted; an advertisement can be placed. None of those statements guarantees bookstore orders, reviews, media coverage, library selection, or sales. Treat claims of special access, guaranteed visibility, or a universal bestseller method as claims that need independently checkable evidence.
Trace rights and money
Before signing, identify who owns the manuscript, cover, source files, identifiers, metadata, retail account, customer data, inventory, and derived editions. Read license breadth, territory, term, renewal, termination, audit, payment timing, reserves, returns, and what happens if the provider stops operating. Ask for the exact route through which a retailer, distributor, printer, or reviewer receives the book.
Compare the displayed publisher or imprint name against the party signing the agreement and the party that will be paid. The International ISBN Agency defines a publisher as the person or body responsible for initiating production and bearing financial risk. That definition helps clarify the record; it does not decide every contract or trademark question.
Keep a decision file
Save the proposal, contract version, questions asked, answers received, final scope, invoices, assets delivered, and the dates you checked live outputs. Have qualified counsel review high-value, long-term, unfamiliar, or rights-heavy agreements. Do not rely on a salesperson’s summary where the contract says something different.
Use one small verification before committing the entire project. For example, ask to see a redacted delivery checklist, a sample royalty statement, a clear explanation of account ownership, or the process for retrieving source files after termination. A provider willing to make obligations legible gives a project a better basis for accountability than an attractive promise alone.
Sources & limits
This is due-diligence guidance, not legal, financial, trademark, or contract advice. A checklist cannot establish a provider’s quality or future solvency.
- What is an ISBN?
International ISBN Agency · Source undated · Consulted 15 Sept 2026The International ISBN Agency describes the publisher as the person or body responsible for initiating production and bearing financial risk.
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