Inspect every finished format
Order and inspect a finished copy
As soon as finished copies exist, get one in your hands (ordered through a retailer if possible) and look at it the way a reader would.
Why it matters
The book you approved on screen and the book that arrives in a box are not always the same object. A trimmed margin, a dark cover, a missing page, or a delivery that takes three weeks are things you can only learn by holding a copy. Learning them before readers do gives you time to fix or at least to warn.
Your part
- What you do
- Do it. You normally do this yourself.
- Who normally owns it
- Author. Author orders; publisher sends author copies separately
- When
- As soon as finished copies exist, which is usually a few weeks before publication; preorder from a retailer so a copy arrives at or before launch (Inspect every finished format: as soon as finished copies and final files exist, before launch week)Checked September 13, 2026
Your part changes with your publishing route.
How to do it
The full walkthrough
A finished copy is the book as it will be sold: final cover, final text, final binding. It is different from an advance copy and different from the publisher's press proof. Getting one early, ideally by ordering it the way a reader would, tells you two things at once: whether the book is right, and whether the ordering and delivery process works.
Order a copy the way a reader would, whoever else is sending you one. Author copies from a publisher usually arrive a week or two before publication; do not wait for them, and when they come, inspect one and keep it as your reference copy. Preorder from at least one retailer as well, so you see what a customer receives and when, and compare the two, because they should be identical. If you are the publisher, order a proof from your print-on-demand service before approving the title for sale, then order a real copy through a retailer after it goes live, since print-on-demand quality varies between printers and between print runs.
This item is about getting the copy. The detailed inspection is the next item.
Common mistakes
- Waiting for author copies and never seeing what a retailer ships.
- Approving a print-on-demand title for sale without ordering a proof.
- Inspecting one format and assuming the other is fine.
- Ordering only from the biggest retailer and never seeing how a smaller channel fulfills the book.
What done looks like
- A finished copy of each print format ordered through a retailer as soon as it can be bought.
- Author copies from the publisher received and one kept as the reference copy.
- The retailer copy and the publisher copy compared; any difference noted.
- Delivery time and condition noted, since that is what a reader experiences.
- Cost of the ordered copies recorded.
Sources and last checked
- Official source
- No single official page for this step.
- Last checked
- September 13, 2026
- How confident we are
- Partially verified
Rules and deadlines change. We last checked this information on September 13, 2026. If you see something that needs updating, please tell us.