Publishing Your Book to the World

To publish a book you've finished in Anthra, do a final proof, choose who should be able to read it, then export the formats you need: EPUB for e-readers, PDF and DOCX for print and editing, an M4B audiobook, or a paperback through Lulu print-on-demand. You can keep the book private, share it with a link, publish it on Discover, or upload Anthra's print files to other platforms such as KDP and IngramSpark.

Finishing a book is a milestone. Publishing it is a different skill, and historically a daunting one, full of formatting headaches and gatekeepers. Anthra is built to make that last step feel like the natural end of writing, not a second job.

Step 1: Do a Final Pass Before You Publish

A short checklist catches most problems. Listen to the audiobook edition end to end, since the ear catches what the eye skips. Check that your cover reads well at thumbnail size. Proof the first and last pages, which readers judge most. Run a continuity check for names and timelines that drifted during revisions. And make sure every image has alt text, which Anthra can write automatically for any image that's missing it.

Step 2: Choose Your Audience

Not every book is meant for a storefront. Some are gifts for one person, some are family keepsakes, and some are bound for a wide audience. Every Anthra book has one of three visibility settings. Private means only you can read it. Unlisted means anyone with the link can read it. Public means it also appears on Discover, where readers can browse, sort and filter by things like narrated, illustrated, language and length. Your choice, your timeline.

"A book isn't finished when it's written. It's finished when someone else can read it."

Step 3: Export in the Format You Need

Every export is generated from the same source manuscript, so they always match. EPUB is the reflowable format for e-readers, and its cover carries your title and author on the art. PDF is for print and for sharing a fixed layout. DOCX gives you a real Word manuscript, with footnotes, tables, editable equations and embedded images, which is useful if an editor or agent wants the file. The audiobook comes as an M4B with chapter markers, with MP3 files available too. Your illustrations, chapter breaks and typography come along automatically, so you don't have to fight with layout tools.

How Do I Print a Paperback?

Pick a trim size from the catalog, which runs from pocket paperback through common trade sizes like 6×9 to large and square formats up to 12×12 and A4. In the cover studio in the Publish tab, choose your paper and page count, then preview the full print wrap with trim, spine, safe-area and barcode guides. Anthra works out the spine width and bleed for you. From there you can order a paperback through Lulu print-on-demand, charged at cost, or download an ebook cover PNG and an upload-ready wrap PDF for KDP or IngramSpark.

Can I Sell My Book Through Anthra?

Yes. When you publish to Discover, you can make downloads free, gate them behind an email sign-up, or sell them through paid checkout. Readers can buy a paid book with Anthra credits and download it again any time. Your dashboard shows the reader funnel, and royalties and costs appear on the money dashboard. Paid credit packs include a commercial license, so the book is yours to sell.

Other Ways to Reach Readers

A few more options are worth knowing. You can embed Anthra's reader on your own website, so visitors read the book without leaving your page. A published book can have a podcast feed, so listeners can subscribe to the audiobook in any podcast app. Your public author page shows your bio, photo and links next to your books. And Anthra can translate a book into another language if you'd like to reach readers beyond your own.

What Readers Get

On Anthra's reading page, readers can adjust the font and line width, page with the keyboard, see their progress through the whole book, keep bookmarks and notes, export their highlights and read offline. That matters for unlisted gifts as much as public releases, because the person you send the link to gets a comfortable way to read.

Write a Blurb That Makes People Want to Read

Your blurb appears on the back cover and anywhere your book is listed, so it's worth getting right. Lead with the main character and what they want. Name what stands in the way. Hint at the stakes without giving away the ending. Keep it short; a few tight sentences beat a long summary. Anthra can draft a blurb from your manuscript, and you can edit it until it sounds like your book. The back-cover blurb also feeds back-cover art generation in the cover creator.

Which Trim Size Should I Choose?

The trim-size catalog notes what each size is usually used for. 6×9 is the most common size and works well for non-fiction and self-help. 5×8 and 5.5×8.5 suit novels and memoir. 7×10 and 8.5×11 suit workbooks and textbooks. Square sizes such as 11×11 suit children's books and coffee-table books. If you're not sure, look at a few books in your genre on your own shelf and match them.

Preparing Files for Other Stores

If you plan to sell through another store or printer, Anthra gives you the files most of them ask for: an EPUB for ebooks, an interior PDF, an ebook cover image and an upload-ready cover wrap PDF for print. Each store has its own requirements and review process, so check their current guidelines before you upload. The DOCX export is useful too, if an editor or a translator wants to work with the manuscript directly.

Telling Readers Your Book Exists

Publishing is the start of a book's life, not the end. Share the reading page link with the people most likely to enjoy it. Fill in your author profile so readers can find your other work. Embed the reader on your own site if you have one. And consider offering a download in exchange for an email address, so you can tell those readers when your next book is ready.

Can I Keep Editing After I Publish?

Yes. A published book is still your book in the studio. You can revise chapters, update illustrations and re-narrate changed paragraphs. Chapter history keeps every version of your prose, and you can save a version of the whole book before a big revision so it's easy to compare or restore. If you've sent printed copies or uploaded files to another store, remember to export fresh files after a significant change, because those copies won't update on their own.

FAQ

Who owns my published book? You do. The stories, illustrations and narration you create belong to you.

Can I unpublish a book later? Yes. Visibility is a setting, so you can move a book from public back to unlisted or private at any time.

Can I publish on Discover and other platforms too? Yes. Publishing on Discover doesn't stop you from exporting EPUB, PDF or print files for other stores and printers. Then send it out. The hardest part is already behind you. You wrote the thing.