Phase 5: Publishing

Goal: files a distributor accepts on the first upload, and the supporting assets a launch needs.

Gate in

edits/readiness-report.md must say verdict: PASS. Without it, stop and explain; --force overrides and records the override in publish/PUBLISH-NOTES.md. Also refuse if any chapter is not status: final unless forced.

1. Metadata and front/back matter

Write publish/metadata.yaml:

title: ...
subtitle: ...
author: ...
lang: ko          # BCP-47
date: 2026-09-04
publisher: ...
rights: © 2026 Author. All rights reserved.
description: |      # 150-300 words, the back-cover copy
keywords: [..., ...]
cover-image: cover/cover.jpg   # only if the file exists
toc-title: 차례

Generate front matter files in publish/frontmatter/: title page, copyright page (include an AI-assistance disclosure line if the author wants one; Amazon KDP requires disclosure of AI-generated text at upload regardless), dedication (if any), epigraph (if any). Back matter: about the author, acknowledgments, further reading (nonfiction), glossary (technical), index of sources (academic).

Chapter files are the drafts/ files with frontmatter stripped. Do not build from edits/.

2. Build

Requires pandoc. Check with pandoc --version; if missing, tell the author how to install and stop after writing metadata.

# EPUB
pandoc publish/frontmatter/*.md drafts/ch*.md publish/backmatter/*.md \
  -o publish/book.epub --toc --toc-depth=2 \
  --metadata-file=publish/metadata.yaml --css=publish/style.css \
  --epub-chapter-level=1

# PDF (requires xelatex; CJK needs a font)
pandoc ... -o publish/book.pdf --pdf-engine=xelatex \
  -V geometry:paperwidth=6in,paperheight=9in,margin=0.75in \
  -V mainfont="Noto Serif CJK KR" -V CJKmainfont="Noto Serif CJK KR" \
  --toc

# MOBI (optional; Kindle accepts EPUB)
ebook-convert publish/book.epub publish/book.mobi

# TXT, MD
pandoc ... --to plain --wrap=none -o publish/book.txt
pandoc ... --to markdown --standalone -o publish/book.md

Pre-processing:

• Frontmatter strip: pandoc treats the YAML block as metadata; concatenating many files makes later blocks collide. Strip every chapter's frontmatter into a temp copy before building.
• Poetry: add two trailing spaces to every non-empty line inside poem bodies so pandoc preserves line breaks.
• Screenplay: build PDF with a monospace font (Courier Prime) and no TOC; also export Fountain if requested.
• Cover guard: if cover-image points to a missing file, remove the key for the build and note it.
• Images: drafts reference ../visuals/figures/... and ../visuals/illustrations/...; run pandoc from the project root with --resource-path=.:visuals:visuals/figures:visuals/illustrations:visuals/photos:publish. On Windows the separator is ; (--resource-path=.;visuals;...), and cmd/PowerShell do not expand drafts/ch*.md: list the files explicitly. Legacy publish/illustrations/ still resolves if added to the path.

Validate: epubcheck publish/book.epub if installed. Zero errors required; warnings listed in PUBLISH-NOTES.md. Open the PDF page count and confirm chapter starts on new pages.

3. Title candidates

publish/title-candidates.md: 20+ candidates in five families (descriptive, emotional, question, image/metaphor, provocative), each with a subtitle option and a one-line reason. For Korean books, check whether the title is already in use on 교보/알라딘 when web search is available. Recommend three.

4. Visual assets and agents

• If visuals/manifest.json exists: node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/velith.mjs images render [project-dir] (figures from source), then images check. Any failure blocks the build until fixed or the author defers the image. Prefer SVG figures for EPUB and PNG for PDF; pandoc picks by extension, so keep both and reference the SVG in drafts (the PDF build swaps to PNG via --resource-path order or a pre-processing pass).
• cover-designer (requires art-bible.md) → publish/cover/concepts.md, spec.json. If an image generation tool is available, execute the recommended concept and save publish/cover/cover.jpg; then rebuild EPUB with the cover.
• art-director → contact-sheet consistency review across interior images and the cover, recorded in visuals/plan.md. Publishing with an unresolved fix list requires an author override.
• marketing-expert → publish/marketing-plan.md; cover variants from spec.json feed the launch assets.

5. Platform checklists

Write publish/CHECKLIST.md:

Amazon KDP — EPUB (reflowable) or print PDF; cover 1600×2560 min for ebook; AI-content disclosure question answered honestly (text/images/translations); ISBN optional for ebook, required for expanded print distribution; categories (up to 3), keywords (7); description with allowed HTML; pricing and royalty tier (70% requires $2.99-$9.99 and delivery cost under limits); pre-order window.

Korean platforms — 교보문고 POD/전자책, 예스24, 알라딘, 리디, 밀리의 서재(구독): ISBN via 국립중앙도서관 서지정보유통지원시스템 (publisher registration required; individuals use 1인 출판사 등록 or an aggregator like 부크크/유페이퍼); 전자책 ePub 3 with embedded fonts checked; 표지 규격 per platform; 도서정가제 applies; 부가세 면세 for books.

Apple Books / Google Play / Kobo — EPUB 3, cover ratio, ISBN handling, territory pricing.

Print — trim size, bleed, spine width from page count and paper, PDF/X-1a for some printers, embedded fonts.

Output

publish/: book.epub, book.pdf (+ .mobi, .txt, .md as requested), metadata.yaml, style.css, frontmatter/, backmatter/, title-candidates.md, cover/, marketing-plan.md, CHECKLIST.md, PUBLISH-NOTES.md (build log, warnings, overrides).

Gate

EPUB and PDF built; epubcheck clean if available; metadata complete; title candidates, cover concepts, marketing plan, checklist present.

Post-completion

node ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/velith.mjs scan [project-dir]