Phelan_Varrent/notes/book1-kindle-publish-checklist.md

Kindle Publishing Checklist — Book 1

Generated from export_kindle.py. Review and complete before uploading.

EPUB: kindle/exports/book1-kindle.epub

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Front & Back Matter

• Copyright page — fill in year, pen name, legal text (kindle/templates/copyright-page.md)
• Dedication (optional) — add to front matter if desired
• [-] Author’s Note (optional) — add to back matter if desired
• [-] “Also by the Author” page — create kindle/templates/also-by.md when applicable
• [-] Next book preview — append preview chapter to back matter when available

Metadata

• Confirm pen name / author name — Phillip Tarrant
• Confirm book title and subtitle — The Floundry Affair: A Phelan Varrant Novel, Book One
• Write book description / blurb (for KDP listing) — see below
• Choose KDP categories (2 allowed) — Fantasy > Humorous; Fantasy > Mystery & Detective
• Select 7 keywords for KDP search — see below
• Set price (consider KU 70% royalty tier: $2.99–$9.99) — $2.99 (launch price, raise later)

Book Description

Phelan Varrant sees what nobody else can — the flaws in magic that everyone else calls perfect.

Broke, antisocial, and operating out of a rented shack on Drenwick's dockside, Phelan makes his living through the Guild of Necessary Services, solving problems other guilds won't touch. When a desperate wife hires him to save her husband from a curse that two licensed practitioners have failed to break — and that the Arcane Compact classified as unbreakable in eleven days flat — Phelan takes the case. The fee is significant. The problem is interesting. In that order.

But the curse isn't one working. It's three, nested inside each other, each designed to protect the rest. And the Compact's suspiciously fast ruling starts to look less like bureaucratic efficiency and more like someone wanted this man silenced.

To crack a curse that shouldn't exist, Phelan will need things he's never had: a team, a plan that depends on other people, and the willingness to trust them when his own body gives out.

The Floundry Affair is the first in the Phelan Varrant series — a fantasy adventure for readers who love Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, Terry Pratchett's Discworld, and protagonists who are more clever than they are kind.

KDP Keywords

1. fantasy series first person
2. sarcastic protagonist fantasy
3. magic system fantasy
4. guild fantasy adventure
5. fantasy mystery curse
6. Dresden Files similar
7. funny fantasy novel

Cover Image

• Cover image ready (2560×1600px recommended for Kindle)
• Cover passes KDP image quality checks
• Run export_kindle.py --cover path/to/cover.jpg to embed cover in EPUB

Quality Checks

• Open EPUB in Kindle Previewer — check rendering on multiple devices
• Verify Table of Contents links work
• Verify chapter breaks (each chapter starts on new page)
• Verify scene breaks (* * *) are centered and styled
• Check smart quotes, em dashes, ellipses throughout
• Check first paragraphs are not indented after headings/scene breaks
• Proofread front and back matter
• Confirm no [CONTINUITY FLAG] markers remain in text

Upload

• Log in to KDP (kdp.amazon.com)
• Create new Kindle eBook
• Upload EPUB manuscript
• Upload cover image
• Fill in metadata (title, description, categories, keywords)
• Set pricing and royalty
• Enroll in Kindle Unlimited (KDP Select)
• Preview and publish