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Practical guide 03

What every author should own and control.

Professional help should reduce your workload without making your book, reader relationships or business dependent on somebody else’s accounts.
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The manuscript critique
Ownership is not the same as doing everything yourself. An editor, designer, publisher, web specialist or managed service can carry out skilled work. The important point is that the rights, master files, accounts, approvals and income routes are clear, documented and recoverable.
If the relationship ended tomorrow, could you continue?
You should be able to identify what you own, obtain the final files, access the principal accounts, see what has been paid and appoint somebody else without rebuilding the project from nothing.
Five areas of control

The author ownership checklist.

01

Rights and permissions

Keep clear records of copyright ownership, publishing licences, territorial or language rights, image and quotation permissions, contributor agreements and any rights already licensed to another party. A service agreement should say what Casover or any supplier may use and for how long.
02

Identity and publishing accounts

You or your publishing entity should control the imprint decision, ISBN records, KDP, IngramSpark, Draft2Digital or other distribution accounts, Amazon Author Central, domain registration and principal business email. Delegated access is preferable to hidden shared credentials.
03

Master production files

Receive the controlled manuscript, edited files, final print interior, EPUB, cover artwork, source design files where licensed, printer specifications, metadata, ISBN allocation, proofs and an edition record. Know which files are final and which remain working drafts.
04

Audience and customer relationships

Control the domain, website, mailing list, consent records, analytics, customer data and social accounts. A retailer’s customer is not automatically your customer. Direct data must be collected lawfully and handled under the site’s privacy commitments.
05

Money, suppliers and reporting

Royalties and direct-sale income should flow to you or the agreed publishing entity. Keep platform statements, supplier quotations, invoices, advertising records, payment-account access, tax information and written approval for third-party expenditure.
What you should receive

A proper handover is part of the work.

Editorial record

The final approved manuscript, tracked or documented decisions, style notes, outstanding queries and a clear version date.

Production package

Print and ebook files, cover files, specifications, proof approvals, ISBNs, imprint information and the instructions needed to reproduce the edition.

Metadata Master

Approved title data, descriptions, contributor names, categories, keywords, prices, territories, publication dates and platform allocation.

Platform register

A list of accounts, account owners, recovery email addresses, delegated users, subscriptions and where two-factor authentication is controlled.

Marketing assets

Approved copy, campaign plan, media materials, mailing-list assets, landing-page content, analytics notes and the licences attached to photographs or design work.

Commercial close-out

Supplier and cost records, royalty routes, unresolved commitments, stock position, returns exposure, fulfilment responsibilities and the next review date.
Warning signs

Questions to ask before you pay.

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Will the account be opened in my name or the supplier’s?
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Who receives the royalties, direct-sale income and customer data?
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Which rights am I licensing, for what territory and for how long?
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Will I receive final files and any source files included in the price?
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Are third-party costs itemised and approved before they are incurred?
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What happens to my website, mailing list, stock and files if I stop?
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Can I appoint another professional without paying to recreate everything?
Unclear answers do not automatically prove bad intent, but they do prove that the commercial arrangement is unfinished.
Human control

Judgement does not sit in a tool.

Whatever supports research, analysis, consistency checking, planning and administration, human judgement governs the instructions, the sources, the interpretation, the corrections and the final decisions. You approve material outputs and every publication action.
The same ownership principles apply throughout: protect confidential material, keep the evidence and the approved output, and never let a shortcut override editorial, legal, design or commercial responsibility.
The Casover promise

Managed work, author-owned outcome.

Casover coordinates the publishing operation while you retain the rights, accounts, platform, reader relationships and royalties. Each paid stage ends with a substantial result and a clear decision to continue, pause or stop. External costs require separate approval.
See the staged pathway
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Casover Publishing
Independent publishing, properly managed.
One governed publishing method, from manuscript assessment to launch. You own the accounts, rights, platform and readership.
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Casover Publishing is a trading name of Draft2Book LLP, a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales, partnership number OC455633. Registered office: Unit C5, Welland Business Park, Valley Way, Market Harborough, LE16 7PS, United Kingdom.