The Importance of Source Files for Self-Publishers

As a self-publisher, you are ultimately responsible for shepherding your book through the publishing process—from writing and editing to design, formatting, and distribution. Whether you work with freelancers or an end-to-end self-publishing partner like Bublish, you are still in charge and should maintain all rights to your intellectual property. We take this obligation very seriously at Bublish.

That's why it's so important to acquire and safeguard your book's source files, which are part of that intellectual property. These files—the originals that contain the full text, formatting, cover art, and other essential elements and specifications—are invaluable assets that many self-publishers fail to acquire from service providers. Many self-publishers don't even know that there's a difference between their distributed files and source files. Unfortunately, not acquiring or understanding rights around source files is a mistake that can come back to haunt self-publishers down the road.

At Bublish, we see the fallout from this common oversight all the time. For example, when an author wants to move distribution to Bublish from another platform, they hit roadblocks in the transition because they don't have their source files. Or, when an author wants to create a new format of their book, like a hardcover—and we didn't create the original source files and the author doesn't have them—we're at an impasse. 

In this post, we'll dive into what source files are, why they're so important, and how best to manage them throughout your self-publishing journey.

What Are Book Source Files?
In the simplest terms, source files are the original files used to create your book. These files can include:

• Text documents—Microsoft Word files, Google Docs, Apple Pages, and others
• Formatted book files—InDesign files or other formatting-tool files as well as PDFs
• Cover design files—Photoshop, Illustrator, or other design-software files as well as high-resolution file outputs like high-resolution .jpg and .png files as well as PDFs
• Image assets—These can be created in Photoshop or Illustrator and are usually output as .jpg or .png files with 300 dpi or higher
• Audiobook files—MP3 files
• eBook files—.epub, .mobi, etc.

Together, these files contain everything that goes into creating a high-quality fiction or nonfiction book—text, fonts, spacing, alignment, graphic elements, printing or digital specifications, color layers, and so much more. When working with service providers, make sure you maintain the rights and access to all your intellectual property, including your source files. Ethical self-publishing companies will store an author's source files and give full access when needed. There may be a small charge to acquire your source files because there are a lot of files and some can be very large and take hours to export. At Bublish, we charge $50 for this service. 

Why Are Source Files Important?
Without your source files, it can be difficult to recreate or make changes to your book after it has been published. Consider the following scenarios where you'll need your source files to move forward. You might want to...

1. Make Revisions or Updates
Books, like any product, evolve. Perhaps after release, you catch a typo or want to update or add new information. Maybe your book wins an award that you want to showcase on the cover or inside your book. If you don't have access to your book's source files, even these small changes can become a big hassle. You may have to hire someone to reformat your entire book or reverse-engineer it from the final exported file, which can be expensive and time-consuming. By keeping your source files handy and organized, you will always have the flexibility to make updates and changes without having to start from scratch.

2. Add a New Book Format
As a self-publisher, you are likely distributing your book across multiple platforms like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, etc. You're also probably distributing your book in multiple formats. Your options include paperback, eBook, hardcover, and audiobook. At Bublish, for example, we distribute all four book formats to more than 60,000 sales and retail channels around the world. But what if you only have a paperback and want to add a hardcover? If that's the case, you'll need the source file for your cover to change the book's spine for the new binding required to print a hardcover. And if you want to add an audiobook, which is the fastest growing format in publishing, you'll need a PDF of the interior for human narration and the eBook file for AI narration. 

3. Protect Against Data Loss and Version Confusion
Even in today's cloud-connected world, data loss happens. Hard drives fail, computers crash, and sometimes platforms you rely on lose your files. If you lose your source files, you risk losing the ability to easily update or recreate your book. That's why it's essential to back up your source files in multiple locations. You should keep copies in an organized folder on your computer or an external hard drive and hosted on one or more cloud-storage platform. Your service provider should also keep secure back ups of your files. Don't rely on a single storage location, because the risk of loss is never zero. Additionally, make sure you have a naming convention for all source files so you can clearly identify different versions of your files. Any time a file is changed, preserve the original file and create a new version with a different file name that contains the book's title, a version number, the date, and the initials of the last person who touched the file. Some authors create a simple log that outlines all of the versions of their source files.

4. Repackage Your Content or Create Merchandise
If your book is successful, you may eventually want to release a new version, a translation, a special version, a box set, or create some merchandise. These types of projects often require use of your book's source files.

As a self-publisher, maintaining control over your intellectual property is paramount—and your source files are part of your intellectual property. When considering a service provider, question your rights around source files. Being denied access to your source files is never a good feeling. Unfortunately, we hear horror stories from self-publishers all the time. Source files safeguard your work and ensure that future revisions, content or design updates, and distribution opportunities remain within your control. With careful organization, continuous backup, and effective source-file management, you'll set yourself up for long-term success in the ever-evolving world of self-publishing. Don't let a simple oversight become a major headache—always keep copies of your source files!