Chart Your Course · First Mate by 36 Seas

Get published.
Get it out there.

You wrote it to be read. Give it every chance.

The manuscript. The cover. The finished editions. The cinematic trailer. First Mate brings the work together, with a path to publication by 36 Seas. You can see what your book needs—and keep moving until it is ready for readers.

Bring your idea, your half-finished draft, or your final manuscript.

1. Stage 1

   Finish the book you keep thinking about.

   Bring in the pages you have. Use First Mate to organize the story, work through missing chapters, and revise with the whole manuscript in view.

   Start here: list the three things standing between this draft and a complete manuscript. Work on the first one.

2. Stage 2

   Make the cover worth a second look.

   Your cover makes a promise about the book inside. Develop its artwork, typography, and full print wrap together, with a clear sense of the reader you want to reach.

   Start here: choose three books your reader already loves. Note what their covers communicate before you read a word.

3. Stage 3

   Give every page the same care.

   A finished book should feel considered from the title page to the final line. Prepare your print and ebook editions in First Mate, then check the typography, chapter openings, and reading experience in each format.

   Start here: preview a complete chapter in print and on a phone. Look for anything that interrupts the reading.

4. Stage 4

   Make people want to read it.

   A cinematic trailer gives you a way to show the atmosphere of your book before a reader opens it. Bring your cover, trailer, and synopsis together around the same compelling reason to read.

   Start here: write one sentence that makes someone want to know what happens next. Build your introduction around it.

5. Stage 5

   Put your book forward for publication.

   Submit a finished manuscript for consideration by 36 Seas. Selected books move toward publication under the imprint, with editorial judgment behind the decision.

   Start here: prepare your final manuscript, synopsis, and author biography. Publication requires approval and a separate agreement.

6. Stage 6

   Give readers somewhere to find it.

   Plan the introduction as carefully as the book itself: where it will appear, how readers will discover it, and where they can get a copy. For a 36 Seas release, establish the distribution and any Mainstage feature in your publishing agreement.

   Start here: write down your reader destination, launch assets, and confirmed placements. Each promotion should lead to a clear next step.

The book on your hard drive could be the next book someone stays up reading.