I Bypassed Adobe and Microsoft to Build a Git-Tracked Book Production Pipeline
The article discusses the author's journey in creating a book production pipeline without relying on Adobe or Microsoft. It highlights the challenges of formatting and typesetting novels and the author's eventual transition to using alternative tools. The author emphasizes the importance of quality in the self-publishing process and shares insights on various software options available for authors.
- ▪The author initially used Microsoft Word for drafting and editing their novels.
- ▪They transitioned to Adobe InDesign for professional-quality formatting despite initial challenges.
- ▪The author explored other tools like Calibre and Kindle Create for ebook production, seeking a more efficient workflow.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Posts How I Bypassed Adobe and Microsoft to Build a Git-Tracked Book Production Pipeline May 22, 2026 - 10 minutes read - 2085 words The most important piece of fiction writing is the story. Are the characters compelling? Is the plot exciting and coherent? Is the story believable? Paired with that is writing quality, which includes grammar, syntax, spelling, and punctuation. Without an immense amount of work on these points, authors lack a book worth publishing. Formatting and typesetting a novel can become an afterthought. It’s probably the most technology-driven part of the self-publishing process, which can be scary to authors who just want to get a polished book into readers’ hands. I don’t mean to imply my formatting process is the best or the easiest.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at D. J. Speckhals.
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