Free challenge · 1 to 31 December 2026
Finish and format in December
A free 31-day plan that takes the book you drafted to files KDP or IngramSpark will accept: one short task a day, each with a link to the place on the WriterDesk where it gets done.
No sign-in to read the plan or tick the days. The desk needs a free account; the trial and the plan are on Pricing.
0 of 31 days
Ticks are kept in this browser only. Links marked Optional AI open an AI tool on the desk. You never need one to finish a day.
Week 1 · 1 to 7 December0 of 7 done
Finish the draft and revise it.
Day 1 · 1 December
Bring the draft onto the desk
Bring your .docx, .txt, .md or .rtf file in. Its chapter headings become chapters on the desk.
Day 2 · 2 December
List what is missing
Write one line for every scene or chapter the book still needs. That list is the rest of the week.
Chapters step Optional AISuggest the flowDay 3 · 3 December
Write the missing pages
Work through the list from yesterday. Rough is fine; finished is the goal.
Day 4 · 4 December
Write the ending
Close the last chapter, even if you will rewrite it. The draft is done when it ends.
Day 5 · 5 December
Read it through once
Read the whole book in order. Take notes only; change nothing yet.
Optional AIKeep the threadDay 6 · 6 December
Fix the structure
Act on yesterday's notes: move, merge or cut chapters before you polish any sentence.
Day 7 · 7 December
Line edit and listen
Edit line by line, then hear each chapter read aloud in the free browser voice. The ear finds what the eye skips.
Listen to a chapter Optional AIFormat the chapter
Week 2 · 8 to 14 December0 of 7 done
Front and back matter, the title and the blurb.
Day 8 · 8 December
Settle the title
Write the title and subtitle as they will appear on the cover. Say them aloud.
Book title Optional AISuggest impactful titlesDay 9 · 9 December
Name the reader
Write one sentence on who the book is for. The blurb, the category and the keywords all follow from it.
Day 10 · 10 December
Front matter
Dedication, epigraph, foreword or author’s note: add only the pieces this book needs.
Day 11 · 11 December
Back matter and the author note
Acknowledgments and any other titles you have written, then a short about-the-author in the third person.
About the author Optional AIAbout the authorDay 12 · 12 December
Contents, and an index if it needs one
Check the contents list against the chapter titles. Nonfiction may want an index or an appendix.
Matter step Optional AIBuild the finderDay 13 · 13 December
Write the blurb
A hook, the situation, the stakes. Keep it to about 150 words for the back cover.
Back cover blurb Optional AIDraft the back coverDay 14 · 14 December
Category and keywords
Pick the shelf a shop would put the book on, and up to seven search keywords a reader would type.
Week 3 · 15 to 21 December0 of 7 done
The house, the trim, the cover, the ISBN and the barcode.
Day 15 · 15 December
Choose the house
KDP, IngramSpark, or both. The trim list, the ISBN rule and the margins depend on it.
Day 16 · 16 December
Choose print, ebook or both
Pick the path. Print and the ebook come from the same chapters.
Day 17 · 17 December
Pick the trim size
Choose a size the house prints, then check the gutter and outside margins for your page count.
Day 18 · 18 December
Decide on the ISBN
The free KDP number, or your own. Each format needs its own ISBN.
Day 19 · 19 December
Make the barcode
Turn the ISBN into an EAN-13 barcode and place it on the back cover.
Day 20 · 20 December
Work out the spine
Estimate the spine width and the full cover wrap, and give the spine a short title.
Day 21 · 21 December
Put the front cover on
Upload the front cover image, or brief a designer with the trim, the spine width and the blurb.
Upload the front cover Optional AIDesign the cover
Week 4 · 22 to 28 December0 of 7 done
Preflight, proof, files.
Day 22 · 22 December
Fill in the facts
Author name, publication year, who holds the rights, and the imprint.
Day 23 · 23 December
Run the preflight
Open the Check step and clear each item it lists against your house.
Check step Optional AIClear the preflightDay 24 · 24 December
A light day: hear the opening
Listen to the first chapter once more. It is the page a buyer reads first.
Day 25 · 25 December
Rest
Nothing today. The book is nearly ready, and it will keep.
Day 26 · 26 December
Read a proof copy
Download a watermarked copy (free) and read it on another device, as a reader would.
Day 27 · 27 December
Lay out the print interior
Put the Word manuscript into your house's interior template, then recheck the spine with the real page count.
Day 28 · 28 December
Last fixes
Make the changes the proof turned up, then run the preflight again until it is clear.
Last days · 29 to 31 December0 of 3 done
Upload and launch prep.
Day 29 · 29 December
Download the files
The EPUB, the Word manuscript and the handoff. Clean files come with the WriterCaddy plan.
Day 30 · 30 December
Upload to the house
Set up the title with your house, upload the interior and the cover, and order a printed proof.
Day 31 · 31 December
Plan the launch
Choose a release date, tell your first readers, and write the one paragraph you will post on the day.
A checklist for the wall
All 31 days on paper, with your ticks so far. Choose “Save as PDF” in the print window to keep a file instead.
Questions
Is it free?
Yes. The plan, the checklist and the free tools cost nothing, and you can write on the WriterDesk and download watermarked copies with a free account. Clean files for a house come with the paid WriterCaddy plan; the trial and the price are on the Pricing page.
Do I need the AI?
No. Every day can be done by hand. The AI tools are marked Optional AI, they stay off until you agree, and nothing is written into the book unless you accept it.
What if I am not on KDP?
Pick your own house on day 15. The desk also checks the book for IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble Press, Lulu, Draft2Digital, Apple Books, Kobo and Google Play Books, and the steps are the same.
Can I start late?
Yes. The days are a suggested order, not a deadline. Start on any day, tick what you have already done, and keep going into January if you need to.
Day 1 starts on the desk
Bring the draft, and every link on this page opens the step it names.
Start the challenge on the WriterDeskFree trial details are on Pricing.