Publishing Standards is an independent reference for authors, publishers, and publishing professionals who want to understand what professional publication actually requires.

The site focuses on the systems behind a professionally produced book: rights and permissions, publisher-of-record responsibilities, ISBNs, metadata, edition control, print and digital production, accessibility, distribution, retailer requirements, quality control, and the changing technologies that affect how books are created and discovered.

Publishing is not defined by a single platform or upload button. A professional publication is the result of coordinated editorial, legal, technical, production, and commercial decisions. Publishing Standards examines those decisions in practical terms and separates durable standards from platform-specific rules that can change over time.

The site also publishes the Publishing Standards Brief, a recurring industry briefing that identifies important changes in publishing, copyright, artificial intelligence, distribution, discovery, and related technology, then connects those developments to practical guidance for working authors and publishers.

Publishing Standards is published as part of the MTDLN Media network.