Book purpose
Write down the intended reader, occasion, and family branch. Decide whether the book is an introduction, a gift, a reunion record, or a fuller research copy. This prevents the scope from expanding every time you find another relative.
Content settings
Choose the starting person, generation count, whether living people belong in the book, whether PDF memories should appear, and how many photos to include. Your first book and Premium books can include all available photos. Record the choices so a later version can be compared fairly.
Source review
Check the starting person, their parents, and the photo-rich profiles in FamilySearch. Look for wrong relationships, duplicate memories, weak scans, missing captions, and private items the intended builder cannot access.
Final review and delivery
Read the preview and note the page count. Decide who will proof names and dates. Choose whether the finished version needs PDF delivery, printed copies, or both. For print, gather the correct shipping address and copy count before checkout.