This text is part of a three-part series that guides Python developers through the process of packaging and publishing a Python script to the Python Package Index (PyPI) using setuptools and twine. It emphasizes the importance of selecting an appropriate package name, in this case, opting for "mergefast" after deciding against "PyMerge" due to naming conventions and availability on PyPI. The article walks through the creation of a package structure, setting up a minimal `setup.py` file, creating source and wheel distributions, and testing these distributions locally and within different environments using tools like Earthly for containerized testing. The series also touches on the steps required to securely upload packages to PyPI using twine, including setting up an API token. This initial article sets the stage for later parts, which will explore packaging with Poetry and creating a Python C extension.