Now that your package has a valid package definition file, you can package the release tarball. Cd to the top-level directory of the package and run: pear package package.xml. This will create the release tarball (gzipped if zlib support is present) that will be used later to upload the new release.
Next, you should install the package locally by running: pear install <file> (file is the tarball you just packaged). This is done to ensure that the package definition file is not only valid-xml but also contains valid info. You should manually check that every file is installed in the correct place. If your package contains test scripts, which is highly recommended, you should run them.
If anything fails at this stage, correct it and re-package and re-test. When everything seems OK, proceed.