General Hints and Tips
Type your manuscript in Word (preferred). If you don’t have access to Word, consider a low-cost or free alternative like Star Office or Open Office. Don’t use Publisher, PowerPoint or another graphic design program. This will allow you to focus on the words, and not the layout.
Please DO …
- Spell check your document.
- Check with us before you scan any artwork that you want in your book. Scans and photographs for commercial printing must be done a specific way or they will not produce acceptable quality in your book.
- Use only ONE space between sentences, not two. (Yes, this is different from what you learned in typing class, but for professional typesetting the extra spaces don’t need to be there.)
- Use two or three hyphens together without spaces between for a long dash (also called an em dash). I’ll convert these for you. (NOTE: If you are planning to typeset your own manuscript, be SURE to search for and replace the dashes. It can be the difference between an amateur book and one that is much more professional.)
- Look for inconsistencies in your manuscript and correct them. If you capitalize all words in subtitles, be sure you have done so throughout. If you have web links in your text, be sure you have been consistent in noting them. (Example: use www.website-domain-name.com or http://www.website-domain-name.com throughout … not both.)
Please DON’T …
- Use all uppercase text in your document. We may be unable to convert it without a lot of additional work.
- Put returns at the end of each line. Put a single return at the end of each paragraph.
- Indent your paragraphs using spaces or tabs.
- Use any “fancy” fonts, unusual headings, page numbers, headers and footers, etc.
- If any quotation marks appear in your document, use double quotes. Don’t use two single quotes in place of a double quote.
- Place any notes you want me to see in your text document. If you MUST do this, highlight the text by using a different color like red or green. Please call attention to the presence of this text before I start your manuscript.
Photos and Artwork
If your book has photos or artwork, please save each individual photo as a separate file. The filename may end in JPG or GIF. Photos to be used in a printed book MUST be high-resolution. This is VERY important, and it can’t be stressed enough. If you have questions or concerns about this, please ask.
When indicating where the photo will go in the manuscript, use a designation that is easy to see. It should look something like this:
[photo … filename of graphic or photo]
Chapters
Create one file for each chapter of your book. Create additional files for the dedication, foreword, table of contents, and other “front matter” material. If there is an index, create a separate file for it. Use limited formatting; 11 or 12 point Times Roman or Arial for body text is preferred. You may include the table of contents but it is not necessary to include page numbers as they will change anyway.
Number your chapters carefully and obviously so we can tell which chapter is which.
Be sure the chapter names in your Table of Contents agree with the chapter names in your manuscript. It is best to keep the chapter names short; no more than 4-5 words, so they will fit on the pages comfortably.
Proofread your manuscript thoroughly for typographical, grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Reading it out loud may help you catch some mistakes. I will not correct mistakes in your manuscript for you; however, it is possible that I will call attention to something that looks inaccurate. Don’t depend on this, as it is not a guarantee.
Please let us know if you have questions about how your documents should be formatted. Email the file to us, or send a CD with your files.
The #1 PROBLEM with manuscripts we receive is that they are not finished. Please be sure we have your FINAL text files prior to the start of your project.
Professional Editing
We really recommend you consider hiring a professional to edit your manuscript. No matter how many times you have looked at it, you will not find everything. Even professional writers have editors, so it does not make sense to be sensitive about this. An editor can put a polish on your work that will help it stand out from other manuscripts. If you need a professional editor, I can recommend one.
If professional editing is not possible, print out your manuscript and ask a trusted friend to read it and mark any errors they find in red pen. Look at the errors and if you agree with the friend, make corrections in your computer file.