Submitting Material

How you get your material to Book Services depends upon the format it is in.

Electronic Submission

Text. We recommend text be submitted as a Microsoft Word file (.DOC or .DOCX), but we can transcribe from handwritten manuscripts or audio recordings. We can also perform OCR (optical Character Recognition) from printed pages. Because we proof read and edit using Microsoft Word, submitting in MS Word format saves time and avoids extra cost.

MS Word File Guidelines (We can work with any MS Word file, but these guidelines will save time and money.) See: How to Format a Novel Manuscript for a more detailed guide.

• Use a standard font such as Times New Roman 12 point.
• Compose for letter or A4 with at least a half inch margin.
• Format paragraphs so they can be clearly identified. Set the format for a space between paragraphs so you don’t need to hit the return key twice, or set the first line of the paragraph to indent (don’t tab).
• Start each chapter on a new page (insert page break)
• Put your name, the book title, and a page number in the header.
• If your book contains an Index learn how to format one in MS Word. This will avoid indexing charges during the layout of the book. See Create an index and update an index from the Office Support web site.

Images. Pictures, diagrams, charts, artwork, etc. are best submitted electronically at a resolution for print reproduction of at least 300 dots per inch (dpi). Be sure to allow for the size the image will be on the printed page. Any file format supported by Adobe Photoshop is acceptable (see Photoshop File Formats) but please consider file size and susceptibility to quality loss due to compression. We prefer TIFF and PNG over JPG because they are lossless formats.

CAUTION: Do not submit scans of offset printed images due to moiré patterns that are created by the offset dot screen unless you are knowledgeable on how to remove the moiré.  (See Descreen Home Edition plug-in for Adobe Photoshop.)

Audio. Any file format supported by the Quicktime player is acceptable, however MP3 is preferred. (See Quicktime File Formats.)

Scanning.
For text that will be OCR processed by Book Services scan at 300dpi or higher, Black & White. File format is easiest as a multipage PDF.

For images intended for standard print reproduction as well as e-book, scan at 600dpi with 8 bit color depth in RGB format. For images for fine art print reproduction on the Hewlett Packard Indigo presses scan at 600dpi or higher (if the image will be enlarged when printed) with 16 or 24 bit color depth RGB NOT CMYK.

Please contact us before submitting any files. We will provide a link to a DropBox folder assigned to your project.

Physical Submission

• Printed & handwritten pages, photographs, diagrams, etc. should be removed from frames and photograph books.
• Identify each image item by putting it in individual envelopes.
• Manuscript pages should be numbered.
• It is your responsibility to properly pack and ship with adequate protection for your material. We suggest using a professional shipping service.
• Ship using a carrier that provides tracking information.
• Purchase insurance if there are valuable or irreplaceable items and advise Book Services of the value of the material so we can purchase additional insurance if necessary.
• Keep a copy if possible.

Please contact us before sending any physical items.