We are delighted that you have decided to publish with Stylus Publishing. Please take a moment to read through these instructions before you undertake extensive writing.

The length of the manuscript is an important part of the contract: it is a key factor in determining the list price as well as the cost of producing and printing the book. Manuscript length is expressed as thousands of words. Book length is expressed in multiples of 16-page or 32-page "signatures," which are the number of pages created by folding and gathering paper mill reels or large sheets of paper into a bound book. Accordingly, a typical Stylus contract may stipulate a manuscript not exceeding 84,000 words, which, allowing for front ("prelims") and back matter (usually bibliography and index), will yield a 224-page book of a given trim size and using a page design with a particular typeface.

The word count allows for the fact that a number of pages are set aside for such elements as the title page, the copyright page, dedication, acknowledgments and table of contents (the "prelims"). A typical double-spaced word-processed page of 12-point type comes to about 380 words.

If a book is to be illustrated or will present a great deal of tabular material, or needs a design with lots of indents and bullet points, this needs to be discussed at contract stage so that these factors are taken into account in determining length.

Our Stylus contract calls for you to submit your final manuscript in both hard copy and disk forms. In this digital age, hard copy is still important for transmitting detailed instructions to those involved in converting your manuscript into a book, and as a safeguard in case of corrupt files.

It is also very important to adhere to the following instructions in preparing your manuscript. In addition to the quality of the content, the physical form of submission is a key element of what constitutes an acceptable manuscript.

These instructions are designed to streamline the work of the many people who will be involved in editing, designing and printing your book, and enable them work effectively with you in the process.

We welcome any questions you may have, and look forward to working with you.

A. Text and Typography

I. Hard Copy

1. The hard copy needs to be cleanly and clearly printed with no hand corrections.
2. Print in black only on standard 8½" x 11" (A4 in Europe) white paper, submitting two copies, at least one being a printed original (not a photocopy). Print only on one side. Justify left, and leave right of line unjustified or "ragged." Keep a further copy of complete manuscript for yourself.
3. Double-space, and allow generous margins (at least 1 inch) for annotation.
4. Use your word processor's default font (the one that comes as standard when you create a new blank document — often Times Roman) in 12pt.
5. The style of headings and subheadings should be simple and consistent, e.g., all first-level headings centered, all second-level headings flush left. Generally, try to avoid using typographical features such as FULL CAPS, underlining, different fonts and sizes, etc. Use of bold or italic may be required if the manuscript's complexity requires but note that undoing such coding can be time-consuming for copy editors and the designer responsible for the book's typographical design. However, do use italics for book titles in text or bibliographies, for foreign words and emphases (sparingly!).
6. Paginate the entire manuscript consecutively (i.e., do not number each chapter individually), unless the book is an edited collection of chapters by different authors or you are only submitting an individual chapter or chapters to a contributed book.
7. Ensure the manuscript is complete, and contains at least the items marked with an asterisk. If you have questions about any of these elements, don't hesitate to ask.
   • Dedication
   • *Table of contents
   • Table of illustrations
   • List of contributors
   • Foreword
   • Introduction or Preface (if not a chapter in the text)
   • Acknowledgments (may be included in Preface)
   • *Manuscript text
   • Notes / footnotes. Notes to each chapter should be clearly headed as "Notes to Chapter X," and should be submitted on a separate page or pages as, depending on each book's design, notes may either be printed at the end of their corresponding chapter, or at the end of the volume.
   • *Index. This is normally created at proof stage. If you want to create the index entries without page references when you submit the manuscript, this will help us determine the overall length of the book (but this is entirely optional, and not frequently done), but we will need the paginated index when you return corrected proofs. Our contract usually specifies that the author is responsible for the index. If you do not want to undertake the indexing yourself, you may ask us to hire an indexer and charge the cost against royalties. Let us know which course you want to pursue when submitting the final manuscript. Outsourcing the index can cost upwards of $500.00.
   • *Bibliography (usually following each chapter or at back of book)
   • Appendix (-ices)
   • *Permissions (see below)
8. Be consistent in matters of style (when to use words or numbers, punctuation, capitalization, and layout of bibliographic data). If you don't use a standard style (e.g., MLA or APA) we recommend you follow The Chicago Manual of Style. If you are editing a contributed volume, please ensure all your contributors follow the same style guidelines.
9. We recommend running all files through your spelling checker and, if you have them, format and grammar checkers.
10. Style for references.
    • Please follow APA style consistently for all references.
    • Please ensure that all references cited in the text are included in the reference list and, conversely, that all references listed in the reference list must be cited in the text.
    • Please be careful that spellings of the names and the dates of publication are consistent in all locations.
    • Note that APA reference style requires the following elements
      1. ALL the authors' names and initials
      2. Date of publication
      3. Title of book or article
      4. With authored books, the place of publication and name of publisher
      5. With edited books, the publication date, author's name, name of the author's chapter, names of the editors, name of the book, publication place, publisher, and page numbers of the chapter
      6. With periodicals, authors' names with initials, date of publication, name of periodical, volume number, issue number if available, page numbers of article
      7. Web sites: name of the article or information, date of publication if available, date of access, complete URL (test this to make sure it works)

    See the APA style manual for variations such as magazine articles, subsequent editions, translations, etc.

    Particularly if you’re the editor of a multi-author book, please check that contributors provide all these elements when you receive the manuscripts. Unanswered queries – particularly regarding references – at the copyediting stage can delay publication.

II. Digital Formats

1. Submit text on PC compatible CD-ROM or as an attachment
2. Each chapter, its corresponding notes and each element listed in I.7 above should be a separate file (e.g., "Ch1," "Ch1Notes," "Intro").
3. Label the CD-ROM(s), giving book title and list of files, and state word processor program used. If you use a word processor program other than Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, consult us before sending the disk.

B. Illustrations & Tables

I. Placement of Illustrations & Tables

1. The position of any illustration, or table, which cannot be rendered as simple text, should be clearly identified, be numbered sequentially in the text, and "keyed" either to the physical artwork or to the image file (if supplied on disk). Use the following or similar numbering convention to identify both the chapter and the illustration's sequence within it. E.g., first illustration in Chapter 6 should be numbered: a. "6.1" in the text; and either b. "Ch6ill1" on disk; or "Chapter 6, illus.1" on a label secured to the back of the artwork.
2. In the chapter text, leave 2 blank lines where you ideally want the illustration inserted, then type in the appropriate instruction in square brackets, e.g.: [insert illustration 6.1 here] and follow with two blank lines. If you have a caption, insert it as text below the insertion instruction, e.g.: Caption 6.1: Caption text. and then follow with two blank lines
3. If you have a caption, insert it as text below the insertion instruction, e.g.: Caption 6.1: Caption text. and then follow with two blank lines; but please also create a separate file containing all captions for the manuscript, and precede each caption with an identifier: e.g., “Caption to Chapter 6, fig. 1” or whatever consistent convention you have decided to use.

II. Digitized Illustration Files

1. Provide both in disk and hard copy formats (number as in B.1. above)
2. Ideally ensure body text of all screen shots is identical (Times Roman is a good default font)
3. Hard copy should be in black and white
4. Disk version should be in:
   1. 72 dpi for Web screen shots and higher resolution for all other illustrations (use minimum of 300 dpi and preferably 600 dpi for all illustrations except Web screen shots). Indicate resolution on disk label.
   2. TIFF, jpeg or eps format (indicates which on label);
   3. Saved to same size as illustrations will appear in the book: Half page size: approx. 4 ¾" - 5" wide and 3 ½" - 4" high Full page size: approx. 4 ¾" – 5" wide and 7 ½" - 8" high
   4. Black and white, not color

III. Preparing Physical Art Work

As with other kinds of illustrations, a photographic print should be clearly identified and keyed to its placement in the text. If photographs are to be spread throughout the text, they should be identified according to the system set forth in item B.1, above, e.g., hand write "6.1" on the back of the print that is to appear as the first illustration in chapter six. If photographs are to appear gathered together in an "insert" in the middle of the book, simply number them "1," "2," etc. Accompanying the photographs should be a list of captions, submitted on hard copy and disk, in the following format:

1. Seaman Annaliese Knapp unravels line aboard the hospital ship USS Sanctuary at Mayport, Florida, 1974. U.S. Navy/L. Anderson
2. In July 1976, the U.S. Naval Academy included women for the first time. Elizabeth Belzer, the first to graduate, stands at far right. National Archives

Note above that each caption has two parts: a descriptive statement and a credit statement.

Of those Stylus books that contain photographs, almost all will appear in black and white, not color. Accordingly, it is best for your prints likewise to be in black in white, rather than in color, as the resolution will be degraded in the translation from color to black and white.

C. Permissions

Supply hard copy of permissions, using Stylus's standard permissions form (ask for a hard copy or a word processor file via e-mail attachment).

The permissions form provides a space for you to identify where in your manuscript the third party copyright material appears.

If permissions relate to text, it's because you're quoting extensively from someone else's work. Such extracts should be typed as a new indented paragraph or paragraphs in the text, and identified at the beginning and end with a notation in square brackets, e.g.: [Start of Peter Drucker extract], [End of Peter Drucker extract]. Note that, when quoting a song or poem, the copyright holder may consider a line or two "extensive", and the permission may be prohibitively expensive. Generally, avoid quoting poetry. If in doubt, consult us.

If the permission is for a table or illustration, key the permission to the material, using same numbering system as for the illustrations themselves.