Before you finalize your manuscript for submission, please be sure to carefully review our most up-to-date manuscript submission guidelines.
Preparing your manuscript in accordance with our guidelines is important because it will help ensure that your designer is able to create a book that matches your vision and meets your expectations.
Below is a quick summary of some of the most important considerations to keep in mind:
- A single Microsoft Word .docx file: We need your manuscript to be submitted as a single Microsoft Word .docx document. If you’ve broken your book into separate files for each chapter, please copy and paste them into one single document prior to uploading to Octavo.
- Consistency is key: Please use consistency when styling your manuscript. If your book requires multiple fonts, let us know in your Layout Questionnaire. To ensure that your initial proof is accurate to your vision, please be consistent when styling chapter headings, sub-headings, etc.
- Front matter / end matter: Does your manuscript include any of the following: Preface, Acknowledgements, Dedication, Epilogue, About the Author, etc? If the answer is yes, please include them in your Word document in the order you’d like to see them in the printed book. We won't add any content to your book other than the table of contents (upon request) and copyright page.
- Table of Contents: If you would like a Table of Contents in your book, you don’t have to create it yourself. A tagged note (***Please create TOC***) at the start of your book is all we need!
- Image quality, placement, and file naming: Images must be supplied as high-resolution (min 300 dpi), print-quality files, your manuscript must be tagged correctly to indicate to the designer where to place each image, and the image files must then be named to correspond with your image tag.
- More info in our article Can I include images in my manuscript?
- Be aware of complexities: Design elements beyond basic text layout—images, block quotes, charts, footnotes etc— are referred to as design complexities, because they are more complex and consequently take more of our designers' time to implement. If your manuscript contains more complexities than what is included within the scope of the interior design service (approximately 30 images, or a comparable combination of other complexities), you will need to purchase extra design time or simplify your manuscript.
- Next Step: You should submit your manuscript with the next step in the process in mind. For example, you should polish and revise your manuscript as much as you can before submitting it for the first round of editing, but it does not need to be 100% error-free at that stage. On the other hand, the manuscript you submit for the interior design layout should be completely polished and error-free, since the two design revision rounds are only intended to be for cleaning up minor errors that have accidentally slipped through.
- Upload your manuscript and images to Octavo: Once you feel confident your manuscript is ready for the next step, upload it along with all of your images to the Manuscript Submission task page on Octavo
Submission Checklist
The list below can be used a quick checklist, but it is not 100% exhaustive, and we strongly recommend that all of our authors review the complete submission guidelines.
- All body text is formatted consistently in the same font and size
(for example: Times New Roman 12pt size) - All chapter headers are formatted consistently in the same font and size
(for example: Arial in 24pt size) - Any and all subheaders are formatted consistently in a proper hierarchy
(for example: level 1 headers Arial Bold 18pt size, level 2 headers Arial Italic 14pt size) - Any and all pullout quotes are formatted consistently but visibly different from the main body copy (for example: centre aligned or with a 0.75” indent)
- All of the editor's track changes have been accepted or rejected, and all margin comments have been resolved (if applicable)
- Image tags have been placed in the desired locations. If there are special instructions on image placement, ensure those are included within the ***image tag*** (if applicable)
- You have compiled all sections, including all front and end matter (e.g. dedication, preface, references, etc.) of your book in one single Microsoft Word .docx document.
"PDF Drops"
If you plan to provide a print-ready file to our team for publication (meaning Tellwell's designers will not create the interior layout for your book), please follow the instructions in this article instead: I'm providing my own interior design, what do I need to know?
Related Articles:
What sections should I include in my book?
What content can't I include in my manuscript?
Can I include images in my manuscript?