Publishing Guide
Preparing Your Manuscript for Publishing
Your book is written. Now how do you prepare the manuscript file so a publisher can work with it? A practical checklist.
File Format and Basic Setup
Submit your manuscript as a Microsoft Word document (.docx). This is the universal standard — every publisher, editor, and typesetter works with Word. Use a standard font (Times New Roman or Arial, 12pt) with 1.5 or double line spacing. Set margins to 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides. Number your pages. Include a title page with the book title, your name, contact information, and word count. If you have written in Google Docs, download as .docx before submitting. Avoid submitting PDFs — they are difficult to edit.
Formatting Your Manuscript
Keep formatting minimal. Use heading styles (Heading 1 for chapter titles, Heading 2 for sub-sections) instead of manually bolding and increasing font size. Do not try to make your manuscript look like a finished book — the typesetter will handle the final layout. Do not add headers, footers, or page borders. Use a single space after periods (not double). Start each chapter on a new page. For dialogue, use standard punctuation: double quotes in English, or the conventions of your language. If your book includes images, insert them in the correct positions but also provide them as separate high-resolution files.
Front Matter and Back Matter
Include the following in your manuscript file: Title page (title, subtitle if any, author name). Dedication page (optional). Table of contents (for non-fiction, essential; for fiction, optional). Acknowledgments (usually placed at the end). Author bio (a short paragraph about yourself). For non-fiction, include a bibliography or references section if applicable. Do not include a copyright page — your publisher will create that with the correct ISBN, printing details, and legal language.
Regional Language Manuscripts
For Hindi manuscripts, use Unicode fonts like Mangal, Kokila, or Noto Sans Devanagari. Avoid legacy fonts like Kruti Dev — they cause encoding issues during typesetting. For Punjabi (Gurmukhi), use Raavi or Noto Sans Gurmukhi. Ensure your document is saved with Unicode encoding (default in modern Word). If your book mixes languages (English and Hindi, for example), be consistent about which language is primary and clearly mark sections in the secondary language. At Sapatrishi, our typesetting team is experienced with all major Indian scripts and can handle mixed-language manuscripts.
Final Checklist Before Submission
Before sending your manuscript to a publisher, run through this checklist. Is the manuscript complete (no missing chapters or placeholder text)? Is it saved as .docx with a clear filename (e.g., 'My Book Title - Manuscript - Author Name.docx')? Have you used heading styles for chapter titles? Is the front matter (title page, table of contents) included? Are images provided separately at 300 DPI resolution? Have you done a basic spell check? Have you included your contact information and a brief synopsis? You do not need the manuscript to be perfectly edited — that is the publisher's job. But it should be complete, readable, and reasonably clean.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I submit a handwritten manuscript?
Technically yes, but it will add significant time and cost to the publishing process, as someone will need to type the entire manuscript. We strongly recommend typing your manuscript or having it typed. Many typing services in India charge Rs 5-10 per page for manuscript typing in English or Hindi.
What if my manuscript has images and illustrations?
Include images in their approximate positions within the Word document, and also provide each image as a separate file (JPEG or PNG, 300 DPI minimum). Label the files clearly (e.g., 'Figure 1 - Market Scene.jpg'). For photographs, higher resolution is always better.
Should I edit my manuscript before sending it to the publisher?
Do a basic self-edit: fix obvious errors, ensure consistency, and remove any placeholder notes. But do not spend months perfecting it — professional editing is part of the publishing service. Your publisher's editor will handle the thorough edit. A reasonably clean first or second draft is what we expect.
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