Guidelines for Submissions

We will be delighted to review your submission in whatever state and manner you choose to send it (except handwritten). For those who would like more insight into the preferred style we have developed at Vantage, here are our recommendations.

Page Formatting

When our editors format pages, here are the guidelines they follow:

Page size should be 8.5" by 11" (normal letter size, A4 internationally), with all margins set at 1.0". Text should be justified flush left, without hyphenation and, if word processed, without paragraph breaks at the end of each line (as may happen when transposing text from emails). We prefer double spaced lines, and our preferred font is Times New Roman (although any clear serif font is acceptable). Twelve point type is standard.

Page numbers should be inserted in the header or footer; this is a good place to put your last name and the book title as well. Chapters should begin on a new page. Poetry, except for series of short poems, should be set so that each poem begins on a new page. Chapter headings and poem titles should be clearly distinguishable through bolding and/or font size.

If sending us a printed manuscript, please print or copy on only one side of the paper. We realize this is not the most environmentally friendly format but it greatly enhances our ability to review and edit.

When you send us your manuscript, it should be up-to-date reflecting the current version of your text. There will be time for review and changes during our editing process.

Quotes, Lists and Other Text Features

You need not fret about the exact formatting of bulleted items, quotations, captions, and other text features. Achieving as much consistency as possible is commendable, but during the editing process these text features will be conformed and coded so that they are professionally presented and consistent throughout the text. Similarly, use bold, italics and underlining sparingly to make important points or distinctions, but not so much that they come to dominate the text.

Cover Page and Copyright

The ideal cover page contains:

The title of the work (with subtitle if used)
Author's full name
Contact information (address, telephone, email)

If you are sending multiple manuscripts for consideration, please make sure each one is clearly demarcated (although they can be provided in a common file). You are welcome to include a copyright declaration such as “© 2010 Jane Doe” but this is not necessary: you have an enforceable copyright in your work even before it is officially registered with the Copyright Office, and Vantage Press treats your manuscript as completely confidential and does not share it with any third party.

Photographs and Illustrations

We would be happy to review photographs and illustrative material that you may want to include in your book. A convenient way to send these is to incorporate them in a Word or PDF document, either the same one as your manuscript or a companion document. Several JPG files may also be provided, and of course we review photographs and illustrations by mail: please send copies not originals at the submissions stage.

Permissions

Quoting the words of other modern authors usually requires getting their permission to do so. We will provide you with the tools to seek the permissions your manuscript requires. For purposes of your submission, it is not necessary to have all permissions in order, but if you do have them for material you know will require permissions a note to that effect is useful to us.

Style

Like so many other publishers, Vantage Press follows The Chicago Manual of Style in matters of punctuation, grammar, abbreviation, captions, bibliography, indexing, and so on. Regardless of the state of your manuscript, we will apply the Chicago principles in professionally editing your book. This is of course primarily applicable to our non-fiction authors, but The Chicago Manual of Style is a useful reference for all writers.

“I want to thank you for bringing out such an attractive book. I have also found your staff exceptionally agreeable.”

G. Cornwell