Advocate House
Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I get started?

It's a good idea to have a professional make sure your book is up to publishable standards. If you are sure it is, proceed to Submission Guidelines. If not, we suggest you send it for a Critique.

Critique You may not know what size book you want, or whether you should publish a hard copy or electronic book. We'll read it and tell you if a market exists and how you can best reach that market.( Click on blue to see Critiques ) We'll also let you know if it is ready for publication or needs editing. If editing is required, we'll tell you what is needed. You can do your own editing or have us do it for you.

Editing It's always a good idea to have somebody else edit your work, to catch errors and lapses that are often not apparent to the author.( See Editing)

Once your book is in publishable form, it is time to make formatting decisions:

Electronic Books

Advocate House will prepare your book for electronic distribution and/or distribution as a printed and bound version.

Unless you select otherwise, all e-books will be formatted in PDF for distribution on both PCs and Macs.

You may submit your manuscript in a number of ways. However, submitting books on disk gives authors more direct control of appearance and content. To insure that readers receive exactly what you want, we strongly suggest you submit your book on a disk in either of the following standard formats:

1. PDF is the preferred format

2. HTML format

Submission Guidelines

The following will help us prepare your book for worldwide distribution more effectively.

1. Submit your book as a single file, including the title page, table of contents (if any), all of the chapters and index (if any), page numbers and headers.

2. Please submit your "About the Author" and "About the Book" segments as separate files. If you decide to submit these items on paper, please type or make sure you write legibly. Remember, the purpose of these items is to convince a reader to buy your book.

3. We will use your "About" information to create book reviews and news releases to publicize your book.

Can I submit my book as a paper manuscript?

Absolutely! Advocate House will scan your MS Word or World Perfect manuscript and convert it to computer format so that it can be placed on websites that will display your book and take orders for it online. Here are some important points to remember: if you are submitting a finished manuscript (no editing or typesetting required) a scanning fee must be charged. It is important for the author to proofread carefully after scanning because even the best scans can include minor errors. Advocate House does not edit manuscripts once they are accepted for publication: the author decides what the public reads.

The manuscript submitted for scanning must be complete. Scanning errors are corrected free of charge but other changes will be charged at the rate in effect at the time of change. Naturally, because of the additional steps involved, it takes slightly longer to prepare hard-copy manuscripts for online publication.

Who establishes a price for my book?

You do. We will consult with you, offering our opinion on the optimal price. Remember, the primary objective is to sell your book so that you can gain exposure and recognition. In general, we prefer to price electronic books at about fifty to seventy-five percent of what readers pay for soft cover books in conventional bookstores.

What about editing?

You should have it edited, and we'll be happy to do it.

When we go through the editing process and preparing your manuscript for e-publication, we can work with Word Perfect or MS Word files: we'll take care of conversion to the appropriate electronic format. But once you and Advocate House are agreed it is in final form and the publishing process begins, final approval is the author's job.

What about a Title Page?

Make sure the first page of your book is a title page that includes your name and the copyright information:

My Book by John Doe

©Copyright 2000, John Doe

This book may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the author

May my book contain pictures or graphics?

Certainly. Illustrations can add a great deal to your book.

How long does it take to get my book up for sale?

This depends on the format in which it is submitted. Traditional publishers (printed books) often take as long as 12-18 months to bring new books to market. We can have your electronic book available for world-wide distribution within 60 days of the date we receive the completed manuscript.

What kind of authors have published e-books?

All kinds, from Stephen King to academics. Advocate House authors range from those publishing their first book to critically-acclaimed authors who have been published conventionally many times. Remember that there are more than 150 million Internet users around the world, with a wide variety of interests. This means there is a market for all types of e-books.

Printed and Bound Books

If I choose to have my book printed, how do I get started?

Simply complete the appropriate portions of the Advocate House Agreement and forward it to us. We'll take it from there.

Who decides the size of the printed and bound version?

You do, with our advise. Standard sizes are 8.5 x ll, 6 x 9 or 5 x 8 inches. Our production staff will suggest the best size for your book. In some cases, your original version will have to be resized. We'll take care of this, as well as renumbering the pages and Table of Contents. We will not make changes to an index. If your book contains an index, once the resizing (reformatting) is complete, we will return a galley proof to you so that you can make the changes yourself and return them to us.)

Who owns the rights to my book?

You will hold all ownership rights in your book.

What will the book look like and what about the cover design?

That depends on the choices you make. Remember, you will have total control of your book. If you elect to have our designers do your cover and interior design, we will submit sample sketches for your approval. If you want your artist to design a cover for you, it must meet our specifications and be received with the book as a TIFF or EPS file. If you have an idea for a cover, please use a separate sheet of paper to describe it. Remember, simple sells: overly complicated covers will not be accepted.

What about style and size of type?

Our designers will suggest the style and size of type most suitable for your book. The final choice is yours.

How long does all this take and what is the process?

A lot less time than you might think and much less time than authors have come to expect with traditional publishers. Once we have a completed manuscript, we will begin the formatting and design. You can expect to see a proof within two months. Once you have approved the proof, we'll begin the printing process and start taking care of such steps as the ISBN, Library of Congress cataloguing, Bar Code, Copyright and adding your title to "Books in Print"

Once the books are printed, what then?

Printed and bound books will be delivered to whatever address you specify. Electronic books will be placed on websites that will display the cover and take online orders for you. You choose the publishing and promoting package that best suits your goals.

Publishing Packages:

Standard Publishing Package:: camera-ready covers, text and illustrations.

We find you the best printer and act as your go-between.

We also take care of your Library of Congress cataloguing, ISBN, Bar Code and Copyright, Books in Print entry

Expanded Publishing Package: you have a completed manuscript but nothing is camera-ready for the printer.

In addition to the basic services, we arrange type-setting and design of text and covers. You make final approval of both. Costs will vary, depending on your choices of covers, paper, illustrations, etc.

Author's Own Imprint: becoming your own publishing company with your own imprint.

We will guide you through obtaining your Occupational License as a publisher and obtaining your Fictitious Name for a fee. All other steps remain the same.

What happens once the books are printed?

1) Will you want the books delivered to you or elsewhere? Please specify name and address they are to be delivered to.

2) How will people find out about your book? We offer publicity and marketing services. Just email, asking for our Promotion Packages.

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