Just The Book

Good morning and welcome to wwwblogs. Today, we’re going to be talking about some of the faux pas you can make when submitting your book to a publisher.
First, with the ease of publishing these days, many authors decided they wanted to publish themselves. No publisher, no splitting the royalties, everything coming to them. This also means these authors are responsible for paying for cover art, editing, proofreading, and formatting; none of which is cheap. After a few years with small royalty payments, if any, and a nest egg that’s rapidly disappearing, they decide to seek out a publisher.
One might surmise these authors would be savvy about what it takes to get a book published. After all, they’ve spent some time in the trenches and have experienced just how hard it is to go this route alone. That can’t be further from the truth. I’m not saying all self-published authors are like this, but there are more than a few who can claim these awards
Mr. Must Include Pictures: this type of author has decided their book absolutely must be sent to the potential publisher with a mockup of the cover art they want inserted into the file. They explain this is so the publisher can see what needs to be done to create exactly what they want and there is no misunderstanding. Oftentimes, the cover art included is amateurish and not something any reputable publisher would use, but this author is adamant that the artist must replicate their dream cover exactly.
Generally, my response to this type of person is no thank you, although we do appreciate you submitting, we feel your book would do better elsewhere.
Ms. Fancy Fonts: it is a general rule that books should be submitted in Times New Roman font. It’s easy to read and the standard for most publishers. Granted, it’s not difficult to change the font to TNR, but some authors go a lot overboard with their fancy fonts. They’ll have curly, impossible to read fonts in a 20 point or higher size for the title and their name. Chapter titles are done in another font that is also curly and just as unreadable. The font for the body of their work will be Garamond or Harlow Solid Italic. Not impossible to read but not professional looking either.
You may have an interesting story, but I’m seeing a person who wants what they want and could be troublesome. Although, this time the book will be skimmed, to see if it’s workable and perhaps we can convince the author they need to go with a standard font.
The most difficult author to work with is Mr./Ms. Strange Formatting. Their book arrives but it’s not 8.5” x 11”. It’s 5.65” x 8.23” or some other unusual and unusable size. They swear they used a professional formatter to do their book, but these individuals pride themselves on making the books ready for upload to sales venues, which require 6”x9” or 5”x8”. Now, clearing formatting is generally rather easy. It’s not usually a reason to say no to a book, but if I have to go through your book to remove all the formatting, only to discover you’ve locked the size in place, I’m going to have to say no.
What it all comes down to is that being author means there are rules to follow. I realize there are some bloggers swearing you have to do this, that, and the other thing before submitting to a publisher, but your best bet on seeing what a publisher wants is to read and abide by their guidelines.



About K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond. game when plotting a new story.

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