Manuscript Preparation

Manuscript Preparation

“From the proposal stage to the publication, every stage is process driven. Very systematic communication and the best e-proofing platform for online proof submission!” – Book Author, 2021

With our clear manuscript guidelines and easy-to-follow checklists, submitting your finished work couldn’t be easier. Once your final manuscript is submitted, our team of experts will guide your project through formatting and type setting to transform your work into a book in two powerful formats: eBook, Print Book.

You can keep track of where your book is in the publication process in real-time by signing up for notifications alerting you of all the critical stages, including when your book is published online and ready to share with the research community.

Revising your thesis into a book

Books Arcade will consider submissions containing material that has previously formed part of a Ph.D. or other academic thesis including those that have been made publicly available according to the requirements of the institution awarding the qualification.

• Layout & templates
• Book structure
• Optimizing for Google – tips for book authors

Layout & templates

Please follow the alternate instructions given under the appropriate template below.

Book layout

When writing a book for Books Arcade, please do not worry about the final layout. To ensure we always keep pace with all the requirements both online and in print.

Books Arcade

• Structures the data as the basis for print or conversion into the latest online formats such as for Kindle, iPad, Google Android, and smartphones
• Uses standard layouts with style specifications suitable for multiple display formats.

What advantages does this mean for you in manuscript preparation? It means you can focus on the structured content and let Books Arcade take care of the rest. We will professionally typeset the book and, universal structuring, ensure that your content will be available to readers in many formats for many years to come.

Cover design

A key part of the publication process (and in response to the changing requirements of the book industry), are the standard corporate book covers that Books Arcade introduced for each subject area in which it publishes. These covers provide a strong, corporate brand identity for Books Arcade books, making them instantly recognizable amongst others.

Word template

Books Arcade provides templates for Word users that help structure the manuscript, e.g., define the heading hierarchy. Predefined style formats are available for all the necessary structures that are supposed to be part of the manuscript, and these formats can be quickly accessed via hotkeys or special toolbars.

Note: These templates are not intended for the preparation of the final page layout! The final layout will be created by Books Arcade according to our layout specifications.

• Word template (attached sample)

The usage of these templates is not mandatory. Alternatively, you may either use a blank Word document or apply the default settings and styles (e.g., for heading styles, lists, footnotes, etc.).

Tip (If you cannot use our Word template)

If you cannot use our Word template:

• Open a blank Word document.
• Use the default styles in Word to identify the heading levels.
• Use the standard Word functions for displayed lists, type styles such as bold or italics, the indexing function, and the footnote function.
• Use a single main font for the entire text. We recommend Times New Roman.
• For special characters, please use Symbol and/or Arial Unicode.

Book structure

To guarantee a smooth publication process and a seamless transformation of your manuscript into the final layout and various electronic formats (e.g., HTML for online publication, ePub for e-book readers), the manuscript needs to be structured as follows:

• Front Matter: Title page, dedication (optional), foreword (optional), preface (optional), table of contents, list of abbreviations (optional).
• Text Body: It comprises the chapters containing the content of the book, i.e. text, figures, tables, and references. Chapters can be grouped together in parts.
• Back Matter: After the last chapter, the back matter can contain an appendix, a glossary, and/or an index, all of which are optional.

Front matter

Title page, preface, and table of contents precede the actual content of a book. The preface should be about the book: why it was written, who it is for, its organization, or the selection of contributors. An introduction in the subject of the book, however, should appear as the first chapter of the book.
Optional items in the front matter at the beginning of a book are e.g., a foreword or a list of abbreviations.

• Title page: Please include all author names (for contributed books the editor names) and their affiliations, the book title and subtitle. Ensure that the sequence of the author names is correct, and the title of your book is final when you submit your manuscript. Please supply all emails, telephone numbers and address of each author and editor. Once the manuscript has been delivered to production, changes to title or authorship are no longer possible.
• Preface: The preface should be about the book: why it was written, who it is for, its organization, or the selection of contributors.
  • An introduction to the subject of the book does not belong in the front matter but should appear as the first chapter of the book.
  • A preface should not contain a reference list.
  • Acknowledgment of support or assistance in preparing the book can be included as the last paragraph(s) of the preface.
  • If the acknowledgment is longer than one page, start a separate page with the heading “Acknowledgements”.
• Foreword: If you intend to include a foreword, please submit it with the manuscript.
  • A foreword is usually written by an authority in the subject and serves as a recommendation for the book
  • The name of the foreword’s contributor is always given at the end of the foreword; affiliations and titles are generally not included, but the date and place of writing may be.
• Table of contents:
  • List all parts, chapters, and back matter material (e.g., an index) in the final sequence.
  • If your chapters are numbered, use Arabic numerals and number the chapters consecutively throughout the book (Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc.), i.e., do not start anew with each part
  • If there are parts, use Roman numerals for parts (Part I, Part II, etc.).
• List of abbreviations
  • A list of abbreviations and/or symbols is optional but it may be very helpful if numerous abbreviations and special symbols are scattered throughout the text.

Chapters

Chapters contain the actual content of the book, i.e., text, figures, tables, and references. Chapters can be grouped together in parts; subparts are not possible. Only one chapter (e.g. an introduction) may precede the first part and would be the first chapter.

• Decide the numbering style for the chapters and apply this style consistently to all chapters: consecutively numbered (monographs or textbooks) or unnumbered (contributed volumes).
• If an introduction to the subject of the book (historical background, definitions, or methodology) is included, it should appear as the first chapter and thus be included in the chapter numbering. It can contain references, figures, and tables, just as any other chapter.

Language: Either British or American English can be used, but be consistent within your chapter or book. In contributed books chapter-specific consistency is accepted
Check for consistent spelling of names, terms and abbreviations, including in tables and figure legends.

Chapter title & authors: For contributed volumes, please include each chapter authors’ names (spelled out as they would be cited), affiliations and e-mail addresses and telephone numbers after the chapter title. Ensure that the sequence of the author names is correct and the title of your book is final when you submit your manuscript. Please supply all emails, telephone numbers and address of each author and editor. Once the manuscript has been delivered to production, changes to title or authorship are no longer possible.

Abstract: Begin each chapter with an abstract that summarizes the content of the chapter in no more than 200 words.

If no abstract is submitted, we will use the first paragraph of the chapter instead.

Keywords (if applicable): Some books also publish keywords. Please check with the editor of your book or with the publishing editor to see if keywords are required.

Headings & heading numbering

• Heading levels should be clearly identified and each level should be uniquely and consistently formatted and/or numbered.
• Use the decimal system of numbering if your headings are numbered.
• Never skip a heading level. The only exception are run-in headings which can be used at any hierarchical level.

Terminology, units & abbreviations

• Technical terms and abbreviations should be defined the first time they appear in the text.
• Please always use internationally accepted signs and symbols for units (also called SI units).
• Numerals should follow the British/American method of decimal points to indicate decimals and commas to separate thousands

Formal style & text formatting

Manuscripts will be checked by a copy editor for formal style. Books Arcade follows certain standards with regard to the presentation of the content, and the copy editors make sure that the manuscript conforms to these styles

Emphasis & special type:

• Italics should be used for emphasized words or phrases in running text. Do not format entire paragraphs in italics. Use italics for species and genus names, mathematical/physical variables, and prefixes in chemical compounds.
• Bold formatting should only be used for run-in headings.
• Sans serif (e.g., Arial) and non-proportional fonts (e.g., Courier) can be used to distinguish the literal text of computer programs from running text.

 Boxes: Do not set entire pages as boxes, because this diminishes online readability.

Footnotes

• Always use footnotes instead of endnotes.
• Never use footnotes or endnotes instead of a reference list.
• Footnotes should not consist of a reference citation.
• Footnotes should not contain figures, tables, and the bibliographic details of a reference.

Equations & program code

In Word, use the Math function of Word 2007 or 2010, MathType or Microsoft Equation Editor with Word 2003 to create your equations, and insert the graphic into your text file as an object.

Tables

• Give each table a heading (caption). Add a reference to the table source at the end of the caption if necessary.
• Use the table function to create and format tables. Do not use the space bar or multiple tabs to separate columns and please do not use Excel to create tables as this can cause problems when converting your tables into the typesetting program and other formats.

Figures and illustrations

• Numbering
• Figure captions
• Figure & illustration files

References

• Reference citations
• Reference list
• Reference styles

Back matter

After the last chapter, the back matter of the book can contain an appendix, a glossary or an index.

Do not include a reference list containing the cited literature in the back matter, as references are then not linked to citations in the chapters. Instead, please include reference lists at the end of each chapter. A list of further reading may be included in the back matter.

• Appendix
• Index (if applicable)