Book Formatting - Publishing Spot FAQs

What kind of book formats do you provide?

Publishing Spot is able to publish your book and make it available in e-book, audiobook, paperback, and hardback formats. We can print books with both black-and-white and full-color interiors.

What trim sizes do you provide?

We offer several trim sizes to meet your needs with both Black and white and full color options.

Trim sizes:

• 5"x 8"
• 5"x 8.5"
• 6"x 9"
• 8"x 10"
• 5"x 8.5"
• 5"x 11"
• 8.27"x 11.69"
• 11"x 8.5"

What kind of paper do you use for printing books?

We source our book printing from a wide variety of book printers worldwide. We seek to print and ship as locally as possible to help minimize the timelines and cost for shipping. Some of our paper specifications may vary based on the printing partner assigned to print your order

Can I have images in my book?

Yes, images can be included in your book. Black and White books can incorporate black-and-white or grayscale images, while Full Color books can include full-color images.

Will the images be in color?

Black and White books can only incorporate black-and-white or grayscale images, while Full Color books can include full-color images

Digital Formatting, File Types, and Submissions
Which programs do you accept for my manuscript?

Publishing Spot will accept manuscripts in many file types listed here:

PREFERRED FILE TYPES:

• Microsoft Word
• Adobe InDesign up to version CS6

InDesign files must be set up using the page size and margin specifications indicated in our templates. For versions of InDesign newer than CS6, the manuscript will need to be exported as an IDML or INX file before submission. All images and files included in the document must also be submitted with the InDesign file for proper printing. If you have questions regarding the submission process, please contact your Check-In Coordinator.

WE CAN ALSO ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING FILE TYPES:

NOTE: Although these are acceptable file types, manuscripts submitted in the following formats will be converted to Word in order to be imported into our design program. Please be advised that conversion errors may be introduced during this process.

• Microsoft Works
• Rich Text Format (RTF) documents
• OCR documents set in Text format
• Adobe PDF

If your manuscript is in a format different than those listed above, your Check-In Coordinator will determine if the manuscript file is acceptable, or can be converted into an acceptable format.

The author will be responsible for carefully reviewing the proofs provided and let us know if there are any changes to be made to the design or text. If there are errors found that are a result of converting the manuscript for design program, those errors need to be submitted on a corrections/proof form so the design team can make those changes.

What fonts does Publishing Spot use?

Publishing Spot has a library of over 300 fonts, including the most popular fonts used in publishing today.

My manuscript is formatted exactly as I would like it why does any extra formatting need to be done?

Due to the exacting specifications required to print your book, Publishing Spot technicians use the latest layout software to match those requirements. Publishing Spot employs specific margins and file types that may not exactly match what your manuscript settings reflect. As a result, we are often required to "rebuild" a manuscript before it can be submitted to the printer.

How do I tell you where to place the images in my book?

The easiest way to indicate where in your manuscript images will be placed is to mark the locations in the manuscript itself. It is also helpful to place the image insertion instructions in a color that differs from the rest of the manuscript, for ease of identification.

It can also be helpful to provide a list of the images to be placed into the book, with their specific placement locations indicated.

My manuscript is in multiple files. How do I merge them into one file?

Microsoft Word makes it very easy to merge multiple documents into one complete file:

1. Open the document that will appear first in the manuscript.
2. Place the text cursor at the end of the document, or where you would like the next file to start.
3. Select "File" from "Insert" menu in the toolbar at the top of the open Microsoft Word document.
4. Browse for and select the next file to be merged.
5. Repeat as necessary.

Should I double space my book?

Double line spacing of the text is not required by Publishing Spot for submitted manuscripts, as it is by several other publishing houses.

I do not have an electronic copy of my manuscript. Will Publishing Spot do the data entry?

Publishing Spot does provide Data Entry Services that can be purchased through contacting a member of the Author Assistant Team.

What is a hard return?

A “Hard Return” is placed into a word processing document when the “Enter” or “Return” key is pressed. It is most commonly used to separate paragraphs within a document. It is referred to as a “hard return” because it simulates a “carriage return” action used on typewriters to start a new line of text. In Microsoft Word and many other word processing programs, it will display as a character when hidden characters are displayed. To see this symbol. Click on the button on the toolbar. This will also display other “hidden characters” such as tab markers and spaces between words.

Why do hard returns cause problems?

Most word processing programs use the “hard return” to indicate the end of a paragraph. A common errant use of the “hard return” is to use it at the end of a line of text, in order to begin the following text on the next line. This can cause “bad paragraph breaks” within a document, making it difficult to determine where paragraphs begin and end.

Many authors become frustrated when their initial galley of the manuscript has paragraphs that are split in the wrong places. Manuscripts that incorrectly use “hard returns” within may incur extra production fees, or may not be usable by Publishing Spot.

Are there any other fees for publishing my book?

Often times a book will require extra services that fall outside of Publishing Spot's standard publishing packages. Any time that a manuscript requires work that may incur an extra fee, you will be contacted for approval prior to these services being performed.