O1 - PREPARATION OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT
We really appreciate you contacting us and we want to make the publishing of your book a happy and fulfilling experience. You can send it as is, and we will evaluate it. However, if you implement the following steps, the process will go smoother and faster.
Subject Matter: Your book must be Christian and Bible-based. Even if your manuscript does not have strong biblical content (e.g. quoted scripture, Bible stories, etc.), it must still be in agreement with Christian principles and the Statement of Faith of Deeper Revelation Books.
Choose your division:
1. Non-fiction titles are under the imprint Deeper Revelation Books.
2. Fiction titles are under the imprint Pure Heart Publications.
3. Children's titles are under the imprint Children of Promise.
4. Leadership strategies, success themes, and social issues are under the imprint Pivotal Publications.
Prepare your manuscripts by implementing the following steps:
Submit your manuscript in either of the following formats:
1. Microsoft Word: If you send a digital copy of your manuscript in Microsoft Word, make it a simple layout in the standard 8.5”x11” size. Either a single-spaced or double-spaced document is acceptable. Email it to us by using our online submission form, or send it to our mailing address on a USB drive, or if necessary, on a CD or DVD.
Important note: If your book is in Microsoft Word, please do not try to lay it out yourself with the final book sized margins. Do not insert headers, footers, pictures, illustrations, text boxes (pull quotes), images, drop caps, or use multiple fonts for emphasis. Excessive formatting complicates the process. It makes it more challenging to insert your book into our professional publishing program (Adobe InDesign). It is best to communicate with your book mentor the unique characteristics you would like to see in the layout of your book once your book is placed in our publishing program. You can be sure; we will work with you closely to achieve the most excellent replication of what you envision.
Formatting: So, what if you have already done what we normally urge our authors not to do? What if you have tried to lay your book out in Microsoft Word with some or all of the internal features mentioned above? No worries. Just send it to us as it is. We can work with your manuscript. It may simply involve an extra step. The good news is we will know basically the look you are hoping to achieve. We will make it happen—to perfection!
2. Adobe InDesign Publishing Program: If your book has already been designed internally in this professional publishing program, we will most likely be able to use it, either in its present state, or with the intention of altering the layout, if that is your request. If your book has been laid out in another publishing program, we will check to see if it can be imported into InDesign. Files in older publishing programs like Pagemaker usually have to be redone altogether in InDesign. If your book has been done correctly in InDesign, you will be probably avoid the fee normally charged for this step.
Other important considerations:
Pull quotes (enlarged statements in text boxes): If you want enlarged statements in text boxes (“pull quotes”) throughout your book to draw attention to key thoughts, it is best to draw up a separate Microsoft Word document listing those statements and their page location in the original document. Then your graphic artist can insert them. Or you can highlight them in your main document in yellow.
Inserted pictures or illustrations: If you have inserts for your book (pictures, graphs, drawings), do not try to insert them into your Microsoft Word document. Instead, keep a separate file of your pictures and/or illustrations (scanned at a high resolution), and a detailed list in a Word document explaining where they go and what captions you want with them. If you prefer, you can send us the pictures, and we can scan them for you. Please do not send your only copies of original pictures. Get high resolution copies made and send them.
Transcription services: If your book at this point is just an audio file (even just a recording teaching), we can transcribe it for you.
Previously published works: If your book has been previously printed and/or published, you may submit your work in book form. If you have been in a contractual relationship with another publisher, you must submit a signed release from your former publisher allowing you to republish with another company or with Deeper Revelation. If freedom to make that choice is stated in your contract, that is sufficient. If you do not have the original files (InDesign, Photoshop, etc.), we will need to start from the beginning and that will lengthen the process.
Typed paper copies with no digital file and transcription: If you have a previously published book or a typewritten document and neither one has been saved in a digital file, we can scan the book or the document and transfer it into a Microsoft Word document for you.
Handwritten manuscripts: If you have a handwritten manuscript, we can type it up for you in a Microsoft Word document before proceeding with the editing stage.
Things you may want to include in your manuscript:
• Endorsements (optional)
• Copyright page (see explanation below / we will fix this for you)
• Dedication (optional)
• Acknowledgments (optional)
• Table of Contents (highly suggested)
• Chapter numbers, chapter titles and subtitles—Do not insert page numbers in your Table of Contents because that will change when the book is reduced in size in the final layout. Make sure your chapter titles in the Table of Contents match the titles when they appear in the book.
• Citations are required for all quoted material, and when necessary, permission to use any copyrighted material or proof of payment to do so has to be supplied.
Copyright: Our associate authors own their books and their copyrights. Our staff can obtain the copyright document for you or explain to you how to go through the process yourself. Your book is safe with us. Do not try to apply for your copyright in advance. The normal time is to copyright your book only after it is in its final state and ready for printing. The copyright office no longer wants physical copies; they prefer electronic copies.
Acknowledging Your Bible Versions: If you include quotes from the Bible in your book, you are required by copyright laws to identify the primary Bible version you have used. If over 50% of the book is a direct quotation, you must obtain special permission from the company that owns the copyright (unless it is public domain, like the King James Version). Otherwise, it is acceptable for you to quote from a copyrighted translation if you place the proper documentation on the copyright page of your book.
Your main Bible version will need a statement like the following on the copyright page:
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New King James Version copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
No acronym (like NKJV) indicating the main Bible version used is needed throughout the book if you have this acknowledgement on the copyright page.
If you have quoted from any other versions of the Bible a fewer number of times, those sources must also be mentioned with an acronym and with statements like the following:
Scripture quotations marked (MEV) are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, MODERN ENGLISH VERSION. Copyright© 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
Great Resource—In the author’s section, we have an article that gives you all the copyright information that you might need for over 25 versions of the Bible.
Quoted material—All quoted material must be properly cited in footnotes or endnotes, if possible, according to the standards set in the Chicago Manual. (Your editor will help you with this if you do not have access to this book.)
02 – SUBMISSION
If you are submitting a manuscript digitally, please click here.
Sending your manuscript through the mail: If you prefer to send your manuscript through the mail, put it on a USB drive, or if necessary, a CD or DVD, and ship it to us. Do not send the original copies of pictures you want included in the book. Get high resolution copies of the pictures and send the copies. You may email them to us or if there are many, you can use the large file service like “We Transfer.”
No submission fee is required.
03 – EVALUATION
Our staff editors will do an initial evaluation of your manuscript to determine several things:
- Acceptable content: We will look closely at the content. We do not accept every submission: only those that present sound biblical concepts and those that promote true Christian character.
- Editing level: We will determine the level of editing your manuscript needs.
- Suggested Dimensions: We will determine the suggested size of your book by considering the word count. We will also consult with you on your preferences.
- Added features: Before a proper charge can be determined, all added features must be considered, like pull-out quotes, or illustrations, or a picture album, etc.
04 – COST ESTIMATE
We will supply you with a basic estimate of the cost of production as well as the differences in printing cost in consideration of the size of the print run. Once an author decides that, we are ready for the final step.
05 - CONTRACT
Our contract is simple and non-binding. It spells out, not only the author’s responsibilities, but our responsibilities, so that nothing is left up to question.
Overwhelmed?
If all these details are overwhelming to you, don’t be concerned! That’s why we do what we do. We make it simple. Just call us and we will guide you through the steps.