Acquisition/Submission Process
State House Press and the McWhiney Foundation Press have established respected
lists in history publishing and will continue to build on their strengths
by publishing books in the following fields: military history (especially
books on the American Civil War), Texas and frontier history, and, more
broadly, books on American history that support our general mission to
make history more accessible to the reading public. Currently, the McWhiney
Foundation Press offers the Civil War Campaign and Commanders Series, while
the State House Press publishes titles in Texas history.
If your manuscript or book idea seems to fit in one of these categories,
or if you think it is on a subject either Press might wish to explore,
your first step is to complete an author’s questionnaire, which can be
downloaded in an Adobe Acrobat file from our web site; or we can mail you
a copy. This questionnaire will include information about the book you
are writing or have written and the audience for which it is intended.
It will also include a table of contents, with a short synopsis of each
chapter. With this questionnaire, you should also send the introduction and a sample
chapter if they are available.
Inquiries should be addressed to
Amy Smith
Executive Director
McWhiney Foundation
Box 818
Buffalo Gap, TX 79508
We will respond to your query promptly to let you know if your book is
a candidate for full consideration by the Press. If it is, we will invite
submission of two complete copies of the full work, which should include
an indication of illustrative materials (but not original photographs or
art work) that may be available
The manuscript will be evaluated first by the Press staff. If it seems
appropriate to our list, we will then send it to one or more outside reviewers
— specialists in the field — who usually remain anonymous to the author.
The outside reader or readers will be asked to provide specific recommendations
for revision of the manuscript, if such are necessary, as well as general
comments on its overall potential. The review process may take four to
six weeks.
We will provide copies of the readers’ reports, and you will be given the
opportunity to respond to them. If extensive revisions are recommended
by the readers, we may ask that you make those revisions before we continue
with the process. If the manuscript receives favorable reviews and does
not need revision, or if recommended revisions are satisfactorily handled,
the Press will offer a contract.
When the contract has been signed, you will submit the electronic files
on a computer disk(s) and two hard (paper) copies of the final revised
manuscript as well as all illustrative material and copies of all permissions.
The manuscript should be submitted as flat, loose sheets — unfolded, unbound,
and unstapled — in a box.
Publishers normally divide the year into two publishing seasons: spring
(February through July) and fall (August through January). We must work
well ahead — sometimes as much as two to four seasons — and take many factors
into account before deciding which season would be the appropriate time
to publish a particular book. Because of these complexities and the unique
requirements of every book, there is no rule of thumb to determine how
long after acceptance a manuscript can be put into production and, ultimately,
offered for sale. Be assured, though, that we make every effort to produce
every book that bears our imprint in a timely manner.
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Overview of the Publishing Process
Copyediting
The manuscript will be edited by a copy editor, and the author will review
the edited manuscript. When the copy editor has resolved all editorial
issues with the author and prepared a manuscript “package” of the book’s
parts, the manuscript is ready to be designed. This process of copyediting,
review, and resolution normally takes three to four months. More time may
be required for large or complex books.
Design and Production
A book designer will specify type and layout for the book and design a
dust jacket. Although the specifications and jacket design are ultimately
the designer’s and the Press’s prerogative, authors are invited to make
suggestions to their editors.
The manuscript will be typeset, and the author will then proofread the
typeset pages and prepare an index within the time agreed to in the contract.
The Press staff will check all subsequent proofs. After the book is printed
and the bindery ships the finished books, the author will be sent the number
of complimentary copies stipulated in the contract. The entire production
process, from design through shipment of the books, normally takes six
to eight months. More time is needed for books that are large, very complex,
or heavily illustrated.
Marketing
It is imperative that authors give full and complete answers to the questions
on the author questionnaire, as these details will be used in marketing
the book. These responses will also serve as a reference for the copy editor
and the Library of Congress.
Books are promoted through State House Press’s consortium agreement
with the Texas A&M University Press. TAMU Press handles all advertising,
publicity, direct mail, exhibits, online activity, and trade sales programs;
and is supported by national and international sales representation.
Postpublication
Authors should contact the State House Press if they wish to buy
copies of their book at a 40 percent discount.
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Physical Preparation of the Manuscript
When you submit your manuscript to the Press, please be sure all copy is
typed, double-spaced on good quality 8½" x 11" white paper.
Do not justify the right margin. The manuscript should be typed on one
side only and should have at least a one-inch margin on the top, bottom
and sides of the page, with approximately twenty-four lines per page. Please
do not submit a disk only or electronically transmit the manuscript. Hard
(paper) copy is required for review.
Manuscripts accepted for publication by State House Press and
submitted for copyediting should be prepared according to the guidelines
given below. Even if the book is to be typeset from the author’s diskettes,
two hard (paper) copies of the manuscript are needed.
The Hard Copy
All elements of the manuscript (including indented quotations of ten or
more lines, epigraphs, captions, notes, and bibliography) should be typed
or printed double-spaced on 8½ x 11-inch paper, one side only. Each
of the four margins should be at least one inch wide.
Paper should be of good quality; you should not use erasable bond.
All pages should be printed or typed with twelve-point (i.e., pica) nonproportional
type if possible, and word-processed manuscripts should be printed with
a letter-quality or near letter-quality printer.
Manuscripts should be printed with left justification only; it is difficult
to make an accurate character count of the manuscript when lines have been
justified.
Late corrections may be made on the final copy by neatly writing them above
the line in which they should be inserted. Longer revisions may be inserted
as separate pages. Pages that have been corrected and reprinted using a
word processor should be matched carefully to the preceding and following
pages to be sure the newly printed page does not drop or duplicate any
lines. To match such pages, it may be necessary to insert a temporary hard
page code.
Computer Disks
Except under special circumstances, disks should be submitted along with
the two required hard copies of the manuscript. Disks may be either 3-inch
or zip disk format. The Press can accept most IBM-compatible word processor
formats, such as Microsoft Word and WordPerfect. Acceptable Apple Macintosh
formats include Microsoft Word for the Macintosh.
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Parts of a Manuscript
Front Matter
The completed manuscript should contain a title page; dedication (if desired);
book epigraph (if desired); table of contents; lists of any illustrations
or tables; and a preface, acknowledgments, introduction, or foreword, if
desired. Authors should note the differences among a preface, introduction,
and foreword. In a preface the author gives details about the writing of
the book; it may include brief acknowledgments. An introduction, as the
name implies, introduces the subject of the book and background for that
subject. A foreword is written by someone other than the author of the
book. It provides another viewpoint and should attest to the book’s value
in the field.
Text
The text consists of all material through the end of the last chapter,
epilogue, or postscript. Chapter epigraphs, if used, should be kept brief;
you should cite only the author of the words quoted and perhaps the title
of the work in which they appeared. Epigraphs should not be documented
with endnotes or footnotes.
Back Matter
Back matter comprises the notes, bibliography, and any appendixes or glossary
that will appear at the end of the book. In a manuscript, as opposed to
a finished book, tables and captions are usually the last pages.
Page Numbers and Running Heads
Pages should be numbered consecutively through the manuscript, not by chapters.
It is not necessary to add a running head (a top-of-the-page label such
as chapter title or author’s name) to the page number.
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Elements to Be Aware of When Preparing a Manuscript
Rights and Permissions
Authors who are in the process of writing book manuscripts should take
care to see that their work does not violate copyright laws.
If any substantial part of your work has been previously published, you
will need to show evidence that you have the right to allow us to republish
it. Such evidence should be available to the Press when the manuscript
is submitted for consideration and must be submitted at the same time as
the manuscript for copyediting.The term fair use in the copyright law designates
the way in which copyrighted material may be quoted without permission.
Although no hard number is established, authors may generally quote without
permission up to five hundred words in order to illustrate a point, substantiate
a position, clarify an argument, or fulfill some such scholarly need, assuming
the material is taken from an average-sized book. Letters of permission
should be submitted with the manuscript.
Always obtain written permission to use:
Any copyrighted material that is an entity itself, such as a map, table,
photograph, chapter of a book, article in a journal or newspaper, short
story, poem, essay, or chart. Permission should be obtained from the author
or copyright holder as well as the publisher. (In the case of a private
letter, the letter writer, not the recipient, holds the rights).
More than one line of a short poem or one stanza of a long poem. Music
or words to a song. A reproduction of a work of art such as a painting
or statue. The authority to grant permission to reproduce works of art
may be held by the museum in which the art is located, by the artist, or
by a private owner. Permission should be obtained at the time reproduction
is made.
Signed releases should also be obtained from the subjects of interviews.
U.S. government publications, and publications for which the copyright
has expired, may be used without requesting permission.
For complete details of the terms of copyrights, see the publications of
the U.S. Copyright office or view the Copyright Office website at http://www.copyright.gov.
It is best to send permissions requests to the rights holder in duplicate
so that one copy can be retained by the rights holder and the signed copy
returned to the author, who should make an additional copy for the Press.
The author is responsible for any fees assessed by rights holders and for
supplying any complimentary copies of the book requested by the rights
holders as a condition of granting permission.
Three forms that may be used to request permission or to gain use of material
under different conditions are reproduced as Forms A and B in this guide.
When in doubt about using copyrighted material, authors should consult
a Press editor. Rights should be obtained for all printings of a book.
House Style
In general, State House Press follows the style guidelines of
the Chicago Manual of Style and the spelling conventions of Webster’s Third New International Dictionary or Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary. Dictionaries differ on preferred spellings, so the Press follows Webster
in order to have a standard source when questions arise.
Multiauthor Volumes
The compiler or editor of a volume consisting of symposium papers or other
unpublished papers by various authors must submit written permission to
publish from each of those authors at the time the manuscript is submitted
for consideration (See Form “A” at end of document). The compiler of a
manuscript containing any previously published articles must have written
permission from both the author of the article and from the original publisher
(See Form “B” at end of document). This written permission must be provided
when the manuscript is submitted for consideration. If the original publisher
or author of an article refuses permission or charges a fee beyond the
amount the compiler wishes to pay, the content of the book will change.
The problems that would arise if permission were not requested early on
need not be spelled out.
The volume editor should see that the manuscript is submitted in a form
that is internally consistent and follows the guidelines in this manual.
Photocopies of journal or newspaper articles should not be submitted as
part of the manuscript. All components of the manuscript should be typewritten
or printed with the same equipment.
Documentation should be consistent; if one article has footnotes, another
has endnotes, and another has author-date citations and a reference list,
one system should be selected and the rest of the articles in the volume
be revised to conform to that style.
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Manuscript Apparatus Notes
Notes
For most books published by State House Press, endnotes will
be required as a standard form of documentation. In some circumstances,
however, footnotes may be used instead. Authors should talk with Press
editors before putting documentation in footnote style. For note form,
see the Chicago Manual of Style.
In books that have a bibliography, the notes need contain only the author’s
name, title of article and journal (plus volume and issue number) or book,
and relevant page numbers. Books that have notes but no bibliography (typically,
an anthology or volume of essays) will generally have chapter endnotes,
which will contain full publication information at the first citation of
each item.
Bibliographies
The bibliography should be as concise and easy to use as the content of
the manuscript allows. Division of the bibliography into numerous sections
for magazine articles, books, newspapers, and archival materials may be
unnecessary and make the bibliography difficult to use. Make sure each
subdivision is absolutely necessary and logical. Bibliographies that list
not only those works cited in the notes but also those which are of major
significance in the field should be discussed with and approved by the
Press editor responsible for development of that manuscript. For some projects,
a bibliographical essay may be more appropriate. Consult with the Press
for guidance regarding the proper type of bibliography.
Illustrations
In most cases authors are responsible for obtaining any photographs or
drawings to be used in their books, securing written permission to use
these materials, and paying any usage fees. Illustrations may add considerably
to the cost of manufacturing a book, so their use should be discussed with
the editors before the author has incurred the costs of obtaining them.
Illustrations of any kind (including maps) should contribute significantly
to the text; they should not be mere decoration.
Author-furnished illustrations received by the Press will be logged in
and placed in our vault. They will be returned to the author about one
year after the book is published, unless the Press is requested to return
them sooner. The Press will exercise due caution when working with illustrations
but is not responsible for loss or damage.
Permission and Credit
After obtaining written agreements to use material owned by institutions
or individuals other than yourself, you should submit the illustrations,
double-spaced captions with the appropriate credit lines, and copies of
letters granting permission to reproduce illustrations in your book and
in its promotion.
Photographs
Photographs should be submitted as glossy black-and-white prints of at
least 5 x 7 inches in size for best reproduction. Consult the editor regarding
the suitability of other sizes. Photocopied items do not reproduce well
and should not be submitted as book illustrations.
Check with your editor before scanning the photographs and other illustrations
you propose for use in the book. Scans may not have the resolution necessary
for good reproduction or may not be compatible with the Press’s software.
You may submit printouts of scans as samples of the photographs available,
but be prepared to send photographic prints as reproduction copy.
Photographs should be submitted for color reproduction only with the approval
of the editor. Color prints should not be submitted for illustrations to
be produced in black and white. A glossy, black-and-white reproduction
of a color print or transparency made in a professional photo-processing
lab (which has been instructed to provide camera-quality copy) is usually
acceptable, however.
Drawings and Diagrams
All line art should be professionally drawn. Clean, clear drawings or photographic
prints of the original drawings should be proportional to the book page
and no more than 50 percent larger than the approximate page size. Consult
with the Press before committing to graphs or diagrams of a certain size.
Black sanserif lettering is preferable. It should be large enough to be
legible after reduction to book page size. Lines should be black and heavy
enough to hold up in reduction.
A tissue overlay may be used to protect the surface of the finished drawing.
You should also check with the Press before preparing line drawings on
computer. The editor may wish to see samples of such drawings before you
commit to investing time and effort on them.
Authors are responsible for supplying professional-quality maps to be used
in their books, unless special arrangements are made and agreed to in writing
by the director or acquiring editor. Maps are protected under copyright
laws and cannot simply be copied and reprinted from other books.
Before proposing to use a map, authors must ask themselves if the map is
necessary, what it adds to the words in the text, what the clearest way
of presenting the information is, if the map will look good on the printed
page, and if the quality of a particular map is good enough for use in
a book.
Press editors will assist authors in determining the number of maps needed
and can provide the names of qualified cartographers.
If computer-generated maps are planned, you should check with your editor
who will in turn check with the production department on compatibility
of software. Always furnish a hard copy or printout of the contents of
a computer-generated disk along with information regarding the type of
software used in its preparation.
Numbering Illustrations
Never write on the front of photographs. Number them (and drawings) on
the back, preferably with a soft grease pencil or a stick-on label. Ballpoint
pen or pencil can leave a visible line on the photograph’s emulsion, and
ink can permanently damage the front of a photograph stacked underneath.
Paper clips can also damage photographs. Maps should be numbered on the
front, outside the text area.
Captions
Write a caption for each illustration, putting any required credit line
at the end. Captions should be numbered and typed double-spaced on a separate
sheet of paper; captions should not be written on the illustrations themselves
or attached to them. If an illustration is keyed to a particular page in
the manuscript, indicate that page number on the caption sheet or an accompanying
illustration identification list.
Tables
Separate the tables from the text, placing them with other text apparatus
at the back of the manuscript.
Tables should be numbered sequentially throughout the text unless (1) the
manuscript is a compilation of essays, or (2) the manuscript is a reference
work with figures and tables numbered to indicate chapter (e.g., Table
2.3, Fig. 3.1). In the text discussion, refer to each table by number,
not by position.
Each table should have a title of reasonable length.
When preparing tables, keep in mind the size of a normal vertical book
page. Tables that would require quarter-turns (sideways placement) should
be avoided.
Horizontal lines may be used to separate the table title from column heads
and table text from table notes. Do not use vertical lines.
Footnotes to a table should be called out by italic letters rather than
by Arabic numerals.
If the table is taken from a published source, the author must have the
original author’s and publisher’s written permission to use it. Under the
table text, above any footnotes, you must indicate the source of the table
using standard bibliographical information.
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Copyediting
The State House Press can normally bring forth a high-quality book
in ten to twelve months. More complicated books usually take longer. The
time required to actually produce the book begins when the manuscript is
assigned to a copy editor. A manuscript is a candidate for assignment to
a copy editor when all materials are in house — two final, complete manuscript
copies; electronic files on a disk; all illustrations; and all permissions
documents. At this time the tentative season of publication may be designated.
The copy editor will edit the manuscript for style, grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and general integrity of text. Queries will usually be shown
as footnotes on the edited printout. The package will usually also include
a comparison printout showing changes made. At this stage, the editor may
also select the illustrations to be used from those submitted. The editor
also compares map text to manuscript text. If there are discrepancies,
corrections may be needed on the map, and the authors should keep their
cartographers aware of this possibility.
Discussion about the title of the book may not occur until the manuscript-editing
stage. The editor may relay to the author suggestions for a new title or
subtitle. Although the title of a book is ultimately the publisher’s decision,
we do everything possible to make sure that authors approve of the final
titles of their books.
When copyediting is complete, Press staff will draft some text to be used
on the dust jacket flaps or on the back cover of a paperbound book. The
Press then sends the edited manuscript and this draft of dust jacket or
cover copy to the author for approval.
At this point, authors should read through the manuscript carefully, page
by page, and answer all queries. Responses may be written directly on the
edited pages, or check marks placed there to indicate concurrence with
the editor’s comment. If a response requires more space, the author may
attach an additional query tab and write responses there. The review of
edited copy by authors represents the last opportunity to make changes
in the text. Corrections to proofs are expensive and time-consuming and
may not be made unless the unaltered material would compromise the integrity
of the book. Alterations required for this reason may be charged to the
author.
Editors responsible for volumes of essays will likely be asked to send
photocopies of the copyedited essays to the authors. The volume editor
must be sure to convey the importance of retaining consistency, making
sure that all changes are final, and meeting the deadline. Essays not returned
by the deadline should be considered approved by the author.
The edited copy should be returned to the Press by the date requested.
A missed deadline anytime during the copyediting and production phase can
delay a book’s publication and cause a host of related problems. Deadlines
missed by a significant amount, such as a week or two, may translate into
a publication delay of many weeks or even months.
The Press prefers that manuscripts be shipped by a private carrier whose
shipping fee includes insurance and tracing services if the package is
lost. Manuscripts sent by U.S. mail should go first class and be insured
for fifty dollars so they can be traced if need be.
The Press reviews the author’s responses to queries, consulting with the
author on any final points, and then submits the manuscript to the design
and production departments.
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Design and Production
Design
Authors are invited to convey to the Press any ideas about their book’s
design or dust jacket. The Press will pass this information along to the
designer, but the decision on all elements of design, including the dust
jacket, belongs to the Press and the designers it employs.
Proofreading
After the manuscript has been designed and typeset, the author will receive
proofs. Proofreading is the author’s responsibility; page proofs will not
be read by the editor or production staff. Most authors will receive two
sets of page proofs plus the edited manuscript. The first set of pages
is to be proofread and marked for correction. The second set is to be marked
up in preparation for indexing. (Indexing procedures will be discussed
below.)
To proofread typeset text, compare it word for word to the edited manuscript.
Pay close attention to the lines that contain an error; errors found in
the same general vicinity are often missed. Also pay careful attention
to display type; it is easy to pore carefully through ten-point text type
and overlook typos in the large display type. Repeated or missing lines
of manuscript text and substitution of one word for another can escape
a careless proofreader.
Indexing
If the Press determines that an index will be needed for a particular book,
it is the author’s responsibility to provide one within the time allotted,
typically a couple of weeks. Authors are strongly encouraged to prepare
their own indexes and review indexing procedures well in advance. If the
author does not wish to do so, the Press can help identify a professional
indexer who can be hired at the author’s expense. Although most authors
now produce manuscripts on word processors, the software programs that
include an “indexing” feature will still require the author’s expertise
in analyzing the text for main entries, subentries, and cross-references.
However, without a special program designed specifically for indexing complex
material, a considerable amount of manual alphabetizing and editing will
be needed for the index sorted by computer.
The finished index should be typed or printed on 8½ x 11-inch paper.
You should double-space the entire index, including subentries. A disk
should be sent in addition to the printout.
Form
State House Press follows closely the style recommendations
of the Chicago Manual of Style.
Content
In general, an index should be more than a proper name list. It should
include substantive entries (e.g., alcoholism; customs; dress; political
parties) and conceptual entries (e.g., authority; imperialism; manifest
destiny; natural law). Only in rare circumstances are separate indexes
(e.g., for subjects as opposed to persons) advisable.
The End
Authors who have read their proofs and prepared a satisfactory index have
completed their work on the book. The editor will transfer all appropriate
corrections to the master proofs and copyedit the index. After the compositors
have set corrections and the index, the editor will proofread them.
The Press will send the author a finished dust jacket as soon as it is
printed. The author will also receive one complimentary advance copy of
the book; the remainder of the author’s allotment of complimentary copies
will be mailed after the main shipment of books has arrived at the Press.
Last updated: September 8, 2006
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