Frequently Asked Questions...


Table of Contents

  1. How do I submit a book ?
  2. What types of books do you accept?
  3. Who owns the copyright on my book?
  4. Why do I need an ISBN?
  5. Why should I want to print the price on the cover?
  6. Who sets the price on my book?
  7. Can bookstores order my book?
  8. What formats are acceptable for book submissions?
  9. What if I work on a Mac?
  10. What about interior art?
  11. Do I have to setup the text in any way?
  12. Should I put in page numbers manually?
  13. How long will it take for my book to be ready?
  14. When and how do I get paid?
  15. What will my book look like when it's finished?
  16. What goes on the website about the book?
  17. What is the cost for author's copies?
  18. What is an affiliate and how can I become one?
 

How do I submit a book?

You submit a book by agreeing to our contract, filling out our submission form, choosing the service you desire, paying by credit card, and uploading your manuscript to us.  Alternatively, you can print out our submission form, and agreement, sign and fill them out, and mail them along with payment and your book either on a floppy disk or CD.

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What types of books do you accept?

We accept all types of books except hard-core pornography and hate material.  Everything we publish is  well-written and is of interest to someone whether that's a large audience or a small one.  Although we're very open minded, we do reserve the right to reject any book that we find offensive.    

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Who owns the copyright on my book?

Your book is yours.  We suggest you register the copyright with the United States Copyright Office.  

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Why do I need an ISBN?

A new International Standard Book Number is issued for every new book that's reproduced.  If the title, publisher, author, publication date, or format is changed, a new number is issued.  You need ISBNs because all book databases and all bookstores and libraries use these numbers to keep track of their books.  If your book doesn't have one, you will only be able to sell it to individuals. 

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Why should I want to print the price on the cover?

The price has to be on the cover for the same reason that you need an ISBN.  If you want to sell the book, a barcode with ISBN and price is the standard.

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Who sets the price on my book?

We decide what the price of your book should be based on the cost of production.  We also look at similar works and try to keep the price as competitive as possible.

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Can bookstores order my book?

Yes.  Your print book is automatically set up on the Ingram database as well as being listed in Bowker's Books in Print, and in the Amazon.com database.  Ingram is the largest book distributor in the United States.  Bookstores can order your book through them.  Ingram buys books from publishers at a 55% discount.  That's why authors receive a 10% (of list) royalty on books sold through third parties rather than the 30% royalty they receive on books sold directly by us.  

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What formats are acceptable for book submissions?

We accept MS Word, Corel WordPerfect, MS Works, Adobe PDF, and most other formats.  Contact us is you're not sure.

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What if I work on a Mac?

Yes.  There's no problem if you use MS Word.  If you're using another program, please contact us.

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What about interior art?

As long as your artwork is black and white, and on a disk or embedded in your file (scanned in at 300dpi) there's no problem and there's no extra charge.  If we have to scan the pictures in, then the charge is $5 per picture. Additional pictures, over the free 7, are charged at $4 per picture.

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Do I have to setup the text in any way?

You do not need to setup the file except for the following:  1) Make sure that all the chapter breaks are clearly marked and the chapter titles are bold.  2) Send your work to us in an easily readable font like Times New Roman (10-12 point), Bookman, or Arial.  3) Send us one file containing all the chapters.  4) Do not use hard returns except at the ends of paragraphs, 5) Indent paragraphs by using the Tab Key not the space bar. 6) Do not manually hyphenate words.  Let your word processor do it.

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Should I put in page numbers manually?

Never, ever, put in page numbers manually.  This creates a lot of work for our typesetting department because what is input manually has to be taken out manually.  If you don't know how to automatically insert page numbers into a document, send it without numbers and we will insert them.

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How long will it take for my book to be ready?

It normally takes from four to six weeks for us to send you an online proof of the work.  This is a typeset copy of your book.  You will have to proof it, and make your final changes.  Once that's done, it will go to the printer.  After it's printed in book form you can request a proof to further verify that the book is ready to print.  The whole process can take anywhere from six to ten weeks.  Ebooks and ebooklets take less time.

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When and how do I get paid?

We make royalty payments bi-monthly (i.e. February and March royalties are paid in July; April and May royalties are paid in September, etc.). We send our authors a royalty statement and payment on or about the fifteenth of the month if the amount of royalties earned is $20.00 or more. If the minimum amount is not reached within the two-month payment period, we will wait to write a check until the next payment period as long as the royalties are over $20. .

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What will my book look like when it's finished?

Your book will be printed double-sided on high quality, natural paper with a full-color, perfect bound, laminated cover.   The quality is on a par with the books you see in bookstores.

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What goes on the website about the book?

Your web page will have an author's bio, a short synopsis of the book, and an excerpt from the book.  If reviews are available on the book, they will also be included.

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What is the cost for author's copies?

If you want to sell your books on your own (through your local bookstore for instance) you can purchase single copies for 35% off the list price.  But if you really want to make money, consider buying in larger quantities.  If you order 50 books or more the price is 50% off list price.

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What is an affiliate?

An affiliate is one of our partners.  When you join us and send customers to our site, we pay you a commission.  Simple as that.  

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I'm ready to submit my manuscript!

 

 

Media Creations Inc.
Copyright © 2001  llumina press. All rights reserved.
Revised: February 26, 2007 .