The Christian Writer's Manual of Style by Robert Hudson, Shelley Townsend (Editor)

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Chapter 1From Manuscript to Book A. Manuscript Preparation 1. A manuscript prepared for a publisher should be typed on one side only of standard 81/2-by-11-inch white bond paper, double-spaced, with at least a one-inch margin on all sides. Colored papers, thin papers (such as onion skin), and erasable-bond papers are unacceptable. No staples, binders, or paper clips should be attached to any portion of the manuscript. When typed on a word processor, the manuscript should be printed, if at all possible, on a letter-quality printer and on standard paper or on continuous-feed paper perforated to convert to standard paper. Extra-wide or lined computer papers are not acceptable. 2. Some publishers require the author to provide two copies of a manuscript, one for editing and typesetting and the other for review, cost estimates, and design. Other publishers request only one copy that is clean enough for photocopying; that is, it should be in dark type, with no cut-and-paste material that might jam a copier, and with all handwritten additions in black ink (not blue). In all cases, the author should be sure to retain a copy of the manuscript. 3. Pages should be numbered consecutively throughout the book, rather than beginning each chapter with page 1. Numbering may begin with the body of the book or with the front matter. If an author's word processor does not allow for the consecutive numbering of all the pages of an entire manuscript, then the pages should be numbered by hand in the upper right-hand corners. Page numbers are usually circled to distinguish them from other numbers that might appear near the top of each page. 4. Notes, whether intended to be set as footnotes or placed at the end of the chapter or book, should be typed together in a separate section at the end of the manuscript. 5. The author is responsible for providing a clear and readable manuscript, communicating to the editor all matters of preference (especially when they conflict with the publisher's accepted style) and distinctive features of the manuscript preparation that may require the editor's special attention. General responsibilities in regard to obtaining permissions to quote published sources, accuracy of quoted material, complete and detailed references, and other matters are delineated in this manual, but before submitting a manuscript the author should be familiar with any additional requirements specified by the publisher. 6. The author is responsible for checking the accuracy of all Scripture references and the wording of quotations from Scripture before submitting the manuscript to the publisher. The author should also indicate the Scripture version used and inform the editor if a personal translation or paraphrase has been used. When no translation is preferred, this manual recommends The New International Version as an accurate and accessible modern translation. 7. Since religious books often contain words or quotations from languages, such as Greek and Hebrew, whose characters are not ordinarily found on the average typewriter or word processor, the author is responsible for clearly hand-rendering such characters and any accompanying diacritical marks in their correct positions. Since some photocopy machines may blur hand-written characters, the author should send the hand-rendered original to the publisher and keep the copy. In many cases, transliteration may be preferable. A list of Greek and Hebrew transliterations is shown in this manual. 8. Authors should make a conscious effort to eliminate sexist bias in their language. Such bias is often unintentional and taken for granted, and much of it rests on the use of anachronistic forms, obsolete terms, stereotyped gender assumptions, and unnecessary labeling. Guidelines and examples are found in this text. B. Front Matter 1. The preliminary elements of any book should be arranged in the following order, as appropriate: Half title Frontispiece or list of other books by same author or in same series Title page Copyright page Dedication Epigraph (if it applies to entire book) Contents List(s) of maps, illustrations, or charts List of abbreviations Foreword Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Inside half title 2. Due to space considerations in some books, half-title pages may be dropped altogether. In some reprints the half-title page may be replaced to make room for quotations from reviews, descriptive copy of the book, or an author's biography. 3. The copyright page, which is prepared by the publisher, includes the official copyright notice, with the date and the copyright holder; Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data (for library classification); an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), which is a coding system used worldwide; credits and permissions; disclaimers and other brief notes from the editor or author; a brief printing and publishing history of the volume; edition and printing reference numbers; and other information deemed necessary by the publisher. 4. The words dedication or dedicated to should not be used in the dedication itself, nor is it necessary to use the heading “Dedication.” 5. Generally, a foreword is written by someone other than the author. A preface, however, is written by the author. It is not necessary to sign the author's name to the preface if its authorship is clear. If two or more prefaces are reprinted from various editions of the book, the preface for the most recent edition should appear first, followed by the next most recent, and so on. The original preface should appear closest to the text itself. The same rule applies to forewords and introductions.