What is the Do-It-Yourself rebate?
by Annie Huddleston
Basically, you can get money back if you submit print-ready files. If we don't need to make any major changes to your files, you can receive $50 back for the cover and $50 back for the text file (you do not need to submit PDF files as long as everything is formatted correctly). We use a combination of Microsoft Word or WordPerfect and Adobe PageMaker or InDesign. The page layout programs make adjustments of type, leading, etc. much more precise. However, most authors are satisfied with the layout job of Microsoft Word or WordPerfect. If you want to layout your manuscript on your own, or just want a good idea of how long the finished product will be, set your page size to your trim size. Using Microsoft Word, for instance, you would go to FILEPAGESETUP and set the paper size to either 5.5X8.5” or 6X9” (or 8.25X11” if this is your preferred softcover size) in a portrait setting (sorry, we can’t bind landscaped books). Almost all publishers use different settings, but we have found the following to work best. Set your left, right, top and bottom margins to 0.8 and your headings and footers to 0.5. You can also set the headers and footers at “Different Odd and Even” and Different First Page” if preferred. Got graphics or photos inside the book? No problem. Just please remember that ALL graphics must be in TIFF or JPG format at 300dpi or greater.