Manuscript Guide

This page details our manuscript requirements (page length, graphics, etc) and provides you with instructions to help you prepare your manuscript for submission.


Software Requirements

In order for us to design a high-quality, professional book for you, we accept manuscripts prepared using one of the following word processing software programs:

Windows: Word 95 and above, WordPerfect 5.0 and above, Microsoft Works, and Text documents are accepted, but will require more time for formatting. We also accept PC formatted InDesign files as well.

Mac: Word 95 and above, InDesign and WordPerfect 5.0 and above.

REMEMBER: Wasteland Press is a full service press. So, we don't expect you to submit a book fully formatted.


Graphics & Photos

Interior graphics must be 300 dpi images in .tif, .jpg, .eps, or .psd file format. 300 dpi refers to the resolution of the graphic image. Remember, your computer screen is a lower-resolution device, so just because the graphic looks good there, doesn't mean it will print well. So, make sure your graphic is high resolution. If you need to have graphics or photos scanned (and you do not have a scanner), you can take your photos/graphics to any drugstore or copy center and have them scanned onto a disk or flash drive for a minimum charge. Just make sure you scan your pictures at photo quality rather than web quality. This will ensure a good, crisp scan of your picture!

Interior graphics must be both embedded in your manuscript - placed within the text just where you want them to appear - and provided as separate files, as well (on disk or flash drive). When embedding your graphics, take extra care to ensure you've placed them just where you want them to appear in your finished book.

Cover photos/graphics should be at 300dpi or above. These photos/graphics can be in black and white or color. Please make sure to submit this in .tif, .eps, .jpg or .psd image format (the same as the interior photos/graphics of your book).


One Continous Digital Document

Please make sure that your entire manuscript is contained on one continous document. DO NOT submit multiple files for your manuscript. Make sure that your manuscript is orderly and chapters/sections/parts are in the order that you want them to appear. Lastly, please do not add manual page numbers to your manuscript. These will have to be removed before we will accept your manuscript submission.


Poetry Books

Please make sure to keep one poem per page. The only exception is when submitting haiku or very short poems. Otherwise, the book will present one poem per page for the ease of readers.


Paragraph Formatting

For those of you who are publishing books other than poetry, it is very important to follow this guideline. First Line Indents: The beginning of the paragraph (first line) should be indented with a tab. Indented Paragraphs: To indent a block of text, such as a passage from a referenced source, indent the paragraph by 1/2 inch.


Use of Dashes, Hyphens, and Ellipses

Dashes, ellipses and other special characters are found under the Insert menu of your word processor, under Symbol/Special Characters. Do not use double dashes -- to express a pause in a thought or duration of time. Please do not overuse ellipses...


If you have any questions about our Manuscript Guide at Wasteland Press, please contact us to speak with one of our representatives.

Wasteland Press BBB Business Review