Submit a Manuscript

The manuscript comprises the elements listed below, though not every item will be needed for every book. Submitted manuscripts must be free of spelling and grammar mistakes, and must be up to date (including all URLs or other online citations). The elements below (if present in the manuscript) must be in a single Microsoft Word document:

• Title page
• Dedication
• Epigraph
• Table of Contents
• List of Illustrations
• List of Maps
• List of Tables
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Abbreviations
• Chronology
• Main text
• Appendices
• Glossary
• Endnotes
• Bibliography or References
• Captions for illustrations, maps, tables
• All required permissions and credits
• List of index terms (proper names, place names, etc)

All illustrative material (illustrations, photos, maps, tables, charts, drawings, etc) must be submitted separately as electronic files on a memory stick or an online file hosting system (Dropbox, Hightale, Google Drive, etc.). All artwork files should be identified using file names that clearly describe the image. Please do not embed your illustrative material in the manuscript to indicate placement. Image file names should be used to identify approximate placement of the illustrative material within the main text. However, please note that while every effort will be made to place illustrative material as close to the exact location as indicated in the text, this is only occasionally possible due to variances in layout, design and available space on the physical page.

Captions (the descriptive information featured outside an illustration) may include the title for the image, description of the image, illustration number, location of the image on the page, image dimensions, etc. Captions for all illustrative material should be submitted with the complete manuscript. Please note that “Captions” are distinct and more comprehensive than a basic “List of Illustrations”.

The manuscript package contains the manuscript (as per above) and all other elements that may be necessary for us to publish your book, including:

• Permission forms for the reproduction of all illustrative material, previously published material, or personal communications included in the manuscript
• Stylesheet for use in copy-editing and proofreading, with proper spellings of technical words and terms, unusual-looking acronyms, uncommon units of measure, etc.
• 250 word “About the Book”
• 150 word “About the Author”
• Recent author photo (digital)

Do

• have your manuscript package professionally copy edited or proofread before submitting to RMB.
• submit your manuscript package on time and complete. Late or incomplete manuscripts will result in publication delays or cancellation of your project.
• consult The Chicago Manual of Style — 17th Edition for answers to all of your questions regarding issues of style, grammar, punctuation, technology, fair use, citations, professional practice and the production process.
• consult The Oxford Canadian Dictionary for spelling and usage issues.
• submit illustrative material as digital files wherever possible. Hardcopy images in need of professional scanning should be discussed with the Publisher or Art Director prior to submission.
• place all your images on a memory stick or into an online file hosting system (Dropbox, Hightale, Google Drive, etc.).
• give each image a unique file name.
• use the specific image file name when inserting “callouts” in your Word document to tell us where the approximate placement of images throughout the text is to occur. Bracket the instruction in chevrons and put it on a separate line.
• use letters, digits and underscores when naming your files, including your images. Keep filenames simple and aim for fewer than 25 characters.
• submit maps, logos, line-drawings and any vector artwork as .eps or .ai files. Contact us if you would like to use some other format.
• submit photos, paintings, scans and any raster images in .tiff or .psd format. Contact us if you would like to use some other format. These images must be 300 ppi or greater at the dimensions you want them to print.

If terms like “300ppi” and “vector” seem scary and you’re unsure if your images will meet our criteria, relax. We can check your images and let you know if they’re suitable for publication. In this case, collect all your images in their original file formats and put them on a memory stick or into an online file hosting system (Dropbox, Hightale, Google Drive, etc.). But please do this long before your manuscript is due. If we need to reject some or all of your images, it could change the scope of your project and we need to know this ASAP. Check out our FAQs section if you have questions.

Do not

• be late with your manuscript submission. Any delay in the submission process will cause your project to either be cancelled or postponed. All delays — major or minor — create a domino effect in the production process and negatively impact all departments, personnel, schedules and projects.
• submit an unedited, incomplete or partial manuscript. Such manuscripts will be immediately rejected and may cause your project to be either cancelled or postponed.
• submit a manuscript that has each section or chapter saved as a separate file. The manuscript text should be saved and submitted as one complete Microsoft Word Document.
• include spaces, unusual characters, or any punctuation, aside from the single period that comes before the filename extension when naming your files. Keep filenames simple and aim for fewer than 25 characters.
• embed images in your Microsoft Word document.
• resave jpegs multiple times. It is best to send us the original files.
• submit low resolution images copied from the Internet.
• “res-up” your images in Photoshop or any other software.
• colour-correct your images unless you know how to do this.