Guidelines

These guidelines contain technical details of our submission requirements. Please ensure to follow them carefully.

Query Letter

We accept COMPLETED manuscripts. You MUST HAVE FINISHED writing your manuscript before submitting your query to us.

Please send your query letter only by email or by fax. Provide your full name, email address, mailing address, and phone and fax numbers. Tell us about the subject matter of your work, your reasons for writing it, and your target audience. We may then ask you to submit your proposal. Your Query Letter should not exceed 500 words.

Please note that we DO NOT open any email attachments.

To help us continue to improve our services to writers, please share with us how and where you learned about Paper Spider and why you choose to submit to us.

We strive to respond to all submitted queries within 2 weeks of receipt. However, if you do not hear from us within 2 weeks, please be patient. All queries will be acknowledged. There is no need to re-submit or phone us. It will not help expedite our response.

Format Requirements for Proposal and Manuscript Submissions

• Your submission should be neatly typed with a word processor or typewriter, double-spaced, on standard white 8.5”x11”, preferably 20 lb paper. Most text should be printed in font size of at least 12-point Courier (or comparable, about 10 characters per inch). All text pages should be numbered. Use one-inch margins all around.
• Keep text formatting simple. Use only bold, italic, underline, page numbering, indents, headings and footnotes. There is no need to apply fancy fonts and effects and make the manuscript look like a printed book. Also please do not hyphenate to divide words at the ends of lines. All these things would have to be undone when the book is typeset.

Proposal Submission

Upon request from Paper Spider, please submit your proposal by MAIL. Clearly state your name and return address on the front of the package. They must match the information you provided to us in your query letter. Unidentifiable postal packages are simply discarded without opening. This is a precaution for the protection of our staff.

If you want your material to be returned to you, please enclose a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelop) that is large enough for your material and with sufficient Canadian postage. We are not responsible for lost submissions. For your protection, do not send your originals.

We acknowledge receipt of your proposal by email and we update you at least quarterly on the status of our assessment. Please ensure we have your up-to-date email address. There is no need to contact us unless you have not heard from us for more than three months.

First, we would like to know more about you, the author.

• Please provide a cover letter (two pages max.) which contains your biography or curriculum vitae. Include information such as your professional credentials, occupation, list of any previously published works, and information pertaining to your qualifications in authoring the current work. Please ensure to sign and date the letter.
• If you have any public speaking or promotional experience, or any television or radio appearances in the past, we would like to know.
• If available, attach any letters of recommendation from professionals in your field, or in the writing or book industry.

Secondly, we would like to know the intended markets for your work.

• Please include an analysis of the competitiveness of your book vis a vis others with similar subject matter(s).
  • Which other titles on the same or similar topic have already been published? How popular are they?
  • What makes your work unique, different or interesting? How does it compare to what is already available?
  • Why would readers want to buy your book over others?
• What are the characteristics of your typical readers—i.e., gender, age, profession, income level, etc.?
• What are the sizes of the target markets?
• Where are these markets? Please be as specific as possible.
• Do you personally have access to any special venues for marketing the book? (Think of any associations or groups you belong to, whose members would want to buy your books.) What are these venues?
• If you were to promote this book yourself, what would you do?

Thirdly, we would like to learn more about the book that you are writing and the highlights of your manuscript. Please include:

• A synopsis of your manuscript.
• Your objectives for writing this book.
• An "expanded table of contents" listing all chapter titles and important headings, as well as a brief (4 lines max.) description for each chapter and heading.
• Approximate word count of your manuscript.
• Estimated number of line drawings, photographs, charts and tables that will be in your book.
• Bibliography.

Finally, include sample chapters:

• Submit your introductory (or first) chapter plus 30 or fewer pages from among other chapters.

Manuscript Submission

Upon request from Paper Spider, please submit your full-length manuscript (one printed copy and one electronic verion) by MAIL. Similar to your Proposal Submission, please clearly state your name and return address on the front of the package.

Electronic version of your manuscript should be contained within ONE file and saved onto a floppy disk or CD-ROM, in the format of Microsoft Word 2000 or earlier version, or plain ASCII.

If you want your material to be returned to you, please enclose a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelop) that is large enough for your material and with sufficient Canadian postage. We are not responsible for submissions that are lost. For your protection, do not send your originals.

We acknowledge receipt of your manuscript by email and we update you at least quarterly on the status of our assessment. Please ensure we have your up-to-date email address. There is no need to contact us unless you have not heard from us for more than three months.

Caution on Obtaining Permissions

Please ensure to verify your manuscript for materials that require permission. Published works, artworks, photographs, research projects involving human subjects, stories in which real names of people are mentioned, and many other types of works, require consent to publish. You will be required to submit hard copies of all written permissions and necessary releases prior to signing the contract with Paper Spider. If you are including photographs/graphics obtained via the Internet, we will require explicit written permission for reprint. Authors are responsible for any fees charged for reprinting copyrighted materials.

Privacy

All submissions, including contact information, are considered confidential by Paper Spider and will be treated as such. We would request your similar co-operation in handling information that we provide to you.

If you prefer not to reveal your identify to any editors or reviewers external to Paper Spider, please indicate so in writing and ensure that you exclude from your manuscript any references or clues to your identity, such as your name, associated institutions, etc. Otherwise, it will be considered that you consent to release such information to our external editors and reviewers.

Rejection

We reserve the right to reject any submission without reviewing it. The following submissions are discarded without notification:

• Proposals or full manuscripts that were NOT explicitly requested by Paper Spider
• Submissions from writers who grossly ignore our Submission Guidelines
• Submissions from writers who demonstrate unprofessional behaviour in their dealings with us
• Duplicated submissions
• Unidentifiable postal packages

Contact Information

Please email us your Query Letter:

By email: Please use our Tell us! Form.
Please note that Query @ PaperSpider.Net is nolonger a valid email address.