We recommend you answer these questions before you start writing, because doing so will give you a better idea of the possibilities available and the route you are taking
- NON-FICTION/FICTION
- Non-fiction – a factual book, about a real story or thing, rather than…
- Fiction – stories that are not real, that you have made up
Notes: We only publish non-fiction books
2. LANGUAGE
- English
- Other language
Notes: We currently publish only in English
3. AUTHORS
- One author
- More than one author
- FORMAT
- Monograph (one continuous piece of writing on a theme, albeit broken up by chapters and sub-headings)
- Contributed work – a collection of pieces written by several authors, divided into separate, discrete chapters
5. CHAPTERS
- Fewer than 10 chapters
- More than 10 chapters
Notes: Generally, we prefer more than 10 chapters
6. WORD COUNT
- Under 50,000 words
- Over 50,000
Notes: We prefer our non-fiction books to be between 50,000 and 80,000 words
7. ILLUSTRATIONS
- Include/refer to photos/graphs/illustrations
- No illustrations
8. STYLE
- First person ‘I captained the hockey team’.
- Third person ‘He captained the hockey team’
Notes: First person is usual in autobiography, third-person in other genres
9. SPELLING
- English
- American
Notes: We prefer English, but can live with US
10. DEADLINE
It’s a good idea to set a deadline for the completion of your first draft. Make it realistic, having worked out how many words you can write each week
- Less than 6 months away
- More than 6 months away
See WRITING TIPS: Choosing a title for your book