• What Constitutes a "Complete" Project Package?
• Preparing Files
• Submitting Your Project Package
• Next Steps

If you submitted only a partial manuscript during the proposal review stage, it is time now to finish writing, incorporating any feedback we provided.

But even if you submitted an entire manuscript for review, the version of your manuscript that we accepted probably could still benefit from some reformatting or minor rewriting now to prepare it for editing and production.

Please review and follow the guidance below and in our Style Guide to prepare the complete Project Package that NAEYC needs to receive from you before production can begin.

What Constitutes a “Complete” Project Package?

We cannot put your project into production until we have all its pieces in hand, and we certainly cannot do a good editing job on a partial manuscript. Sending us an incomplete package will only result in delays later while we wait for missing elements to arrive. A complete project package consists of:

Manuscript:

• Front matter: table of contents, preface (if any), author bios, acknowledgments (if any)
• Main narrative, all chapters
• Back matter: appendixes (if any), complete and accurate references list, additional resources (if any)
• All collateral materials: text, graphics (if any)

• Permissions information
• Author Agreement signed by each author

Collateral materials

By collateral text we mean any sidebars, vignettes, checklists, tips, text charts, tables, text figures, etc., that are asides and expansions on your main narrative. In a typical book, such text appears in boxes or is set apart on a separate page from the main narrative.

By collateral graphics we mean any illustrations, diagrams, photographs, or children’s work. NAEYC can and often does provide its own illustrations and/or photographs from our extensive image library. Or you may submit appropriate photographs related to your book (please see the Photograph Submission Guidelines) or suggest a good source of appropriate artwork or photographs. As production proceeds, we can discuss options and ideas.

Permissions

NAEYC welcomes your inclusion of useful text, tables, figures, images, or graphics that you yourself did not create or do not own. So we can sort out permissions issues in your manuscript, make sure to indicate any material you personally did not create—i.e., any text you did not author, tables of data you did not compile, photographs you did not take, illustrations you did not draw.

Obtaining permission from their owners to include such material in your book is your responsibility as author. This includes material whether published (e.g., from books, websites) or unpublished (e.g., from conference or workshop handouts, PowerPoint presentations, children’s activities). NAEYC can help request those permissions, and we will pay reasonable reprint fees.

The what, why, and how of permissions is covered in part four of these Guidelines for Writing a Manuscript, predictably titled Obtaining Permissions.

Agreement

Each author must sign and return NAEYC’s Author Agreement before we can begin work on the manuscript. The Agreement is a legally binding contract between you as author and NAEYC as publisher. If you have any concerns or questions, please discuss them with us.

Author bios and photos

NAEYC likes to include a short biography of each author and his or her picture. One short paragraph usually is enough to tell readers what background and expertise an author has brought to a project. If you provide a print photograph, we will scan it into the layout. If you submit an electronic image, please use a high resolution image such as a TIF or a GIF, if possible (JPEG is also acceptable), and send the image as a separate file.

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Preparing Files

We do the bulk of our editorial work electronically. As such, while a paper printout may be useful, we will require electronic files containing your complete manuscript to begin editing and layout.

Preparing your main text

Save your main text narrative in one file (or a series of small files by chapter, if you prefer). Make sure all pages are numbered. If you are sending a paper copy, make sure you include the filename(s) in the footer.

• If you are providing graphics with your manuscript, please don’t incorporate or insert the electronic images themselves into your text file as “objects” or “pictures.” Also, please don’t incorporate or insert collateral text items into your main text file as “text boxes.” Doing either makes the main text file unwieldy for us to open, edit, and save, and it can yield low-resolution images that reproduce poorly. Instead, follow the instructions in “Document Formatting” in our Style Guide.

Preparing your collateral text

Because they will be set apart in the layout, we need you to place the complete text of each sidebar, table, etc., in order of appearance at the end of the chapter in which it should appear. Label each item with a unique name (e.g., “Juan’s Story” or “Table_1_rev”) and flag where in the text you would like it to appear (e.g., [Insert Juan’s Story here]).

Preparing your graphics

If you are providing graphics, you must send us either the original illustration, photograph, artwork, etc., or an electronic graphics file (TIF, EPS, JPEG, GIF, PDF, etc.) of it. If you are going to submit graphics files, please first contact NAEYC for guidance on sizing, resolution, and preferred format. In general:

• A photocopy or output from a computer printer is not an “original” and will not reproduce well. Instead, send the actual photograph, drawing, painting, or collage; or take a picture of it and send us the digital file (or photograph, if you used a film camera).
• If you provide an original, we will scan it. Securely label each original with a unique name (e.g., “Adam_art”). Take care that your label doesn’t damage the original—don’t write on the back with ballpoint pen as it will show through, and definitely no attaching with paperclips!
• Scanning a graphic from a printed book usually will not yield a useable image. Instead, as part of the Permissions process, we typically contact the owner/creator and ask to borrow the original or request an electronic version.

• For more about submitting photography, see NAEYC’s Photograph Submission Guidelines.

See our Style Guide for how to indicate in your main text where these graphics items should be placed in the book’s layout.

Preparing for permissions

So we can sort out permissions issues in your manuscript, make sure to indicate any material you personally did not create—i.e., any text you did not author, tables of data you did not compile, photographs you did not take, illustrations you did not draw. Review and follow the instructions in our guide Obtaining Permissions.

Saving and printing

• Before sending them, please scan all files using up-to-date virus protection software.

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Submitting Your Project Package

• A complete Project Package includes the following:

  • All manuscript files (text and graphics)—on CD/thumb drive or as email attachments

  • Optional printouts—each labeled with the filename and its pages numbered

  • Complete permissions information (see Obtaining Permissions)

  • An Author Agreement signed by each author

Should you choose to send physical copies rather than emailing the files, please send an advance email or call us to let us know that your materials are on their way. Include your UPS/FedEx tracking number, if you have one.

We suggest sending packages via FedEx or UPS, because they can be tracked. Insure the package if it contains items of value; NAEYC will not be responsible for materials lost in transit.

Should you choose to email your files as attachments, check in with us to make sure we received everything; our computer system is sometimes so busy blocking spam that mail we want to receive doesn’t make it through!

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Next Steps

Writing a book is a major undertaking, and it’s natural to hope that once your manuscript is accepted, your labor as author is over. Turning that manuscript into an NAEYC publication, however, is a collaboration between us that will require your time and attention through production.

After your Project Package arrives at NAEYC, we will examine it for completeness and ask you to address any gaps. We will read the entire manuscript closely to assess its readiness for editing. As editing progresses we may ask you to undertake some revisions, or NAEYC’s editors may undertake the revising themselves in coordination with you. We also will need you to review and approve proofs of various kinds as production proceeds.

• For more about what you can expect during the stages of revision, copyediting, design/layout, proofreading, and printing, see Stages in Editing & Proofing.

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