To the attention of the authors
RULES and INSTRUCTIONS
Editing proposal
Galaxia Gutenberg Publishing House is honoured by any publishing
proposal and welcomes potential authors. Here are a few points for a good collaboration.
The first step in initiating a collaboration with the publishing
house is for the author to submit a written publishing proposal in duplicate to
the publishing house. In order to facilitate the approval of the proposal by
the Editorial Board, it is desirable that the structure of the proposal is as
follows:
Addressability (10-20 lines). Specify the groups of
potential readers (pupils, students, engineers, economists, etc.) and indicate
briefly how the book might be of interest to the different categories of users.
Content (indicative, one page). Chapter titles
and brief descriptions of their contents will be specified. It is desirable
that the description of the subject matter of the chapters, the way in which
they are dealt with and the means used (diagrams, photographs, experimental
results, etc.) should make it clear what the work is about and why it should be
published. The number of pages of the work should be estimated in the usual
book format (17 cm x 24 cm, 14,7 cm x 20,5 cm).
Competition (10-20 lines). Cite 2-5 books with
similar themes (authors, title, publisher, year of publication) along with a
few words of characterisation showing the contribution of the new work proposed
for publication.
Authors (10-30 lines). Highlight the concerns
and experience of the authors as they appear in previous publications
(articles, research reports, books, etc.).
To put forward a proposal, the author does not have to wait
until the material is almost complete. On the contrary, it is advisable to make
an offer at an early stage of the drafting of the work, in order to be able to
benefit during the drafting process from possible suggestions and comments from
the scientific reviewer established by the publisher. Collaboration between
author and reviewer can only increase the quality of the work.
The role of the scientific reviewer. In principle, the
contribution of the scientific reviewer is considered particularly important in
ensuring a high standard for any work published under the publisher's imprint.
For this reason, authors are advised to keep in constant contact with the
scientific reviewer during the preparation of the work and to be receptive to
his/her comments and suggestions.
√ Conditions of publication
Galaxia Gutenberg Publishing House publishes, prints and
distributes publications and periodicals of a scientific, educational and broad
cultural nature, grouped into three sections:
Map
The publishing house receives offers for publication in two
annual sessions, which, following a selection process, are submitted to the
editorial department for approval:
- by 1 November, for inclusion in the following year's editorial plan;
- by 1 June, for inclusion in the current year's editorial plan.
Manuscripts are peer-reviewed by two
independent reviewers, specialists with national and international recognition
in the field of manuscripts. The evaluation takes 4-12 months and authors will
be informed of the outcome. Authors may be asked to make changes to the
proposed work. A manuscript can be: accepted / accepted with changes /
re-evaluated after major changes / rejected. The
offer must contain:
- an application to the management of the publishing house (name and surname/
position/ teaching rank/ title of the book/contact details);
- a curriculum vitae (in the case of authors who have not yet published with
our publishing house);
- the two specialist references;
- a presentation of the book, briefly describing how it differs from other
similar works and identifying its target audience (primary and secondary);
- the technical details of the book: if the work is to be submitted in
electronic form, specify the number of signs including spaces; if the work is
to be submitted in typewritten form, specify the number of pages; indicate
whether the work contains tables, graphs, plates (black and white or colour),
figures.
In order to carry out the peer-review
process, authors must not reveal their identity within the texts submitted for
publication. Name and institutional affiliation will be written on a separate
page.
Texts submitted for publication should be sent in 2 printed copies to the
publisher's
address, as well as in electronic version (attached files), to Galaxia Gutenberg
Publishing
House, Str. Florilor 11, 435 600 Tg.Lăpuș, Romania,
E-mail: contact@galaxiagutenberg.ro.
Books to be published as
a result of research grants must meet the publisher's conditions and the
deadlines imposed by the grant.
Courses and teaching materials for
pre-university, higher and post-university education
The publisher takes proposals for courses endorsed according to
the approved review methodology, which involves a report by a committee of
specialists in the field.
Periodicals: annuals, magazines,
newsletters, yearbooks, etc.
Editorial activity in the field of periodicals is carried out on
the basis of the regulations in force.
Grid
for assessing the opportunity to publish a book at Galaxia Gutenberg Publishing
House
If, during the writing process, it is found that there are
plagiarised passages or no indication of sources, the manuscript will be
rejected on the basis of a report drawn up by the book editor, which will be
communicated to the author immediately.
Rules and instructions for writing/typing the paper
This chapter details
a series of rules and instructions that you, as an author who will
publish with Galaxia Gutenberg, should keep in mind during the preparation of
your manuscript. Our aim is to provide you with the information you need to
ensure that the manuscript you submit to the publisher can successfully go
through the various stages of editorial preparation.
By manuscript we mean the form in which the author submits the work to be
published. Manuscripts can be classified according to the type of medium:
typescripts (on paper); electronic manuscripts (CDs, e-mailed files, etc.).
If you are going to submit your
manuscript as an electronic file, please pay full attention to the instructions
on how to collect the text on a computer. Failure to do so is likely to lead to
delays and errors of the most regrettable kind.
Most of the problems are due to poor
compilation, mistakes in copying files to different media, gaps (table of
contents/table of contents, notes, bibliographical references, references, annexes,
illustrations, tables, etc. incomplete), infringements of copyright law.
We reserve the right to return to
authors manuscripts that do not meet our standards; similarly, if the number of
pages and/or structure originally specified in the publishing offer do not
correspond to the manuscript handed in as final.
A well-organised and complete manuscript
contributes significantly to the publication of a book that reflects positively
both on you as an author and on the publisher.
Drafting rules
Title, first pages
The title page should include your name, as author or
coordinator, and the full title (including subtitle) of the work, exactly as
you want it to appear in the printed book. If there is a
foreword/afterword/foreword written by another person, give their name.
In the case of translations, the name of the translator(s)
should be given. Where appropriate, the name of the editing clerk or note-taker
(if applicable) should be given on the title page. It should also be stated
whether this is a new (fourth) edition or a revised edition.
Funded work (sponsorship): if editing (writing, translation,
research, etc.) has been funded, this should be mentioned in the first pages of
the book as requested by the funder.
Contributors. For collective works, a list of authors should be
included, clearly showing the contribution of each author. If there is more
than one translator, the contribution of each translator must be indicated.
Mottos; dedications; acknowledgements. All of these should be in
your manuscript from the start; their later introduction 'messes up' the whole
material and can lead to mistakes in editing and positioning.
The table of contents
It should accurately reflect the content of the paper, with
clear indication of the title levels (parts, chapters, sub-chapters, etc.). For
scientific papers, an extended table of contents (table of contents) should be
compiled.
List of abbreviations
They are placed before the text itself and are ordered
alphabetically according to custom
Example (1)
ac. = accusative, adj. = adjective, adv. = adverb, aux. =
auxiliary, conj. = conjunctive, conj. = conjunction, ind. = indicative, m. =
masculine, pl. = plural, sg. = singular, vb. = verb, voc. = vocative.
Example (2)
Song - Song of Songs
Col - Colossians
1 Corinthians
2 Cor - 2 Corinthians
.
Auxiliary materials
Their indication in the table of contents and their positioning,
and the indication of their author when appropriate, should signal to the
reader that they are not part of the work and are treated as such. Here is the
natural order: foreword/preface/introductory study/editorial note/TEXT OF THE
BOOK/notes/glossary/ bibliography/index (addenda, appendices).
Prefaces, notes, bibliographical appendices will be checked and
unified in all respects according to the rules in this material.
The manuscript submitted to the publisher must be complete, i.e.
include all ancillary material: notes, bibliographical references,
prefaces/postfaces, introductory study, appendices, addenda, note on the
edition, glossary, index (list of entries), charts, tables, illustrations, etc.
Glossary
It contains a list of technical terms, notions or key concepts
that appear throughout the work but with which the reader is not immediately
familiar.
Bibliography/References
The bibliography of a work often mirrors the content. The lack
of reference or topical titles in a work in a particular field 'betrays' the
inconsistency of the information provided to readers. Warning! Even more
serious is the "non-disclosure" of sources. Titles of bibliographical
works (book titles, titles of poems, plays, novels, etc.) are given in the
original language and are printed in italics, as are periodicals (magazines,
newspapers, almanacs, bulletins, collections of laws).
Articles in a periodical, chapters in a book, poems, short
stories in a quoted volume are enclosed in quotation marks ("").
Within the same bibliographic reference, commas, not periods,
should be used.
In the case of references to works with more than two authors,
the abbreviation "et al.", "et al." may be used after the
first name. (In bibliographies, all names must be given.
"Apud" (<lat. apud, to) is used to indicate
reference to the text serving as the source of information.
Be careful not to confuse the citation with "apud"
with "in"! "In" or "in" is used to indicate the
whole of which the quoted chapter, article, study, etc. is part.
Note that, except in cases where access to a particular text is
only possible through an "intermediary" (lack of Romanian
translation, lack of knowledge of the original language), the citation through
"apud" marks a lack of scientific rigour, or even more, a lack of
information.
References in the text are given in brackets.
References in the text (author, year of the work, page) must be
fully referenced in the bibliographical references, where the author, title of
the work, publisher, place and year of publication are indicated. If there are
several authors with the same name in the bibliography, the first initial must
be added to the text. If an author is cited with several works published in the
same year, the distinction is made as follows: 1999a, 1999b, etc.
Notes
References will be made by numbers or asterisks placed as
superscript to the right of the word (passage) concerned. In footnotes or endnotes,
the figures should be repeated (without superscript) as the beginning of the
paragraph, followed by a full stop. After the asterisk, no full stop. It is
compulsory that the system of references, once established, is applied
consistently throughout the work.
Check:
- the existence of all clues;
- the
correspondence between the index and the body of the note if the body is,
in the case of page notes, on the page where the index appears);
- the
correspondence between the index and the content of the note;
- the
correctness of references to other passages in the book;
- the
existence and accuracy of the specifications:
(n.a.) = author's note;
(n.t.) = translator's note
References within the notes:
- all
bibliographical details should be given at the first citation within the same
chapter;
- The
usual abbreviations (op. cit.; art. cit.; idem, ibidem) will only be used
within the same chapter, otherwise re-identification of the source risks
becoming difficult;
- if
quoting from more than one work by the same author, the reference to the
title may be in abbreviated form, followed by an indication of the
page(s);
- Idem
is usually used to indicate that it is the same author; ibidem ("in
the same place") is used when reference is made to the same work;
- abbreviations
of terms in another language are given in italics;
The most common abbreviations in notes are:
cf = confer, compare;
v. = see;
p. = page;
pp. = pages;
t. = tomul;
and following. = and the next/next/next; (sg.) vol. = volume;
ed. = edition;
ed. cit. = edition cited (unquote!) loc. cit. = place cited; op.
cit. = work cited (italic!); art. cit. = article cited; ms. = manuscript; mss.
= manuscripts; passim = in several places; and so on = and others; et al. = and
others; and others;
s.v. = under entry (for references to dictionary articles,
glossaries, etc., where page indications are not used);
- the following entries: "n.a.", "n.t.",
"n.r." are placed at the end of the note, in brackets, followed by a
full stop;
Index
The index is both a sign of the seriousness of a work and a sign
of respect for the reader, who, without this search tool but faced with a work
containing a lot of information, will feel disoriented. Help them identify
areas of interest. Not infrequently, readers give up reading a book because
they don't have an index and don't have time to go through the whole work.
The index can be of proper names and/or thematic. Please note
the alphabetical ordering of all entries and subentries. A "thick"
index does not help anyone, on the contrary. Therefore, only the significant
entries, the pages that convey real information, are listed. An index that
refers to mere mentions annoys the reader and disqualifies the work.
Entries referring to notes are specified.
Punctuation and spelling
The official rules, as specified in the latest editions of the
specialist normative works (DOOM, DEX, Dictionary of Neologisms, Grammar of the
Academy) will be respected.
Spelling and punctuation rules do not form a
"personal" code, whether it belongs to the author, translator,
proofreader or editor. The written code of the language requires the use of
graphic means (punctuation marks) to highlight the syntactic-semantic
relationships between the component units of a sentence and the pauses,
intonation and breaks in the communication chain. Correctly applied, the rules
of punctuation give relief to ideas, help reading and understanding the message
of a book, ensuring the discipline of discourse and the orderly expression of
thought.
Comma
Imperative rules:
- is
obligatory between parts of the same sentence (juxtaposition);
- when
the connection is made by conjunctions, other rules apply (junction);
- comma
is used next to the following junctions: [,] nor; correlatives: not only
... [,] but also; both ... [,] as well as; [,] as well as; [,] like and;
adversatives: [,] but; [,] but; [,] and; [,] but; either ... [,] either;
or [,] or; ba [,] ba.
In conclusive coordination they are separated by a comma:
therefore, therefore, therefore. Within the sentence, therefore and yet are not
enclosed in commas.
Prohibitive rules:
- do
not comma-separate the parts of the sentence coordinated by the following
conjunctions:
- copulative
and;
- conjunctive
locution and with;
- the
preposition with or the prepositional phrase together with.
- the
comma does not appear before disjunctive coordinating conjunctions or when
they are not used in correlative constructions and do not appear in the
first term of the respective coordination.
Line of dialogue (-)
Indicates dialogue. It is incorrect to use quotation marks
together with the line of dialogue.
Break line (-)
Not to be confused with the hyphen. It delimits the words or
constructions, explanatory oppositions or isolated attributes, lack of
predicate or copulative verb (in this case the comma may also be used, the elliptical
construction must be indicated graphically).
Cratima (-)
It is used in repetitions, in compound words, between two
numerals.
Apostroful (')
Mark:
- the
absence of sounds which do not have as an immediate consequence a
junction, a joint utterance, as in the case of hyphenated sound falls;
- lack
of figures indicating years.
Quotation marks
It signals the reproduction of an utterance said or written by
someone. Although Romanian punctuation uses both [" "] and ["
"], round quotation marks are used as quotation marks.
For quotations within another quotation, use angle quotes.
Brackets
Round brackets are commonly used: (...). Within them, if other
brackets are needed, straight brackets are used: [...]. If a sentence is
completely enclosed in brackets, the punctuation mark should be placed before
the closing bracket.
Please note that square brackets are used to mark omitted
passages in a text, inserted passages or uncertain lessons. Bibliographic
references given in parentheses after a self-contained quotation are not
followed by a full stop:
"_____________________ [.] [!] [?] [...]" (___________
)
Otherwise:
text: "___________________ " (__________ ).
Abbreviations
The following abbreviations will be used:
- BC;
AD = before, after Christ;
- c.y.
= current year;
- a.m.
= antemeridian;
- bd.
= boulevard;
- cca
= circa (no dot!);
- cf
= compare;
- Mr
= Mr (no full stop!);
- Lords
= Their Lordships;
- gentlemen
= gentlemen;
- d-lor
= dumnealor;
- d-he
= he;
- dna
= lady;
- dnei
= lady;
- Miss
= lady;
- D-sa
= His Lordship;
- T-your
= Your Lordship;
- d-you
= you;
- Yours
= Your Lordship;
- yours.
= yours;
- ed.
= edition;
- ed.
cit. = edition cited (not in italics!)
- ibid.
= ibid;
- id.
= idem;
- loc.
cit. = place cited;
- ms.
= manuscripts;
- mss.
= manuscripts;
- n.
= note;
- n.a.
= author's note;
- n.t.
= translator's note;
- N.B.
= please note;
- op.
cit. = work cited;
- p.
= page
- pp.
= pages;
- passim
= in several places;
- p.m.
= postmeridian;
- r.
= row;
- St.
= Holy, Holy;
- s.v.
= sub voce;
- and
so on = and others
- et
seq. = and following
- v.
= verse;
- vol.
= volume;
Abbreviations such as cap. (chapter); sec. (century) are
undesirable.
Writing in capital letters
Proper names are written according to the form decided by their
bearer or according to the spelling of the original language. An exception is
made for names (anthroponyms or toponyms) that have come into use with an
established Romanianised form. Hybrid forms will be eliminated (Vergilius or
Virgiliu, not Vergiliu).
It is written Topîrceanu, Viața Romînească (including in the
texts written with "â", "sunt").
Of the spellings Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Jesus
Christos we prefer the first, without denying the authors the right to choose
another.
You are obliged to check the correct transliteration of proper
nouns in the relevant works (dictionaries, treatises, reference translations).
It reads:
- Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Enlightenment,
Classicism, etc.
- Central Europe, Eastern Europe; Latin America; Ottoman Empire,
Habsburg Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Names of institutions are written in capital letters (e.g.
Faculty of Letters; Centre for Professional Development and Training; Catholic
Church; Orthodox Church; Research and Design Institute).
Words in foreign languages
Words, concepts, expressions that appear in the work transcribed
according to the original language, not being assimilated into Romanian (they
do not exist in the DE or DEX), are given in italics.
Example: bias, gate keeper; thunderbolt; a priori; a posteriori;
de facto; de jure, Zeitgeist, Sein, Weltanschaung.
In the case of translations, for a word that appears in another
language in the original, the translator's footnote should state "In
German/French/English/Russian in the original".
Other highlights in the text
School books and university courses, in general, which convey a
set of information related to a particular field of knowledge, have a special
regime from the point of view of techno-writing and editing. In order to make
the appearance of the work as attractive as possible, so that the potential
reader feels 'helped' in retaining the information, mnemotechnical methods such
as: bold, italics, symbols, recapitulative schemes, headings, tables, summaries
should be used.
Long pages of text, paragraphs or very long sentences
(containing too many ideas) are uncomfortable to read.
Rights and permissions for reproduction of material
You must have the right to reproduce the following types of
material: quotations (exceeding 400 words); poems; images (illustrations,
photographs, drawings, cartoons) - if they are protected by copyright.
Copyright law allows authors, composers, photographers, painters, etc. to
control how their work is reproduced. The period of copyright protection under
European law is: the author's lifetime + 70 years after death. For details, see
Law No 8/1996 on Copyright and Related Rights, in particular Chapters II, "Subject
matter of copyright"; V, "Duration of copyright protection"; VI,
"Limits to the exercise of copyright" (Official Gazette, Part I, No
60).
If your work contains such material, you will need to submit
proof of ownership of the rights to the publisher when you hand in your
manuscript.
Minimum technical rules and requirements for the production of
electronic manuscripts
The electronic manuscript replaces the classic typewritten
manuscript, delivered on paper to the publisher. Many authors prefer to submit
the manuscript electronically, with the file produced by themselves or with the
help of external specialists.
The electronic manuscript must meet the same conditions as the
classic manuscript:
- to
be complete;
- include
all notes, introductory study (preface), afterword, etc.;
- have
an extended table of contents included;
- graphs,
illustrations, tables, etc. must be submitted with the manuscript.
In addition, the electronic manuscript must meet a number of
technical requirements, with the aim of:
- the
possibility to be "taken over" by the publishing house (to be
compatible with the software and equipment used in the publishing house);
- can easily be further processed (using typical pagination
programs) to produce the book.
Important: the general rule is to present the document as
"simple" as possible, with text only. This can be processed further
easily and does not hinder the technological process of making the book. The
closer the outer form of a manuscript is to the final product, the more
expensive it is for the author to produce and the more difficult it is for the
publisher to process.
Some rules and tips to follow:
What media we use
- Send
your work, preferably using good quality floppy disks or CDs. Do not use
other media (optical discs, etc.) as there is a risk that they will not be
accessible within the publishing house.
- Use
Windows 7 - Windows 10 operating systems only. Files made on other
platforms are very difficult to retrieve.
- All
files must be readable and virus-free.
- The
files submitted must contain the final version of the paper.
- Send
only the book files. Delete any other material.
- Always
keep a copy.
- Always
accompany the CD/stick with a list indicating the contents of each file.
It is best to save each chapter in separate files.
How we prepare the text
For the collection of the material, you should preferably use
the Microsoft Word 2007 text editor. All technical details that follow will
refer (and be exemplified) to MSWord 2007.
The manuscript must include an extended table of contents,
specifying the structure of the work. Clearly highlight headings, subheadings,
notes, if any, and their position in the text.
Please type the text with diacritics. Use an A4 format,
preferably using TIMES NEW ROMAN or TIMES NEW ROMAN CE font size 11, with lines
spaced at 1.5 lines.
These fonts have diacritical marks. Use the "Romanian"
or the default "English" keyboard when you type. To identify the keys
on which the diacritical letters are arranged, use the "Character
Map" utility, included in the Windows operating system, regardless of
version.
Use the same text and paragraph parameters (font, size, spacing)
throughout the text. Do not leave blank lines between paragraphs unless you
specifically want to highlight a particular section.
Avoid using the "Insert Symbol" option provided by
MSWord to insert characters with diacritics or special characters (a, P, y ).
For special characters, preferably use the SYMBOL font (which is also found in
all Windows versions; you can find out the layout of the characters on the
keyboard by using the "Character Map") and inform the publisher of
the use of such characters.
If you have used a different font, it must be copied with the
text and brought to the publisher, specifying this when handing in the
material.
At the time of collection, disable all options present in TOOLS
^ AUTOCORECT
If equations, fractions, sums, integrals or other complex
mathematical formulas are needed, use MSWord's equation editor. Do not draw
formulas!
When you are reading text, do not press the ENTER key at the end
of the line. It is only used to mark a new paragraph. Do not use ENTER or
SHIFT+ENTER to move to a new line within the same paragraph.
To align the first line of the paragraph further in, do not use
the TAB key. Leave this task to the publisher or, if you really want to do it
yourself, use the FIRST LINE option in the FORMAT menu ^ PARAGRAPH
If the paper has notes (footnotes or endnotes), they will only
be inserted with INSERT ^ FOOTNOTE ^ AUTO NUMBER. Always use the AUTO NUMBER
option as it is the only one that allows automatic numbering and its correct
transfer to specialised pagination programs, generating the note number in the
text at SUPERSCRIPT.
Do not number notes manually, using the RISED option in the
FORMAT ^ FONT menu. When the text is retrieved, the note number will no longer
be highlighted in any way.
If your work consists of tables, they should be created using
only the TABLE ^ INSERT TABLE option. If you find it difficult to use INSERT
TABLE, then just note the table location in the text and draw the table on the
paper. It will be created in the editor based on your sketch.
It is completely forbidden to space columns using the TAB (or
SPACE) key or to draw vertical and horizontal lines using the DRAWING option.
Your work product will be completely unusable.
When inserting a table, think about the finite dimensions of the
cards. Don't insert more columns than will fit on the page, as you will need to
shrink the character excessively.
If illustrations are required, it is recommended that you mark
only their place in the text (e.g. Figure X) and bring the photographs or
hand-drawn (or just sketched) drawings to the publisher. They will be converted
into electronic format by specialised staff and then inserted into the file.
Note the number assigned to the photo or illustration on the
back. Use a soft pencil and avoid writing in pen. Pressing can damage the
photos.
If possible, keep a copy of the illustrations. Always bring the
originals to the publisher.
Make a list of the illustrations and the number assigned to
them.
However, if you already have the graphics in electronic format
and you insert them into the text, please observe the following requirements:
- Along
with the file containing the text of the book, in which the images are
included, the illustration files (drawings, photographs) must be submitted
separately;
- drawings
should be made in a dedicated program (preferably CorelDraw, FreeHand,
AdobeIlustrator) and under no circumstances in MSWord using the DRAWING
option;
- scanned
images must be in *.tif format, at 300 DPI resolution; for colour images,
scanning must be done with the MILLIONS OF COLOURS option. If the images
are brought in *.jpg format, then the transformation must be done with a
minimum compression factor (quality) of 8 (preferably 10);
- when
inserting the image into the file, the FLOAT OVER TEXT option must be
deactivated so that the position of the image relative to the text can be
correctly identified. For greater certainty, if illustrations are not
accompanied by captions, it is useful to insert an indication in the text
such as Figure X, representing... (when paginated, this will be deleted).
- when handing in material to the publisher, always mention if
and how you have inserted figures in the text.
If you want the text to have a certain layout on the page,
preferably make a sketch/drawing on paper. Leave the plain, unformatted text on
file. A clear outline drawn on paper is much more useful for typesetting.
If it is absolutely necessary to highlight certain alignments in
the text, do so using the BULLETS option or, in the worst case, using the TAB
key. Under no circumstances align text using a variable number of spaces.
In order to structure the material clearly, for the different
levels of headings you should preferably use the predefined HEADINGS styles
existing in MSWord.
If this is inconvenient for you follow the general rule that a
title is usually 2 points higher than the text or the next lower-level title.
If the work lends itself, the subtitle levels can be numbered
(e.g. 1., 1.1., 1.1.1.). Avoid too many sub-levels, however, as they become
difficult to follow.
Delivery of the material to the publisher
Use optical digital information storage devices such as CDs or
magnetic data storage devices such as memory sticks to transport your work to
the publisher. Also, sending information by e-mail is common.
If the file is larger than the capacity of the data storage
device, the file must be compressed. Use WinRar, WinZip or Arj archiving
programs or create a self-extract archive.
Preferably, accompany the CD/DVD with a paper listing of the
text. The listing and the electronic manuscript must be identical.
The rules and instructions presented, without claiming to be
exhaustive, are intended to ensure compatibility between the material submitted
by the author and its subsequent processing in the publishing house. Compliance
with these rules means quick and easy pagination, as well as saving a
considerable amount of work and time, and therefore financial resources.
Rules for typesetting documents destined for offset/digital
printing
The format of materials destined for printing.
There are three very important aspects to watch out for when
producing such a document: the page mirror, the finished page format and the
raw page format:
- the
page mirror is the perimeter of the text and images, including the header,
footnotes and page number;
- the
finished format comprises the page mirror and the empty space (edges)
around it;
- the
rough format is the space added around the finished format and is required
for the finishing operation of the printed material.
The most common finite formats are:
A5: 147x205 mm / page mirror: 112x167 mm;
A4: 210x297 mm / page mirror: 170x257 mm;
A3: 420x297 mm (used for posters);
When producing flyers, posters or other materials of this kind,
the following should be taken into account: the text should be placed at least
5 mm from the edges of the finished format or/and the edges of the folding
lines.
B5: (Academic format): 170x240 mm / page mirror: 126x190 mm.
To obtain the rough format, 5 mm per side is added to the
finished format. E.g.: A5 finished size; A5 rough size: 147 mm+ 5 mm+ 5 mm/205
mm+ 5 mm+ 5 mm.
If the page background is coloured or consists of an image or if
there are images aligned to the edges of the finished format then these
elements will be sized to cover the raw format appropriately.
If your material does not fit into these standard formats, we
recommend that you contact the printer's management to agree on the dimensions
of the page mirror, finished format and rough format.
Electronic format of documents brought to print
The Galaxia Gutenberg publishing house uses the following
electronic formats (file types): pdf (Adobe Acrobat ver. 6.0) or cdr (CorelDraw
maximum ver. 17).
General rules of technography
The electronic document submitted for printing will have a
uniform format throughout, i.e. the pages will have the same size and
orientation.
Page numbering starts from the first title page (always odd, on
the right-hand side). Please note that all pages are included in the numbering,
but the numbering should not appear on the title pages (first 2 or 4 pages) and
on pages that do not contain text or images. Also, the header should not appear
on the first page of the chapter or on pages without text or images.
Colour palette, text and image quality
Please note: the rules presented in this point refer to offset
printed materials. Digitally printed material may comply with these rules, but
not expressly.
Only the CMYK colour palette will be used for offset printing!
Details:
- Both
text and images must conform to the CMYK standard;
- black
text will be BLACK 100%;
- for
text written in a font smaller than 14 points and without the BOLD
attribute, only the primary colours should be used, i.e. C (CYAN - Blue),
M (MAGENTA), Y (YELLOW) or K (BLACK);
- the
document submitted to the printer in CorelDraw format will have the text
converted to curves;
- in
the case of pdf. format (Adobe Acrobat) the fonts with which the text has
been cut will be provided;
- the
recommended resolution of the images used is 300 dpi.
Book digitization services
The electronic book (also called digital book or e-book) is the
new way of presenting a text enriched with different elements that make it look
like a page of text in a book, with the difference that this text 'fits' on
screens of different sizes and, at the same time, keeps a coherent look so that
the reader does not feel the difference from a regular book. It is, if you
like, the future of reading, because - like so many things in our modern lives
- it transforms a material object into an immaterial one, which can be recorded
on various media, sent remotely at no cost and accessed anytime, anywhere,
without worrying about glue sticking or a sheet of paper folding.
In itself, the digital book is a collection of files (like a web
page) that, archived and renamed, form a special file that can be read by
devices and software specifically designed to read this archive. At the core
are html, xhtml, xml, CSS styles and images. In fact, there are numerous tools
for making these archives and others for reading (e-reading) that somehow give
independence to writers and mobility to readers.
To make an eBook, you need text written in a word processor. So,
if you have a manuscript, you need to prepare it in electronic format.
For a digital book, it's good to keep it professional looking.
However, there are many specific parts of a printed book that you can leave
out. One of these is the overly exaggerated design of the content. If it's not
a children's book or an illustrated book, then you need to focus on the message
of the book, the text. The literary (including grammatical) quality of the text
takes precedence over the graphic aspect.
Digital format is different from print
Digital books differ from printed books and will never look the
same. Try to create as simple a format as possible so that it displays
correctly on as many e-readers as possible.
In the eBook there is no notion of a page and no notion of page
numbering (colon), header (colontitle) or footer (footnotes). E-reading devices
and software applications allow users to customise the font, font size and line
spacing. They will change the display layout of the book according to their
reading preferences and device performance. So, a particular font that looks
good on a printed page will not look the same on a digital book or, if it is a
font that does not exist in the reading device, it will look even strange (for
example, instead of diacritics, various cabalistic signs or question marks will
be displayed).
In the e-book, the graphical formatting of the book
(typesetting) does not make sense for the same reason as above. In addition,
any unnecessary graphic element leads to undue loading of the final file. Keep
in mind that an eBook is a sum of files (like a web page), and any graphic
element increases the size of this file folder, as it is stored independently.
In addition, digital books larger than 10MB are generally not accepted for
distribution due to transfer costs and the power of the existing processors in
playback devices. The larger and more loaded the file, the more cumbersome it
will be to play.
The reader can explore with your book
By converting books to digital format, new possibilities for
exploring them will open up and readers can enjoy them in a different way.
Thus, hyperlinks can be inserted directly into the eBook. For example,
footnotes can be introduced in this way. Many reading devices have internet
access and can access web pages via a browser. A number of references to
various resources on the internet that explain or enrich the content of the
book can be made directly from the reading page, as in a web page. On the other
hand, too many meaningless references can confuse the reader and make reading
difficult or lock up the e-reading device (some devices do not allow
independent web browsing by default unless you go through the proprietary book
purchasing system. So does, for example, the Nook Touch. There are, however, a
number of methods hidden by the manufacturer of direct access that can
eliminate these drawbacks).
There are many e-reading devices and software on the market.
Correct formatting and design is the secret to compatibility with all these
tools.
Converting a book into multiple formats
Digital books have long been niche products. Project Gutenberg was probably
the first effort to digitise books on a large scale, especially those in the
public domain. Most exist today in various formats accessible to many
e-readers. The question is: which format is best for my book?
EPUB
It is probably the most popular format and is supported by most
of the available platforms. Apple's iBooks, Barnes & Noble's Nook, Adobe
Digital Editions, Android's Aldiko (and over 30 other apps) support epub.
Amazon's Kindle does not currently support EPUB, but this is about to change.
The EPUB standard is an open format maintained by the
International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), a global standards organisation.
EPUB can display both adjustable content (it adapts to different adjustment
modes) and fixed-size content. It is similar to HTML.
MOBI
The Mobipocket format (also known as MOBI) is another open
standard. It was originally introduced by Amazon and can be read on different
platforms. It allows the display of adjustable as well as fixed content. The
extensions are .prc and .mobi. and supports complex display features, if and
the devices on which it is displayed allow its display and a high compression
ratio. The MOBI format is mainly intended for small screens due to image
limitations (64k). The image format (GIF) and image size limitations make MOBI
unsuitable for display on, for example, tablet screens.
AZW
The AZW format is developed by Amazon specifically for Kindle
readers. It has its origins in the MOBI format, but allows for better
compression and allows encryption of files. It can be read by multiple
platforms, but can only be obtained from Amazon's online bookstore.
The AZW format is a DRM (Digital Rights Management) restricted
format and locked to the device it is downloaded to via your Amazon user
account. There is also the AZW format without DRM, but this is not much
different from MOBI files.
PDF
Adobe's format is the oldest digital book format and perhaps one
of the most widely used. It opened in 2001 and can display both adjustable and
fixed content. Due to its widespread use, there are numerous tools to create,
edit and secure a PDF document. Files of this type can be digitally signed and
protected when editing and are virtually viewable on any platform.
However, the PDF format was not designed to be adjustable. On
the contrary, it is designed to preserve the typing characteristics on any
media, regardless of screen size or resolution. It's ideal for preparing a book
for print or if your work involves complex layout, graphics, formulas and
design, but what makes it perfect for one purpose makes it unsuitable for
e-reading. Although various methods of repurposing content have been proposed,
we do not recommend using this format for an e-book unless it is intended for
viewing on large screens or for later printing by users. There are tools that
convert files created by common text editors into all these e-reading formats.
Preparing your book in a text editor
If your manuscript is written in a text editor, then it is
technically ready for conversion. If your manuscript is written on paper, then
you need to write it in a text editor or ask (hire) someone to do it. If, for
example, you only have the book in hard copy format, then it needs to be
scanned and OCRed (a term adapted from OCR - Optical Character Recognition).
There is specialised software that does this job, but it is necessary to check
and correct the resulting text, as some characters are not recognised or are
wrongly recognised.
IMPORTANT: Remember that a book is not a book until it goes
through a series of publication stages. Whether it's a user manual, a cookbook,
a technical book, blog articles or (especially) a novel, it's a good idea to
follow at least the most important steps of publishing a book: editing,
proofreading - to make sure you deliver a quality read. If you're not
interested in this, then it's best to set up a blog where you can publish the
material and provide access for a fee.
When preparing a text document for export, take care of its
layout from the start. The neater it is, the better it will look in the end.
So, try to eliminate the following common formatting errors for
most authors:
Do not enter more than four blank paragraphs consecutively
(paragraphs created with the Enter key).
These often result in a blank (electronic) book page.
Remove all tabs (spaces created at the beginning of the
paragraph or line using the TAB key). The line end spacing is created from
styles.
Inserting additional blank paragraphs between normal paragraphs
(line spacing with the Enter key) results in blank lines.
Do not use exotic fonts. And beware of using unlicensed fonts!
If you don't have a licence to use a font, you can go to one of the many
websites that sell font packs. To avoid problems, use an Open Source font. For
Romanian, use Liberation Fonts. It is the equivalent of Times New Roman, is
easy to read on the screen and has an extended Latin B Unicode
character map. Many common fonts (such as Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial,
etc.) are either not licensed or partially licensed for the digital format. You
can find more Open Source fonts at Openfontlibrary.org or theleagueofmoveabletype.com. Here you can find a
basic guide to using fonts.
Do not use a letter size that is too large. 11pt or 12pt is
best, 14pt is the maximum. For headings use 16 or 18 point size. Don't forget
that e-book readers can adjust the font size.
Remove indents (the space at the beginning of the paragraph)
made with the Space or Tab key (very common error). Use the styles your word
processor offers instead.
Text columns and tables are difficult formats for e-reading
devices to digest. They need to be made with proper coding or, at best, try
getting rid of them and find another way to highlight your information.
Do not use TextBoxes, they are not supported by many devices or
are displayed incorrectly.
Don't mix paragraph styles and don't use too many styles to
define paragraphs, your book will look like an indigestible jumble that will annoy
many readers. Plus, it results in an unprofessional look.
Do not insert footnotes. Put all footnotes at the end of the
chapter or book. Footnotes are not supported (in the classic form) by e-book
readers.
Do not center an image in the middle of the text, the conversion
will result in discretionary placement in the paragraph where the text is
placed.
Typing Romanian text - general rules -
When writing your book, take care of the following very
important points:
Insert diacritics. Many words change their meaning if they are
written without diacritics and can even change the meaning of the sentence or
phrase they are part of. The brain usually "guesses" the correct
meaning, but it is difficult to read text without diacritics. If possible,
select Romanian in your word processor when writing.
The comma is placed immediately after the word. Do not insert a
space before a comma, and in general DO NOT insert a space before punctuation:
some texts format when read and the "Justify" operation usually
spaces words apart. Thus, the comma or other punctuation mark remains singular
and prevents coherent reading.
Insert a space after the comma, as you would after any other
punctuation mark. Do not link it (them) to the next word for the same reasons
as above.
Insert space after the dialog line.
Do not write in abbreviated form. Abbreviations can make a text difficult to understand.
Do not write the manuscript in CAPITAL LETTERS: the manuscript should not be written in capital letters because it will prevent the text from being read.
Do not use underlined text. Where possible, replace underlined
text with italics.
How to promote your book
It's
common knowledge, the more you promote your book, the better your chances of
selling more copies. You can choose to have your book featured on various blogs
or to have an unbiased review by a specialist reader, you can make printed
materials: advertising flyers, order postcards, bookmarks, posters, promote
your book in Galaxia Gutenberg Bookshops through posters or banners or you can
choose to promote your book on Facebook, Instagram,Twitter, Pinterest,
Linkedin, Youtube, on a website or blog. An effective method are reviews by
bloggers specialising in book presentation, then book fairs, launches and
competitions promoted by you or the publisher you have the book out.