Jacob's Publishing, Ltd Writer's Guidelines

WRITER'S GUIDELINES

*PHILOSOPHY*

Jacobs Publishing is the world's leading pioneer in electronic publishing. Our new line of paperback-priced electronic novels is an industry first, and we expect to match the traditional publishing industry dollar-for-dollar within three years.

Our philosophy is that authors are the backbone of publishing. As such, we constantly strive to attract both new and established authors to our electronic line by offering the highest royalty rates anywhere. We have vowed to exceed the royalties offered by any hardcopy publishing house because we want your patronage. A publishing house is only as good as the authors it signs, and we will do everything we can to assure that quality authors get the best deal with Jacobs Publishing.

*QUERIES*

We prefer authors who have not worked with us before to submit a query letter first. (NOTE: If you have an Internet account, you can send your query letter to: query@epub.com.) This allows us to promptly determine whether your proposal fits within our current editorial needs. Query letters are always answered much more quickly than blind manuscript submissions (pronounced "slush pile material"). If a query is accompanied by an Internet address, you will often receive a reply in a matter of days, although we ask that you allow the full four weeks before following up.

Queries should contain:

1. A brief summary of the book (no more than several paragraphs).

2. If your manuscript is non-fiction, detail your expertise with the subject matter.

3. An outline or synopsis of the complete manuscript. A chapter by chapter precis is the style most often employed for this purpose.

4. One sample chapter.

5. Prior publishing credits, if any.

6. A self-addressed, stamped envelope. Having an Internet address can save you postage by obviating the need for a SASE.

Please allow up to four weeks for your query to be reviewed by the appropriate editor.

*REVIEW PACKAGE*

If your query fits our current editorial needs, you will receive a letter asking for the a "review package." This package should contain:

1. A brief summary of the book (no more than several paragraphs).

2. An outline or synopsis of the completed manuscript.

3. One double-spaced, hardcopy printout of the completed manuscript.

4. A self-addressed, stamped envelope. (NOTE: Again, having an Internet address can save you postage by obviating the need for a SASE.)

This manuscript will be intensively reviewed by our editorial department in order to determine its fitness for publication.

*THE MANUSCRIPT*

Once your manuscript is accepted, you will receive a copy of our standard contract by mail. As soon as contract negotiations are completed, the editing process can begin. This can be a very lengthy process; you and the editor assigned to your project will work together, polishing your manuscript and preparing it for final publication.

Congratulations! If you have reached this stage, it is only a matter of time until your book is distributed around the world, and you can add another publication credit to your query letters.


JACOBS PUBLISHING, LTD--13929 Castle Blvd. #24, Silver Spring MD 20904-4995. Internet: info@epub.com. Phone: (301) 890-8516. BBS/Fax: (301) 890-0686. Publisher: Todd A. Jacobs. Submissions Editor: Tamara S. Jacobs.

Publishes electronic originals and reprints. Pays 5-20% royalty on retail price. Publishes book an average of 2-4 months after manuscript is accepted. Simultaneous submissions OK. Reports in one month on queries; 3 months on mss.

NON-FICTION: Coffee table book, cookbook, how-to, humor, illustrated book, children's/juvenile, self-help, technical, textbook. Subjects include: animals, anthropology, archaeology, artwork, business, computers, cooking, economics, electronics, government, , money/finance, politics, psychology, recreation, science, technical. "Fact- filled doesn't mean dull. Entertain as well as enlighten." Query with outline and sample chapter. Reviews artwork/photos as part of freelance ms package. Writers should send photocopies.

FICTION: Adventure, erotica, entertainment, experimental, fantasy, horror, humor, juvenile, mystery, picture books, plays, romance, science fiction, short story collections, suspense, young adult. Query with synopsis and 1 sample chapter.

POETRY: Query or submit complete mss.

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS: Send queries to query@epub.com or submit outline/synopsis with sample chapter to mss@epub.com. Electronic submissions should be single-spaced plain vanilla ASCII with double spaces between paragraphs; query before using any other format. Underlining and italics are not supported; please use _underlining_ and *italics* respectively.

TIPS: Use spell-checking and grammar-checking programs; mss which have obviously not been proof-read will be rejected without comment.


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