Submissions
Z to A Press is an independent publishing house that exists to get you over the last hurdle from a completed manuscript to a real world book in your hands, your screen, or your ear buds.
By using our services, you are self-publishing your work, either under our umbrella (Z to A Press will appear on your book/audio book and will be cited as your publisher) or under your own company name.
We only charge for our time in getting your work published. The book, it’s rights and royalties, remain yours.
As such, if you are ready to move your book into production, please submit your query/cover letter, outline/synopsis, and a partial or full manuscript to contact@ztoapress.com with the heading reading Submission and we will provide you with a custom quote for your book.
Please note, we do not provide editorial or marketing services. We just get you published. The rest is up to you.
1. Query/Cover letters should include:
Information about your manuscript, including the title, genre, intended audience, total word count, and a compelling 2–3 sentence blurb describing your manuscript.
A brief explanation about why this book is different from others in its genre.
Your contact information and background in relation to your book.
Your current or future marketing plans.
2. Outlines/Synopses (optional) should:
Be brief (less than 2 pages in length) and concise.
Give us an overview of what your manuscript is about and where it’s going.
For nonfiction, a table of contents is acceptable.
For fiction, an overall plot summary or chapter-by-chapter outline is adequate.
3. Manuscripts should be formatted as follows:
Double-spaced, 12 pt. font with one-inch margins.
Indented first lines without extra returns between paragraphs.
Typed and saved in a single Word document or PDF file for upload.
Numbered in sequence, not by chapter, for each page of the entire manuscript. Include your last name in the upper left-hand corner of each page, followed by a short identifying word or phrase from the title of the book and the page number. For example: Smith/Novel/123.
Spellchecked and proofread before submission. Your submission should represent your best work, not a first draft.
For nonfiction books, include complete documentation with full publishing information for all sources quotes, such as a bibliography.
For children’s picture books, submit all the text in a double-spaced format or in a single-spaced format with double spaces between paragraphs. We are happy to see original illustrations, but it is not necessary to have completed illustrations prior to submission. If your manuscript is accepted for publication and you will not be providing illustrations, we will hire an illustrator for your book. Sample sketches or word descriptions are acceptable.
4. General guidelines:
Do not submit manuscripts by mail or in person. Manuscripts submitted through these networks will not be reviewed and will be returned or destroyed.
Do not submit manuscripts written in languages other than English.
If you are under 18 years of age, parental approval is not necessary to submit a manuscript; however, if a manuscript is accepted for publication, parental/guardian consent will be required before the project can move forward.
If you have questions about the status of your manuscript, or wish to withdraw your manuscript, please let us know at contact@ztoapress.com. Before contacting us, please know that the number of manuscripts submitted, as well as pressing deadlines on books already in production, often result in delays.
Copyright Permissions & Protection
It is your responsibility to clear the use of all text and quotations under copyright, including lengthy prose quotations (more than a few lines) and all lyrics and poems. Please note the following requirements:
1. Include complete publishing information for the sources of any quotations (the author and title of the work, the place of publication, the name of the publisher, the publication date, and the page(s) of the quotation). If you wish, you may cite just the author, title, and page numbers in the text and provide the full citation, including the publishing information, in a bibliography.
2. For scriptures, include book, chapter, and verse.
3. Keep a copy of the original sources, such as photocopies of the title page and copyright page of any books from which you are quoting. We will require this information if your manuscript is accepted for publication.
4. Do not use poetry or words from songs written by established national writers. It can be difficult to find copyright holders to secure permissions, and heavy fees are usually charged.
5. Limit your use of quotes. Quotes must support your ideas and cannot become the main point of a paragraph, section, or complete text.
6. Acquire permissions from sources or people comprised in stories, including those who have had their names changed. If a person can identify themselves or their experience in your work, then you probably need their permission to use their story.
7. Review the FAQ of the Copyright Office at the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/copyright/) for specific copyright questions.
Remember, this is your work, and therefore your responsibility. Z to A Press assumes no legal liabilities for any laws you broke along the way of your creation.