If you’ve written a nonfiction book that is a compilation of poetry, please use the following guidelines to apply the final formatting touches to your book. Please read each guideline carefully to be sure your book complies.

Table of Contents: A table of contents is necessary. Each poem should be considered a separate “chapter,” and the chapter titles should be the same as the titles of the poems. *Chapters should not be numbered. Please do not include page numbers (since these will change) or Xs to hold the place of future page numbers. This will be taken care of at a later stage in production.

*Please refer to the “Begin here” page for how to format chapter titles.

Incorrect:

Table of Contents

Dancing River……………………………………..…XX

Drowning…………………………………………….XX

The Rest of My Life………………………………….XX

Death Defied………………………………….……..XX

Triumphant Wind……………………………………XX

Earth Whispers……………………..………………..XX

Wondrous Wonders………….……………………..XX

Correct:

Table of Contents

Dancing River

Drowning

The Rest of My Life

Death Defied

Triumphant Wind

Earth Whispers

Wondrous Wonders

Stanzas: If your poems have multiple stanzas and you would like there to be a space between stanzas, please add, five X’s on the line where you want the space. For example:

Stanza 1

XXXXX

Stanza 2

XXXXX

Stanza 3

XXXXX

Stanza 4

Lines: Lines of poetry may be cut differently due to layout page sizes and may appear differently in a book than what you originally have in your Word document. It’s best if lines are not too long.

BACKMATTER

The term backmatter refers to the text that will appear on the back cover of your book. This always includes a short teaser about the book and an author bio about yourself. Sometimes this can include endorsements, but endorsements are never necessary. Please be aware that because of limited space available on the back cover, backmatter must adhere to specific word count limits depending on the length of the manuscript. Typically, these are what those limits are:

Manuscript length: 0–20,000 words → Backmatter length: 200-250 words

Manuscript length: 20,001–80,000 words → Backmatter length: 225–275 words

Manuscript length: 80,001–up → Backmatter length: 300–325 words

Teaser: Your teaser should be a short paragraph that immediately hooks the reader by providing a small amount of information about what can be found in the book. A teaser should include the name of the book at least once and may or may not include the author’s name. In the editing phase of production, your editor will work with you, using the teaser you provide, to revise and refine it. Your editor may only use elements of the teaser you submit to make the back cover as marketable and intriguing as possible while adhering to the word count limit.

Sample Teaser:

Poetry is an art form that can open our senses to see and experience, from a new perspective, what we would not usually perceive in the course of ordinary life. In My Dancing Heart, Christy Cumbie communicates with fervor the joy and peace that come from praising God, no matter what situations life may bring. She inspires healing and comprehension through verses and biblical references that make this collection of poems applicable to everyday life.

Author Bio: Your author bio should be a short paragraph that provides information about yourself as the author. This can include but is not limited to: work experience, field experience that pertains to the subject matter of the book, education experience and achievements, current place of residence, and family information. Your editor may also work with you to revise the author bio to make it relevant and interesting and, again, adhere to the backmatter word count limits.

Sample Bio:

Kylla Hanson studied Latin American politics in college before moving to El Salvador to do mission work from 1996 to1998. Her time with the people of El Salvador continues to inspire and motivate her in the classroom and at home. She currently lives in the Midwest with her family.

ENDORSEMENTS

Endorsements are never necessary, but if you have one or two to include, please click the Endorsements link and follow the guidelines provided there. If your endorsement(s) cannot meet the criteria set forth in the guidelines, please revise it or omit it.

Congratulations! You’ve finished the last formatting step! Please proceed by clicking the Submit Your Manuscript link at the top of the page.