1. Why should I publish with SandStarr Publications?
2. What are some of the most common factors that cause you to reject a submission? 3. Will I receive my submission materials back if you decide not to publish them? 4. How long before I receive my proof copy? 5. If I want to purchase copies of my own book, do I receive a discount? 6. If I publish with you, can I also publish with another company? 7. I'm trying to set up the page numbers for my book, but I'm having problems with it. Can you help me? 8. Does the artist referral service provide me with artists who will do my artwork for free? 9. I'm not eighteen years old yet. Does this mean I can't publish the book I've written? 10. I'm not an author, but I'm still interested in the marketing and/or website design services that you offer. Can I still take advantage of those? 11. I'm not sure which publisher I'm going with yet, but I'm interested in the copyediting services. 12. I want to write a book, but I don't know where to start.
If you don't see your question in this list, fill out the form on the Contact Page so a customer service representative can assist you.
1. Why should I publish with SandStarr Publications?
In addition to the benefits that are included in the Standard Publishing Package, you will have a network of writers and avid readers cheering you on. We want you to become a success. We want to promote your work. There are many publishing companies who publish your work and consider their work done, but it is our belief that our work will never be done when it comes to promoting you as an author. We want you to grow and evolve into the talented, well-known author we know that you can be. And our experiences have led us to believe that it is easier for an author to live up to his or her potential when he or she has a dedicated team ready and able to help. We are that team.
2. What are some of the most common factors that cause you to reject a submission?
A submission will be rejected if there are an extreme amount of typos, spelling errors, and grammatical errors throughout the work. We don't expect our authors to be perfect; nearly all of the most popular authors that you know and love have a hard-working editor backing them up and cleaning up their work. Authors often think that they can edit their own work and in some cases, this is true. Most authors, however, can benefit from having a trusted, qualified editor working with them to mold their work into a masterpiece.
Other instances that would cause us to be unable to proceed with the publishing of your work: * The submission package didn't include all of the materials needed (the contract was missing or unsigned, the author's biography or summary was missing, each chapter of the book was a separate file, etc.). If you have any questions regarding submission requirements, please refer to the
Submission Requirements section of our website. * The cover file included with the work was one of Boris Vallejo's most popular pieces of art. This isn't meant for you to look up some of Mr. Vallejo's lesser known art. Be sure that you either hold the rights to the artwork or hold the permission to use it. We are not telling you this for our benefit. If you submit artwork that isn't yours and your book DOES skyrocket to the bestseller lists, the artist (and his or her lawyers) will be coming after you, since you are the copyright holder of your book. * The work that you sent us was typed up in a program that we've never heard of (some of the most commonly used word processing programs are Microsoft Word and WordPad). We do accept submissions that were typed on PCs and Macintosh computers, so Mac users never fear. * The work that you sent us was less than 50,000 words in length. Be sure to use the Word Count feature in your word processing program, so you know how many words are in the document you send us. Granted, if the document you send us is 49,997 words in length, this reason alone would not cause us to reject the submission. But if you send us a document that is hundreds or thousands of words less than the requirement, we will notify you that prior to publishing, the work would need to meet our word count requirement of 50,000 words or more. * Payment was missing from the package. This has happened before; we simply notify you either by e-mail or snail mail to let you know that payment was missing from the package, and (if your submission is in acceptable condition), we will proceed with preparing your proof copy once payment is received.
3. Will I receive my submission materials back if you decide not to publish them?
No. If a submission is rejected, it will not be returned to you. This is an industry standard. Because of the amount of submissions we receive, it would take a small department to handle sending back all of the work that we get in each day. Even if the submission isn't accepted, we still take great precautions in protecting your work. We know that what you send us is often your life's work and has most likely taken a great deal of time for you to create. We would not dare treat your submissions carelessly.
4. How long before I receive my proof copy?
This will depend on the quality of work you send us. If the work is completely free of errors and ready for our book layout department, you will see a proof copy in as soon as 4-6 weeks from the date we receive the material.
5. If I want to purchase copies of my own book, do I receive a discount?
Authors shouldn't have to pay full price for their own books. All of our authors are given an author discount when purchasing their books. Details are given in the Book Pricing & Sizes section of our website.
6. If I publish with you, can I also publish with another company?
The contract we provide is a non-exclusive contract. That means that you can be published with us and with another publishing company at the same time (you would need a new ISBN and barcode, however). An author can also terminate his or her contract at any time.
7. I'm trying to set up the page numbers for my book, but I'm having problems with it. Can you help me?
We can more than help you. We can set up the page numbers for you. You don't have to worry about the formatting of the book. We will take care of the book layout and book cover for you. So you can relax. Just make sure the book file is one document file. It should also be typed in a font that is easy to read. A lot of writers attempt to take creative licenses with fonts, but if you want a professional look to your book, the fonts we recommend are: Times New Roman, Arial, and Book Antiqua (or a font that is similar to one of these). Chapter and title headings can be in any font you desire; just make sure to save the font file and include it on the CD or flash drive you send to us.
8. Does the artist referral service provide me with artists who will do my artwork for free?
Your one-time setup charge includes a basic, professional-looking cover. If you want artwork that is more detailed, you can provide your own artwork or we can get you in touch with an artist who charges fair prices. Be advised that the artist referral service is just that: a referral service. Once you are in touch with the artist, any price negotiations are between you and the artist. If you are to supply us with artwork, make sure that the image is 300 DPI.
9. I'm not eighteen years old yet. Does this mean I can't publish the book I've written?
To sign a contract with us, you do need to be eighteen years old or older. In some cases, a parent or legal guardian can sign for you. Contact us with questions regarding this matter, so we can further assist you.
10. I'm not an author, but I'm still interested in the marketing and/or website design services that you offer. Can I still take advantage of those?
You don't have to be one of our authors to take advantage of the website design services or marketing products that we offer. Contact us to let us know what you need.
11. I'm not sure which publisher I'm going with yet, but I'm interested in the copyediting services.
You don't have to sign a contract with us in order to benefit from our copyediting services. You can send either a hard copy of your work to us or a computer document file. We recommend that you send us a computer document file; if you send us a hard copy file, you'd most likely have to alter your book's master file on your computer so that it reflects the changes we've made. If you send us a computer document file, we can mail a copy of your edited work to you.
12. I want to write a book, but I don't know where to start.
We love reading. We love books. More than anything, we'd love to help you complete your writing project. The biggest piece of advice we can give you is: write. Even though you have a busy schedule to maintain each day, set aside some time for your writing project. Start out with half an hour or an hour each day. Write on your lunch break at work if you have to. It is a heartbreaking feeling to see someone else release a piece of work that strongly resembles the piece of work you've been trying to put to paper for the past 5-10 years. Don't let it happen to you. Sit down, write your story, and make sure that your story is heard. More writer's tips are available in the Writer's Tips section of our website.
