Author's Guide

This guide has been assembled to help you through the process of preparing your manuscript for publication. What we'll be covering here are the most common issues that arise for authors and editors. If, after reading this, you find yourself with questions about what you've seen (or about things we've left out) contact your editor or editorial assistant. They will be able to give you advice suited to the particulars of your project.

A few important things to keep in mind early on . . .

  • If you will be reproducing copyrighted material in your book, you will need to turn in the necessary permissions at the same time that you turn in your completed manuscript. Getting permissions can take months, and delays with permissions can mean delays for your book, so start the process EARLY (after discussing it with your editor).

  • If your book contains material from interviews you've conducted, you will need your interviewees to sign an Interview Release Form. Getting them to sign the form at the time of the interview will save you from having to go back later.

  • The University of Michigan Press uses The Chicago Manual of Style (latest edition, www.chicagomanualofstyle.org) and Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (latest edition, www.merriam-webster.com) for style, capitalization, spelling, and hyphenation guides. If you'd like to follow a different disciplinary style manual, please let us know.

  • We ask that you make every effort to use bias-free and gender-neutral language.

Author's Guide