File submission requirements

What are the manuscript requirements?

As of January 13, 2025, the manuscript submission requirements are as follows:

  • All manuscripts must be in Word (.docx)

    • Generally, almost every major text editor program can export your manuscript in Word. Please consult your program’s help documentation on how to do so.

  • All text formatting (e.g., bold, italics, underlining, text alignment) must be applied before submission.

    • For example, if you want a specific word bolded and center-aligned, make sure to do so in your manuscript. We won't know to do that if you don't make it so in the manuscript.

  • Only text is allowed; no embedded images, tables, etc.

  • Scene breaks must be indicated with "***" (center aligned) and nothing else.

  • No "Act" pages are allowed due to unfortunate software limitations. (We're working on that!) Do not include an “Act 1” page or similar.

  • Chapter breaks should be clearly indicated using a consistent marker like "Chapter 1", followed by a hard return.

    • Got custom chapter titles? Those are welcome! Custom chapter titles must follow this format:

    • Chapter 1: The Strange Man's Arrival

If you have any of the following, please put them on separate pages arranged as below. Clearly label them, followed by a hard return before the page text.

  1. Blurbs

  2. Dedication

  3. Epigraph

  4. Foreword

  5. Introduction

  6. Preface

  7. Prologue

  8. Novel (you’ve already got this!)

  9. Epilogue

  10. Afterword

  11. Acknowledgments

  12. About the Author

  13. Also By

Do not include the following as part of your manuscript:

  1. Title page

  2. Author name

  3. Table of Contents

  4. Images

  5. Tables

What are the cover image requirements?

As of January 13, 2025, the manuscript submission requirements are as follows:

All images provided must be high resolution in either JPEG (JPG), PNG, or TIFF formats.

  • Resolution: 1,600 pixels in width x 2,560 pixels in height.

This is the standard size recommended by Amazon and other printers to ensure a high quality cover for your ePub files.

Customers are responsible for ensuring their images meet these resolution and dimension requirements. Please communicate with your cover designer accordingly.

Are your dimensions slightly off? It should still look great! Unfortunately, Deep Tide Books can't guarantee that it will, though.

Remember: you will not get a cover image provided by Deep Tide Books. If you don't submit one, you won't get one on your eBook files. Don't worry, they'll still look great even without one!

Additional reminder: the PDF file will not come with a cover image of any kind. You'll need to upload the cover separately on your print provider, like Amazon or IngramSpark.

What if my cover image doesn't meet the requirements?

The customer is responsible for providing high-resolution images. If your image doesn't meet the requirements, the quality of the final product may be affected.