Welcome to the Wiley Authoring Team! Please be sure to read all the material that your Acquisitions Editor (AE) or Development Editor (DE) has sent you—most importantly the Figure Submittal Standards (FSS) and the series-specific guidelines. In the meantime, here is a handy "cheat sheet" of some of the most frequently asked questions.
What is all this talk about a "template" and how do I use it?
What do I do if I don't think I can hit a deadline?
How do I create and submit figures for my book?
Can I put tabs in code? How do I handle really long code lines?
What needs permission, and how do I get it?
What do I need to do if I want to put something on the companion CD or Website for my book?
Will I ever see my chapters again? If so, when?
How long will I have to execute author review?
How much material can I use from other sources, and how should I cite them?
If I have a question about my contract, whom do I talk to? If I have a question about writing problems, whom do I talk to?
The short answer here is to talk to your Acquisitions Editor about payments or contract issues and to your Development Editor about specific writing problems. After you have completed the first round of author review, you will speak with a Production Editor regarding any copyedit issues.
What is all this talk about a "template" and how do I use it?
Your editor will provide you with a Microsoft Word template (a .dot file) that uses specific styles to ensure consistency across books within the same series and to aid in the automated layout process. Using the correct template and applying styles correctly is crucial. Please read Working With Wiley Templates thoroughly before you start writing your next chapter. That document is a very good starting point.
How do I get paid?
It is your responsibility to submit an invoice or e-mail reminder to your editor when you have completed a payment milestone. The editor will then ensure the appropriate signatures are obtained and payment will be processed. It can take up to 30 days for the check to reach you, so it's a good idea to be conscious of your milestones.
What do I do if I don't think I can hit a deadline?
During the contract phase of this process, you agreed to a chapter-by-chapter delivery schedule. At the first sign of schedule changes, contact your editor(s). The first thing you should do is to determine how missing this one deadline impacts the overall schedule. The sooner we know the schedule is in jeopardy, the sooner we can make resource arrangements to help hold the current schedule.
How do I create and submit figures for my book?
Figures are the most time-consuming problem to have to troubleshoot in the production stage of your book.
Please read Working with Figures as a starting point. Then, it's crucial that you follow the Figure Submittal Standards document instructions closely. To submit your figures correctly, do the following:
- Set your screen and color settings to the scheme indicated in the Figure Submittal Standards.
- Shoot all the figures in the book at the same resolution (usually 1024x768 or 800x600). This is an important item to discuss particularly if you are on a multi-author project.
- Name your figure files correctly. (See Naming Conventions for more information.)
- Submit all your screen shots and other art at the same time you submit the chapter referencing that art.
- Make sure that you have indicated accurately in the text where all the figures go and that you have submitted all the art for that chapter.
If you have additional questions, please contact your editor.
How should I name my files?
Use the last six digits of your book's ISBN followed by a space, an element indicator (ch to indicate a chapter, fg to indicate a figure, and app to indicate an appendix), and a sequential indicator. See Naming Conventions for more information.
- Here are some examples, assuming your book's ISBN is 0764512345:
- The seventh figure in Chapter 3 is called Figure 3-7.
- The filename for that figure is 512345 fg0307.tif.
- The third chapter in the book is named 512345 ch03.doc.
Can I put tabs in code? How do I handle really long code lines?
No. Please do not put tabs (or indents) in code. Code must be formatted very particularly, using only spaces. Please See Writing Code for more information for instructions on formatting and handling long lines of code.
What needs permission, and how do I get it?
Per the author contract, it is your job to secure any necessary permission for third-party references and material. We will provide you with the appropriate forms that need to be signed. (Wiley has permissions editors who are in charge of securing permissions for any software you might wish to include on companion CDs or websites.) Your editor will ask you to send him or her all the signed permission forms once you have gathered them. Please see the document Permissions FAQ and Cheat Sheet for detailed instructions on what needs permission,
where to find the forms, and how to go about getting them. Even if you have written for us before, copyright laws change frequently, so be sure to check.
What do I need to do if I want to put something on the companion CD or Website for my book?
First, you must fill out the Author Media Request List at the prompting of your Development Editor.
Next, you should read Working with Media Content for instructions on handling that material. Finally,
you must prepare the "What's on the CD-ROM" or "What's on the Companion Web Site" appendix for submission, if there is one.
Will I ever see my chapters again? If so, when?
You will see the chapters at least one more time to view the edits made and to answer the queries and suggestions of the various editors.
Usually, this occurs right around the time you turn in your final original manuscript submission. Three key things to keep in mind:
a) answer each and every query; b) use revision marks; c) stick to the deadline.
You will also see your chapters again for a check of copyedit later in the process,
via a Production Editor. See the document Author Review for detailed instructions on AR.
How long will I have to execute author review?
Your Development Editor will give you a specific deadline by which to return the chapters. In order to maintain the schedule for your book, it's important that you address AR in a timely fashion. In general, AR for an entire book takes place over a couple of weeks. How much time you actually have per chapter depends on how many chapters there are total, how much editing was necessary, and how much deviation there was from the original submission schedule. The usual timeframe is between 24 to 48 hours per chapter, and you will most likely be given chapters in batches. The same details apply to the check of
copyedit. Refer to Author Review if you have questions.
How much material can I use from other sources, and how should I cite them?
Keep in mind that you are contracted for original work. You must always cite your sources,
even when paraphrasing. Your editor will help you determine the best method of citation,
whether it is a formal bibliography, footnotes, or in-text reference by author name, title,
publisher, and date. Please be sure to read Plagiarism
before you begin writing. Note that even if what you are quoting from is freely available online,
that does not mean that we have the right to publish it without permission or citation.
Is there just a simple checklist somewhere that I can use to ensure my chapters will be ready to roll when I turn them in?
Yes. Along with your contract, you should have received a Chapter Submission Checklist. You can
also find this online in the author guidelines. This is a one-stop location for all the requirements of a submitted chapter.
Please remember to consult it before you turn in any chapter.
