Welcome to Sedco Publishing Ltd dedicated area for authors. These sections have everything you need to know about submitting a proposal, copyright and contracts to the final submission of your manuscript. We are always looking for exciting new projects to work on and new authors to work with. So, if you have a new book to publish, or even a great idea to explore, why not contact us. This section provides you with the information you need to help you become one of our authors. Its aim is to explain our publishing processes and to look at the role of the author in turning an idea or a manuscript into the best material for use in the classroom. It also highlights the ways in which we strive to develop and produce the best educational materials for our schools.

Sedco Publishing Ltd has been a key name in Ghanaian schools, and we continue to be committed to major investment in new materials. We work hard to make our materials the best possible fit to curriculum needs with the best possible design values, and to deliver them to schools at the time when they will be needed most.

 

Publishing Process

The publishing process involves three main stages:

1. Manuscript Approval
2. Manuscript Development
3. Production

Manuscript Approval

The publisher responsible for your project will conduct research to identify market needs, come up with a concept and discuss sales potential and marketing needs with the sales and marketing departments As the author or series editor you may be involved in discussion with the publisher at this stage. You may also be asked to write sample material. The publisher presents the project to the New Publications Committee (NPC) for financial approval. The publisher will then confirm the concept, features and dimensions of the project.

 

Manuscript Development

Following the concept agreed at the NPC, you will work with the publisher and  to plan the shape and coverage of the book. The manuscript will need to be written to as complete and high a standard as is possible Draft material is sent to teachers and advisors for comments. The publisher will provide the autho with feedback. As a result of feedback received, it will often be necessary for you to re-write material fairly substantially.

Production

The manuscript is copy edited for style and consistency. The artwork brief is prepared by the editor, checked by the author and passed to design. You will need to check that the material fits and works well on each page. Solutions to any overmatter problems will need to be discussed with the editor and designer. You will need to proofread at this stage, give final approval of the material and approve any changes to layouts. You will also have a chance to comment on artwork. Remember that it is progressively more expensive to make corrections.

 

Manuscript Delivery

You should agree with your publisher on the best format that your manuscript must be presented and on what needs to be included. Your manuscript should always be complete and all relevant items should be provided. These include:

 

• the main text
• introductory material such as introduction, contents, preface or foreword
• end matter such as a glossary, answers, index or vocabulary list
• artwork and photo briefs
• details of any material requiring copyright clearance

You should also bear these general points in mind:

• Timing
• File Types
• Formatting
• Reference Material
• Artwork Brief
• Artwork Types
• National Curriculum
• Writing to Length
• Identifying your Manuscript
• Permissions
• Amending your Manuscript

 

Timing

It is essential that you keep to the dates agrees with your publisher for the submission of draft and final manuscript. At draft stage, there will be reviewers waiting to receive your manuscript, often working to tight deadlines. If you are late delivering a manuscript, you will eat into the time others have to consider and comment. At final manuscript stage, the editor will have booked busy freelance copyeditors and proofreaders in advance who will be well-suited to the particular job. Late delivery may well mean a copyeditor will not be able to do the job, the schedule will be affected and the materials will be published late. This will almost certainly affect sales as products are scheduled to arrive in the market when they are most needed

 

File Types

Check with your publisher or editor that the file format you plan to use is compatible with our editors' and designers' computers. WORD files are generally acceptable.  It's a good idea to check that your files will be readable. Always provide a hard copy of your manuscript as well as a digital version unless your editor says this is unnecessary.

 

Formatting

• Keep the formatting of your manuscript pages simple. Charts, boxes, illustrations and diagrams will normally have to be stripped out before the      material goes to the designer. If you need to include diagrams or charts, it's a good idea to attach them separately.
• It is acceptable to include tables in your sample pages as it is very helpful to the designer to indicate what your intention is.
• Range all text to the left.
• Use only ONE character space at the end of a sentence.
• Don't indent paragraphs using a space. If you need to indent use TAB.
• Please make sure that all automatic features, such as automatic numbering, are turned off. The numbers can be read as different characters when the file is read into another package.
• Please use upper and lower case for headings. Never use all caps. If you want to make a heading stand out, use bold. DO NOT underline.
• Number each section and chapter clearly.

Reference Material

Make sure that you provide copies of any reference material you have used along with the hard copy of your manuscript. This might include texts and extracts, charts, diagrams and any helpful information about the page layout or the way to go through the material.

 

Artwork Brief

You will need to provide a brief for artwork as a part of your manuscript. This might include suggestions for illustrations, photos or realia, and also an indication of where diagrams should be inserted. Use italics to pick out your artwork suggestions and number each piece of artwork in sequence. Captions should be clearly shown.You will also need to list all artwork separately on an artwork brief. The editor or publisher will tell you roughly how many pieces of artwork have been budgeted into your project. Try not to get overambitious with your artwork requests; lots of tiny cramped pictures are not easy to teach with and not especially nice to look at either!

 

Artwork Types

Photos

To request a photo, give a simple, clear description of what is required. Do not include unnecessary detail as this makes photos hard to source. Provide references or the source of any photos you request along with the artwork brief.

 

Illustration

Keep the artwork briefs for illustrators simple and clear. Avoid unnecessary detail as this will distract from the main focus of the picture and add to the expense. If you need a technical or very specific illustration, include a sketch or a reference and label it with the number on the artwork brief.

 

National Curriculum

If it is relevant, make sure your identify the objectives or the part(s) of the national curriculum which you are targeting throughout your manuscript.

 

Writing to length

It's a good idea to ask your editor or publisher how many characters or words you should be writing per page, and make sure you know how many pages you have at your disposal. Most authors overwrite and this can mean having to make heavy and unwelcome cuts to the material.

Permissions

If you want to include in your manuscript work that has previously been published or an adaptation of previously published material, we will need to 'clear copyright' i.e. obtain permission from the original copyright owner to reproduce that material. Examples of that material affected would be:

 

• Texts or extracts from texts such as poems, stories, newspapers or scientific studies,
• Examination questions,
• Brand names and corporate logos,
• mages or works of art,
• Material that comes from the internet.

 

Under current legislation, material is subject to copyright until 50 years after the death of the author or artist. We will apply for permission to reproduce copyright material and if permission is granted, we will normally be charged. Sometimes permission will be denied and it will be necessary to re-write a section of text. You will need to provide a photocopy of the material in its original location; give us the page and line references for the beginning and end of an extract; and provide the name and address of the publisher or the address of the website. If the material is not in its original published form, you will need to check the acknowledgements page to find out the details of the original copyright holder. This information also applies for illustrative permissions.

 

Amending your manuscript

• Once you have submitted your final manuscript, and it has been approved by the publisher, you are likely to be asked to make some amendments or cuts. Do not at this stage re-submit the whole manuscript with these changes as this will create confusion for the editor, who will have already started work on the final manuscript you submitted. Send any changes on a new document direct to the editor with details of where they should be inserted or the changes made.
• Manuscript delivery checklist
• Please refer to this checklist when finalising your manuscript to send to us.
• The manuscript should be supplied on disk (MS Word is preferred).
• Two hard copies of the manuscript should be supplied with the disk.
• Ensure the disk and hard copy match exactly.
• The hard copy should be double-spaced and on one side only of A4 paper
• Number the sheets consecutively throughout the manuscript, not chapter by chapter.
• Illustrations and figures should be included at the appropriate location within the manuscript but, if they are available electronically, they should be also supplied on a separate disk. When supplied on disk they should be greyscale, not colour.
• Permissions should have been obtained for any copyright material to be included in the text (click Copyright for advice on copyright and permissions).

When you deliver your manuscript, please also supply:

• details of the system on which the manuscript has been prepared and word-processing software (package and version).
• a list of the chapters and corresponding filenames on the disk
• the total word count and total number of illustrations and tables included
• contact details where we can reach you regarding editorial queries or promotional opportunities over the coming months.
• how you would like your name and title to appear on the title page.
• an author biography describing yourself, your qualifications, your work (academic and professional) and your experience. We are keen to use photographs of authors in the books where studio-quality photos are available.
• a brief executive summary emphasising the key elements of the book and main selling points. This will help our marketing executives put together winning promotional copy which is appropriate to the book's contents and target market.
• endorsements (or contact details for suggested endorsers and reviewers) which can be used on either the jacket or opening pages of the book. These endorsements can significantly boost the sales of a book.
• a list of case studies employed (companies and countries etc.). Where possible, a contact name and number for each organisation featuring as a case study.
• if your book has potential for use on business or finance courses, please give us details of appropriate courses (and relevant business schools where possible).
• hard copies of all permissions authorisations.

Contracts

A contract can be drawn up only after a proposed project has been approved by the New Publications Committee. The publisher proposes the project and it is discussed in the context of the company's wider publishing plans, its financial viability and allocation of resources. The publisher must have the backing of the company's marketing, sales and production staff before the investment required for the project can be approved. The contract will be between Longman Nigeria PLC and the author and acts as the final seal of approval for the proposal. It marks a commitment between the author and Longman Nigeria PLC to publish the project in accordance with the specification, brief and budget approved by the

 

Committee

The contract is a legal statement of the relationship between you, the author and Longman Nigeria PLC and sets out both the author's responsibility to the publishing house, and the publishing house's responsibility to the author.

• The contents of the contract relate to the following issues:
• Confirmation of copyright ownership.
• The agreed fee and/or royalty percentage.
• The date by which the author agrees to deliver the final manuscript and in what form (e.g. word file via email with hard copy, or hard disk with hard           copy for book products).
• The date in the year when royalties are paid and the sales period they relate to.
• Author entitlement on subsidiary rights. This would provide, for example, for the author's financial remuneration if the material is licensed to,                       translated or quoted by a third party.
• The number of complimentary copies to which the author is entitled.

Permissions fees. If an author needs to use copyright material, permission for inclusion of such material needs to be sought, and often a fee will be payable. Longman Nigeria will commit to expenditure for permissions up to an agreed sum on any project. Should an author request that permissions be sought above this sum, it is possible that he or she could be asked to contribute. This is, however, uncommon.

The author's responsibility to the material after final manuscript is completed, e.g. approving page layouts, proofreading and checking diagrams                and artwork.

The author's responsibility for supplying material for new editions.

 

Copyright

What is copyright and why do publishers ask for it to be assigned to them?

Copyright is literally the right to copy.

In writing your book you have created a copyright work and by law in order for us to publish the work you must grant us the rights to do so. It is our policy to acquire the entire copyright to your work throughout the world for the full term of copyright. We can then manage all aspects of the commercial exploitation of the work for you so that you do not need to spend time dealing with such things as the sale of the translation rights, permissions requests or instances of copyright infringement.

Author agreements

When a work has been commissioned it is time to do the paperwork. An agreement between ourselves as publishers and you as author needs to be raised. There are many reasons for doing this, but mainly we need to formalise the arrangements that have been agreed verbally (i.e. delivery dates and royalties) and to satisfy the law in acquiring the copyright to the work so that we may publish it on your behalf. Our authorship agreement  document that might look a little daunting at first sight but don't be alarmed. The agreement aims to cover all eventualities, hence its length. We aim to represent you, as your publisher, in a professional and efficient manner and start this process by entering into an agreement laying out all the terms and conditions relevant to the publication of your work. We are frequently asked by authors to explain various issues relating to the publication of their work, so we hope the following guide is useful. Warranty and indemnity: why do publishers need this? Our author contract, in common with those of most commercial publishers, contains a warranty and indemnity clause. The reason we require authors to sign up to such a clause is because we as publishers have no independent way of knowing whether or not a work is the author's own original work. The author is the only one who can give an absolute warranty, that his/her work does not violate or breach any existing copyright or contain defamatory or libellous material and that it is an original work. We, therefore, need to include a clause in the agreement to ensure that the author takes responsibility for the content of the work. An author who knows that he/she has gained the necessary permission to use third party material, or that his/her work is original and contains nothing defamatory or libellous has nothing to fear from the warranty and the accompanying indemnity.

 

Libel

By accepting the warranty and indemnity clause in the contract, you have guaranteed inter alia that nothing in your book is potentially defamatory or libellous. The only defence against a claim for libel is to prove that what has been said is true. To do this you must be able to provide several credible, reputable and independent sources to support your claim and you must be willing to appear in court and repeat the allegation under oath Specific danger areas include allegations relating to an individual's mental, sexual, criminal or financial history. Be clear about what is  fact and what is opinion. Please make your publisher aware of anything potentially libellous as early as possible, so that appropriate legal advice may be sought if necessary.

 

Seeking permission

You can obtain permission by contacting the publishers cited on the copyright page of the publication concerned. It is important that you contact the publisher and not the author because in many cases the publishers are also the rights holders; if they are not, they will redirect your request. It is recommended that you make your requests as early as possible because there may be a delay on the part of the publishing house dealing with your request. You must obtain a written reply to your request which you should then pass on to your editor, who will hold all the responses in the file for the work. As a word of warning, authors are entitled to payment for the use of their material so do not be surprised if there is a charge.

 

Manuscript Delivery

One of the most essential factors in the success of a quality publication is timeliness. We cannot overstate the importance of meeting the delivery date agreed with your publisher. Late delivery will limit the editorial time available to develop the quality and production of your work, and may force us to abandon promotional campaigns planned in advance. Our partners in the retail book trade do not look kindly on books that fail to appear at the agreed time, and late books invariably suffer in the selling process Student textbooks must be published by the end of December if they are to be adopted by lecturers for the following academic year. This gives lecturers time to evaluate the books and alter their teaching if necessary to accommodate the new book.

We have a primary duty towards the books delivered on time by the majority of our authors, and to the wider credibility of our list. In a situation where the ongoing slippage of one title begins to undermine the success of others, we will not hesitate in removing that title from our publishing programme. We will do all we can to help you meet your agreed completion date, and please let your publisher know as soon as possible if you are having trouble doing so. We would always prefer to hear of potential problems with delivery at the earliest possible stage, so that we can reschedule our editorial and promotional activities accordingly. We would also strongly recommend that you send in draft material to your publisher for comment before final completion of the manuscript. Set yourself some way-marking targets at regular intervals throughout the writing process - delivering some advance draft chapters in batches - in order to keep you on track. What gets measured gets done This will also help us to give you valuable advice which you can incorporate into your writing before completion, and is essential for any book for which we have ambitions in the US market. We hope that these suggestions are useful. Please feel free to contact us at any time to discuss the development of your book. We will be happy to help.

 

Manuscript delivery checklist

Please refer to this checklist when finalising your manuscript to send to us.

• The manuscript should be supplied on disk (MS Word is preferred)

• Two hard copies of the manuscript should be supplied with the disk

• Ensure the disk and hard copy match exactly.

• The hard copy should be double-spaced and on one side only of A4 paper.

• Number the sheets consecutively throughout the manuscript, not chapter by chapter.

• Illustrations and figures should be included at the appropriate location within the manuscript but, if they are available electronically, they should be also supplied on a separate disk. When supplied on disk they should be greyscale, not colour.

• Permissions should have been obtained for any copyright material to be included in the text (click Copyright for advice on copyright and permissions).

When you deliver your manuscript, please also supply

• details of the system on which the manuscript has been prepared and word-processing software (package and version).

• a list of the chapters and corresponding filenames on the disk.

• the total word count and total number of illustrations and tables included.

• contact details where we can reach you regarding editorial queries or promotional opportunities over the coming months

• how you would like your name and title to appear on the title page.

• an author biography describing yourself, your qualifications, your work (academic and professional) and your experience. We are keen to use photographs of authors in the books where studio-quality photos are available.

• a brief executive summary emphasising the key elements of the book and main selling points. This will help our marketing executives put together winning promotional copy which is appropriate to the book's contents and target market.

• endorsements (or contact details for suggested endorsers and reviewers) which can be used on either the jacket or opening pages of the book. These endorsements can significantly boost the sales of a book.

• a list of case studies employed (companies and countries etc.). Where possible, a contact name and number for each organisation featuring as a case study.

• if your book ha s potential for use on business or finance courses, please give us details of appropriate courses (and relevant business schools where possible).

• hard copies of all permissions authorisations (see Copyright guidelines).