Due to the large number of proposals Zenith Press receives, we have implemented the following basic requirements for submission. Your proposal must follow the format outlined below to be considered.

1. Provide only:

• A ONE-PAGE COVER LETTER with your basic credentials for being an authority on your book’s subject matter (save detailed biographical information about yourself for the MARKETING SUMMARY)
• A SYNOPSIS of the book and its specifications such as: anticipated word count of finished manuscript (a range is fine), number and type of photos (color, B&W, archival—see “Book Development and Requirements” below), illustrations, and diagrams
• How long it will take you to write the book or when you know it can be delivered
• A CHAPTER OUTLINE – can simply be a working table of contents
• A SAMPLE CHAPTER (see “Sample Chapter Tips” below)
• FIVE (minimum) SAMPLE PHOTOGRAPHS
• A ONE- TO TWO-PAGE MARKETING SUMMARY (explained below)

2. Please send all of the above by mail or email. We cannot guarantee the safe return of any unsolicited materials, including photographs.

3. Please do not telephone Zenith Press for feedback on the merits of a particular proposal idea. It is your responsibility to thoroughly research your subject, presenting a proposal only after determining that a demand exists in the marketplace for such a book. This requirement applies to all prospective projects whether or not the author has previously worked with Zenith Press.

4. If you must request feedback, please do so by email, but please remember that a response may take several weeks.

Marketing and Market Research

Research the market for your book idea and summarize the results of your research in Marketing Summary page(s):

1. Check the performance of other recent comparable titles that have been published. The internet, especially Amazon.com, is a great place to start.

2. Consider current events, if relevant to the book (and whether such events will still be of interest a year or two from now when the book goes to print).

3. Determine and describe the approximate number of enthusiasts who would be interested in your book. List clubs, groups, associations, etc. and their membership numbers.

4. Consider and determine the approximate size of the possible market outside of core enthusiasts and why you think they would be interested.

5. Marketing efforts you are willing to spearhead, such as:

• Radio interviews
• Book signings
• Book sales at enthusiast gatherings

6. Suggestions on other major special markets to which Zenith Press can market your book.

7. About the author:

• Years of participation/service in different organizations
• Previously published works (books and articles)
• Affiliations with influential individuals
• Privileged access to locations, archives, people, etc.
• If you are providing original phtography, please list photography experience, skills, published work, and equipment to be used

8. Please keep in mind that Zenith Press does not have reference staff and is not able to provide you with market research.

Book Development and Requirements

If Zenith Press accepts your book idea, here are some of Zenith Press’s requirements that are important to know up front to aid in the planning and development of your book:

1. Zenith Press prefers manuscripts in electronic format, Word for either PC or Mac.

2. If you intend to provide your own photography, please keep in mind that Zenith Press strongly prefers film over digital images (including scans). Film captures images with greater depth and vibrancy, and permits greater flexibility in laying out the book – our best books have been created from film, not digital images.

3. For digital images to be deemed acceptable for publishing, all of the following conditions must be met:

• ALL images must be shot at high resolution (360ppi) and at a minimum size of 12-1/2” x 17-1/2” for “beauty shots” (full-vehicle images) and 8-1/2” x 11” for detail shots – this gives Zenith Press the necessary design flexibility (experience dictates that you will need several additional memory cards for photo shoots). Special consideration will be given only to How-To books.
• Be aware that correction or balancing work necessary on the digital images will be billed back to you, the author.
• If your proposal is accepted and your book approved, you will need to provide a contact sheet with thumbnails of every image and file names for each image to be used for photo editing.
• If your proposal is accepted and your book approved, you will need to provide high-quality color-match proofs for each image to be used for image-color verification with the printer. Current color-match proofs cost $5 per image and will be billed back to the author if not provided.
• Photographic/scanning equipment is subject to approval by Zenith Press.

4. If planning to provide archival photography from a source other than yourself, such as a company or museum, list your access to these sources in the Marketing Page(s) and provide us with a confirmation letter of photo permission.

5. Digital images obtained from outside sources must meet the specifications required for the project. IMAGES DOWNLOADED FROM THE INTERNET ARE UNACCEPTABLE.

6. Proposals for projects that include the use of digital images will be evaluated for feasibility far more critically than proposals that utilize film images.

7. Closely adhere to the contracted word count. Exceeding the contracted word count does not help the efficiency of the project. Zenith Press reserves the right to cut text to match the specified word count.

8. Understand that Zenith Press will decide the final title, cover, and design.

Sample Chapter Tips

Here are some tips in setting up your proposal’s sample chapter (and your eventual book):

1. Your sample need not be the first chapter, but one representative of the rest of the book.

2. That chapter should be at least 10 double-spaced, typewritten pages.

3. Familiarize yourself with The Elements of Style. For instance:

• Use active voice as much as possible. Military-style speech tends to be passive: e.g., “This must be overcome.” The active voice is usually more direct and vigorous than the passive: I will always remember my first visit to Boston. This is much better than: My first visit to Boston will always be remembered. The habitual use of the active voice makes for forcible writing. This is true not only in narrative concerned principally with action but in writing of any kind. For those who don’t know active from passive voice, consider a different hobby.
• Zenith Press prefers lower case over upper case for generic military terms like“helicopter support team” and “vertical landing zone.” The following website is a good reference guide for many such terms: www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/index.html
• Acronyms should be spelled out in the following way on first usage: I was so sick of meals, ready to eat (MREs) I would have preferred to eat a rat.On subsequent usage: We eventually learned to appreciate the practicality of the MRE.
• Spell out all military ranks—do not abbreviate (e.g., Master Gunnery Sergeant Pete Smith, not MGYSGT Pete Smith or MGySgt Pete Smith)
• Research proper style for names of institutions, associations, etc. Also, be consistent. If it is the Danish Institute of Foreign Language Affairs, don’t call it the Foreign Affairs Language
  Institute of Denmark or Denmark’s Foreign Institute of Language Affairs later in the chapter. That is a red flag that you are either sloppy or didn’t do your research.
• When in doubt, we defer to Zenith Press house style first, Chicago Manual of Style second.

Please email me with any questions about these guidelines. Thank you for your interest in Zenith Press!

Steve Gansen
Acquisitions Editor
Zenith Press / MBI Publishing Company
sgansen@mbipublishing.com