Paper titles
Non-fiction: 70%
Fiction: 15-20%
Poetry: 5-25%

E-book titles
Initially up to 10 per year

Moon Willow Press plans to publish e-books starting in early January 2010 and has a goal to start its first paper title in late 2011.

For all e-books and paper books, a contract will be drawn that will include the basic following points:

Copyright and Exclusive Rights

The author may retain copyright of his or her book, but Moon Willow Press (MWP) is assigned exclusive worldwide rights, including derivative works. Any negotiable elements of the contract will remain private via MWP and author.

Author Warranty and Responsibility

The author must sign a statement that he or she has not plagiarized, stolen from any other works, or sold the works to another publisher or distributor. Works include text and illustrations. The author must submit the manuscript in terms of the publisher’s guidelines, including correct layout and format.

The publisher may contract to work separately with the author in editorial and proofreading services, but the author is solely responsible for hiring his or her own editor and submitting a professionally written and proofed manuscript.

The author is responsible also for all illustrations in the book, including cover art, charts, graphs, photographs, and drawings. The author must contain and provide written permissions from any and all book illustrators for the use of their works. Any financial agreements between the book’s royalties and artists are between the author and illustrator only. MWP may be able to direct the author to find artists if needed.

Non-Compete Clause

The author will agree to not write and sell a similar work that would compete in market for the work being submitted and sold to MWP.

Book Schedule

MWP and the author will decide the scope of the book’s publication together, with consideration of personal schedules.

Publication Delay

MWP may end a contract prior to publication if the author does not present works as defined in the guidelines or as fit for publication.

Book Marketing

The author holds responsibility (according to submission guidelines) for researching the marketability of his or her book and advertising it upon publication. While MWP will help to market and advertise the title, the majority of responsibility falls onto the author. The reasoning behind this is MWP’s start-up status, but  marketing avenues may grow in the future with staff and growth. MWP holds no responsibility for how well the book sells.

Book Printing and Distribution

MWP will be responsible for book printing and distribution. MWP will print only on FSC-certified paper, and will print only on demand. The scheduling of print-on-demand may be slated for incremental periods through the year, after an initial run. MWP will follow this green press initiative, as it is one of the press’s missions. MWP will pay for all printing and shipping costs. MWP will work with the author to decide initial printing run number.

For e-books, MWP will handle sales and distribution via the press’s website and other outlets, including Amazon.

Book Payments

Because MWP is a start-up press, the author will not receive any advance payment. This may change in the future.

The author will receive royalties for each book sale. The royalties will depend on type of publication, sales estimates, and third-party vendor/seller fees (such as via Amazon).

Author Copies

The author will receive 10 free copies of his or her book after printing. A limited number of free review copies may also be available upon request. There is a one-time free shipment of the author’s requested copies; this shipment is sent only to the author.

These guidelines are for both e-book and paper book authors. Keep in mind that Moon Willow Press hopes to gain a niche in environmental publications, whether fiction or non-fiction. For non-fiction works, a high priority will be placed on publishing credible authors in their field of knowledge, with previous publications being an asset, though first-time authors are acceptable.

Non-fiction

MWP is primarily looking for any of the following general topics, and more:

• Climate change
• Conservation and preservation
• Renewable and healthy energy
• Land, water, and air pollution
• Natural resource depletion
• Agricultural problems
• Genetic engineering
• Environmental policy

In order to be considered for publication, you may want to discuss with me first your idea for a book, whether or not you have written a rough draft or are just getting started. We can discuss previous or ongoing research, facts, solutions, and similar books on the topic. The idea is to present a book that will be unique as well as something people will be interested in today and tomorrow. It is best to not write from scratch about something that merely interests you, but to already have a credible background in the subject as well as to be a respected source on your subject, even if it means we will together examine ongoing changes or new findings.

The book subject should not be too broad, though introductory text and notes throughout the manuscript may give a broad history or outline of the subject.

An example of a good book topic is on the North Pacific plastic gyre. In this book, you might write about the history of how the plastic island began as well as an overview of why plastics are hard to break down chemically. Then you can go into the specifics about the plastic island: its size, what groups and individuals are working to clean it up, what kinds of plastics are in the island, what marine life is affected by it, what kind of global environmental policy is being established, etc.

Non-fiction books like this must be supported by factual evidence and illustrative drawings, charts, graphs, and photographs.

Fiction

MWP will most highly consider fiction that follows the same topics as the non-fiction subjects listed above, but we will also accept most any genre of fiction that presents an interesting perspective on life. Fiction will make up only 1-2 titles per year, with non-fiction being the bulk of our publications.

Poetry

Eco-poetry will be considered for paper publishing, but it is a low priority at the moment. A captivating chapbook with interesting illustrations, inspired by or relative to eco-writers like Gary Snyder, Michael McClure, and Bill Hotchkiss, will be considered. To get an idea of what kinds of writings I’m talking about, please see this review I wrote a few years ago about “Forest Beatniks” and “Urban Thoreaus”.

E-books

I will be prepared to publish and distribute more e-books than paper titles, so will be less strict on accepting manuscripts for digital publications only. Keep in mind that once a book is digital, if it does sell well, we may give it special consideration and eventually print it as well.

Another level of e-book is the “four-dollar e-book,” which will be implemented in the future as either of the following:

1. A discount for MWP members
2. A portion of the book profits going to a credible environmental organization

These e-books will be short novellas, poetry chapbooks, first-time authors, and post-prime sales of books. The “four dollar e-book” is simply one initiative that Moon Willow Press will implement, but these books will hold to the high quality of any other publication by MWP. Moon Willow Press will likely only publish a couple of these a year; if you are interested, please contact me.

Manuscript Formatting and Other Guidelines

Only submissions following these guidelines will be considered.

Book Proposal

• Initial letter and book description: Send a cover letter that summarizes the book, a table of contents, and at least one sample chapter to Moon Willow Press by regular mail or e-mail. In the case of regular mail, sample chapters may not be sent back without proper self-addressed postage applied. I encourage e-mail submissions to reduce paper waste.

• Market summary: What other books are on the market that are level with your book? How do you feel your book will fare in that market? What avenues do you have for marketing and advertising your book?
• Curriculum vitae: Please supply a recent résumé stating your relevant experience and background as it pertains to your book. List any other previous publications.
• Responses: Please allow up to three months for a reply. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope for a physical reply or your e-mail address for an electronic reply.
• Submission: Do not send simultaneous submissions.
• Follow-up after initial interest: If Moon Willow Press is interested in your book, we will discuss schedule, drafts, research, and any other relevant items. At this point, you should send a final draft or more sample chapters.

Final Manuscript Submissions

As a start-up press, I will be doing acquisitions work in helping with book ideas and drafts, but the final manuscript must follow all of these guidelines.

• The author must sign a statement saying that none of the works are stolen or plagiarized.
• The author is responsible for the proofing and editing of the manuscript. Moon Willow Press does offer separate editorial services, but for published books, I think it’s best to only offer a final proofread after another set of eyes has edited and proofed the manuscript. I am willing to offer this as a free service to the first couple paper titles at the press as long as the manuscript is submitted as fit for publication, and has been edited and proofed by a professional editor.
• Handwritten or messy typewritten papers are not acceptable. Submit digitally processed documents only. Do not send original materials. No materials will be returned unless proper postage or payment is included in the submission for return. Please take into account foreign shipping costs and exchange rates. Again, I encourage e-mail submissions to reduce paper waste.
• Illustrations must be referenced properly within a manuscript, be referenced and credited in text, and come with written permissions by artists.
• All research and resources must be properly cited, and scientific findings must be current and credible.
• The submission must be 8.5″ x 11″ paper size, with one-inch margins. Please use a standard font like Ariel or Times New Roman, and a 12-inch font size. You do not need to double-space, but do distinguish new paragraphs with an indention.
• In the header of your first page, include your name, address, book title, and word count.
• On subsequent pages, include the page number, book title, and chapter title (if relevant) in the footer.
• For final accepted digital submissions, we will go over details such as stylesheets, illustration placement, digital formatting, references, indexing, and so forth.