With the recent influx of authors submitting manuscripts, the editorial team at Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press) has developed guidelines for aspiring authors to follow to ensure that their submission packages are successful, and their manuscript moves on to publication.

The synopsis, author's biography, and the key audience play an important role in a good manuscript.

Here are some important tips to consider while submitting manuscripts to stand out from the crowd.

• The synopsis is key to getting the editorial committee to read your full manuscript. A great synopsis should read like the back cover of a book.
• The synopsis should inspire emotions, intrigue, sorrow, nostalgia, horror, laughter, whatever it is that your work is truly about.
• The synopsis should not be more than 500 words at best and should effectively explain the premise, give insight to the key characters, and themes.
• The author's biography helps the publisher get to know the author. Establishing the author’s persona is one of the foundational building blocks.
• Describe your passion, literary goals, and address everything that will help market you and your book.
• Instagram followers, personal webpage, interest in sports, arts, music, science, or being listed as an editor, researcher, or part of a peer-review team that has already published several works in your chosen field are important facts to share with the publisher.
• Knowing your motivation gives the editorial team insight into your manuscript before even reading it. If your motivation is compelling, it can even be one of the deciding factors in pursuing your manuscript further. 
• Have a key audience or age demographic in mind while writing to advocate your manuscript’s suitability for publication.
• Make sure a colleague, a mentor, a family member, or friend has taken a look at your work to ensure that there are no glaring spelling and grammar mistakes before you submit it.
• A manuscript does not have to be perfect, but it needs a strong foundation as a starting point if it is going to be chosen for publication. Check multiple rounds of editing and review before they are ready to submit.

 Arabic Editor at HBKU Press said “At HBKU Press, our aim as a publisher differs from that of other publishing houses, both locally and globally. We are committed to promoting literacy as the key to knowledge development and human potential and as a means to participate fully in the community and wider society’’

For more information about the submission process and criteria visit: HBKU Press website

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Source and cover Image credit: Hamad Bin Khalifa University