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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • What are the submission requirements?
    Please upload the following files on the Submissions tab at https://www.ukiyoto.com/submission so that our editorial team can review your work and respond to you via email within 15 to 45 working days. ​ a. Full manuscript (between 4K and 80K words for poetry and 8K to 100K words for the rest) b. Synopsis of the content (around 500 words) c. Author Profile ​ We are not very keen on books with high word count beyond the given limit. Manuscript formatting guidelines: Single-spaced, 12-point, Times New Roman font in word or pdf format. ​ There is no fee or cost for publishing with us.
  • When can I expect an update on my submission?
    Usually, we get back within 15 to 45 days with an update since our editorial team goes through each content to ensure quality standards are met. You can also write to us at publishing@ukiyoto.com if you don't hear back from us within the stipulated time.
  • Do I need to pay anything to get published?
    Since we are a traditional publishing house, authors don't have to pay to get their books published with us.
  • Do you accept compilations or short stories?
    Yes sure we do. You may upload your compilation and short story in the submission tab at: https://www.ukiyoto.com/submission
  • Is there a submission deadline?
    There is currently no deadline for manuscript submissions. However, if you want to submit your manuscript/short stories as an entry for an Upcoming Project, there will be a deadline that will be specified in the project’s details.
  • Are there any guidelines regarding the word count of submissions?
    Suggested word count for novels or academic content is between 8,000 and 1,20,000 while for poetry it is between 5,000 and 80,000.
  • What Genres do you accept?
    We are open to all genres except Religion and Politics.
  • I am not familiar with the words and terminologies used in publishing. Can you explain them to me as a starter?
    Here are few of the definitions and terminologies frequently used in the publishing process flow and also you will come across while publishing with us, a. Genre - Every book has a well defined genre such as Fiction - General, Fiction - Romance, Non Fiction - History, Business and many others. The complete list of Genres maybe found on the official website of Book Industry Study Group (BISG). b. BISAC - Book Industry Study Group (BISG) maintains a number of codes to classify both physical and digital products and assigns them a unique reference code termed as BISAC Code. The complete list and details of the codes maybe obtained from the official website of BISG. c. Keywords - These are the words which are used to increase the book's visibility and enable the customers or readers to easily search books using relevant keywords. For instance, relevant keywords for a book on Romance would be, 'romantic novels', 'romance', 'romantic books', 'love stories'. d. Lamination - This is the type of printing method used for your book's cover. We usually offers two kinds of lamination prints for paperbacks. i. Glossy - This produces deeper and cleaner line colours. The reflective shiny finish grabs attention of the customer and usually repels dust, dirt and fingerprints. This is also usually used as the standard for all paperbacks. ii. Matte - This gives a professional and elegant finish and is more of a modern choice. Usually designers and readers, who focus more on the aesthetics, like the look and feel of this finish. The Matter finish is less reflective than Glossy finish, gives a feel of a velvet texture and looks more natural. e. ISBN - An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number. ISBNs were ten (10) digits in length up to the end of December 2006, but since 1 January 2007 they consist of 13 digits. ISBNs are calculated using a specific mathematical formula and include a check digit to validate the number. Each ISBN consists of 5 elements with each section being separated by spaces or hyphens. f. QR Code - The Quick Response (QR) Code is a type of barcode and a machine readable optical label which contains details of the item to which it is tagged. QR Codes could be used to track sales volumes, website data and other purposes that the user decides. These are read by QR Scanner which is available for free both on Android and iPhone Play Store. g. Spine - This is the part of the book cover which covers the thickness of the book and it falls between the front and back covers. This is applicable to perfect bound and hard bound books only. h. Bleed - This is extra area of the book cover which is placed while designing the cover and is cut off at the time of final print. Bleed is usually an extension of the background colour and does not contain any text or graphics which is supposed to come in the final print. The bleed is placed because the trimming is usually never exact and there could be a slight variation. Hence, if the background of the cover is not extended, it would lead to a slight white portion visible on the edges of the cover.
  • Can you summarize the entire publishing process?
    After we select your manuscript, following are the steps taken to publish your book. a. We send across the link to Author Contract and Author Input Form b. After you digitally sign and fill in both the forms, your files are taken up for further production processes. c. Once, the cover and inner files are ready, we send you a link to your files for review so that you can notify us for any changes or revisions required. This is a one time activity but a very important one as revisions are not possible once a book goes into production and sent across to distributors. d. After incorporating the changes, we will initiate a final confirmation from your end and start the listing process. e. We will intimate you on the royalty of your title and the suggested marked price along with the listed link of your title on our site f. Other channels such as Amazon/Flipkart/Barnes & Noble and several others take a while to start showing between 5 to 45 days g. Your Author Dashboard will be updated by the 5th of every month and the link shared with the credentials to login At any point in time, please feel free to write to us or ask any questions you have. Our official email address for all communication is publishing@ukiyoto.com.
  • Will Ukiyoto register ISBN for my book?
    Yes will will issue an ISBN for each book. All content copyright belongs to the Author.
  • In which languages do you accept submissions?
    English, European (Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish) or ​Asian (Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Japanese, Arabic, Nepali, Korean, Vietnamese, Malay, Bahasa, Tagalog/Taglish). For any other languages please write to us at publishing@ukiyoto.com
  • Do you accept Children’s stories?
    Yes, we accept them, however, the illustrations (if any) are required to be provided by the author. We however prefer books with Black and White inners to keep the costs low for end consumers.
  • Can I design my own Book Cover?
    Yes, you can design your own book cover.
  • Can I get my book translated in another language?
    Translation is a paid service that is not included in the publishing process. If you are interested, please send us the details of the translation required to publishing@ukiyoto.com with the word count and the language to be translated to, so that we can provide you with a quote. To learn more about other paid services that are generally recommended for authors, please visit this page.
  • How do I receive my payments?
    We will ask for your bank/paypal/gcash details once you reach the threshold for your due royalty payments. For those in India, payments are made via Bank Transfer with a threshold of Rs.500. For those in the Philippines, payments are made via Gcash with a threshold of 1,000PHP. For transfers in any other country, payments are made via Paypal with a threshold of 20USD. All eligible payments are made monthly and cleared by the 15th of the month.
  • How is my royalty calculated?
    You would be provided with the Minimum Cost, Marked Price and the Royalty for each of the variants at the time of listing the title and shared with you. Royalty is 50% of the profits. Hence, Royalty = 50%* (Selling Price-Min Cost)
  • What are the marketing and distribution activities that you would undertake?
    We have networking with all/most of the major online retailers for distribution and promotion in both digital and print formats. In addition to the placement in large-scale retailers such as Amazon, Google play, Kobo, Barnes & Nobles, Flipkart, Shopee (as applicable) and several others following are also carried out, a. Social media posts in the given timeline b. Sharing feeds of the title to journalists, agencies, stores for their curation and acceptance (Reviews and coverages are based on their selection only) on a quarterly basis c. Nominating for awards and reward programs (wherever eligible or applicable) d. Participating in offline events such as national and international book fairs, conferences etc where only selected books are taken up. If not selected participation is still possible but will be on a chargeable basis e. Opening the catalog to film makers, producers or directors for their acceptance and taking up further if chosen f. Keeping you updated on various events and activities which run throughout the year and are a mix of optional paid and free events g. For placement in stores, the stores/distributors/wholesalers would need to procure the copies from us at wholesale or distributor rates (as applicable) for placements All copies are printed on demand for having them available at any point of time and across any geographical location.
  • Will you help in arranging for/organising offline book launches?
    Yes, we do have options of conducting offline book launches at select cities only and can help you with that based on availability and logistics. They maybe either paid or no paid depending on the occasion, venue etc. For details, please write to publishing@ukiyoto.com
  • If I conduct a book launch by myself, will you place that on your website and promote?
    Yes, sure. You may let us know the details of your activity and we will create an online registration page on our website for the placement. You may also send us creatives if you have to place on our handles and promote the same.
  • How many copies can I expect to sell?
    We cannot guarantee the sales of copies since that depends on several factors.
  • How many Author copies would you provide?
    We do not provide any separate Author copies but the rates provided to the Author will be substantially lower than the market rate. Authors or wholesalers can place orders for purchasing their copies at subsidized rates and get them shipped to their address.
  • I still have further queries. How do I get in touch?
    Best way to reach us is via email where we are most prompt and you can drop in at publishing@ukiyoto.com for all your queries.
  • I placed an order for a book on Ukiyoto website. How can I track my order?
    You may send us your Order number and date to publishing@ukiyoto.com so that we can get back to you with the status.
  • What are the Returns and Refund Policies?
    Return and Refund Policy ​ All goods and services are non refundable and cannot be cancelled once order is placed. Any damaged or defective product would need to be intimated within 5 days of receipt of the product with photographs or videos of the product for investigation and the same would then be replaced and shipped without any extra charges within 10 to 15 working days (unless there are unavoidable calamities such as earthquake, strikes, pandemic during which the replacement duration may be delayed). Any damage caused at the receiver's end post receipt of the products shall not be considered as 'damaged' and in such cases no replacement shall be made. For any event cancellation from our end, complete refund would be made via NEFT/IMPS within 10 working days from the date of initiation of the refund. For paid tickets to events or projects, no cancellation can be made once purchased and refund would be initiated only if the cancellation occurs from our end. No refund can be made for No Show or not providing required items/materials on time for services, festivals, exhibitions or events No shipment can be returned or denied acceptance once shipment has reached destination location. ​ Cancellation Policy ​ Products once booked cannot be cancelled or refunded unless the product is delivered damaged or defective Events or Projects once booked cannot be cancelled or transferred or interchanged with anyone else and maybe denied access or entry until complete booking amount (if applicable) is cleared ​ Shipping Policy ​ All products ordered onsite takes 10-12 working days for delivery We do not have COD orders and all are prepaid
  • Approximate Timelines for the promotional activites
    1. Digital Promotion on UKIYOTO’s Official Social Media & product links - Within 3 months 2. Distribution on all online and offline channels (whichever offline channel would accept or purchase at wholesale rates) - As and when 3. Online Channel boosts for sales promotion - Within 3 months 4. Pitching for awards and recognition - As applicable and if eligible/suited 5. Pitching for film making and OTT - As applicable and if eligible/suited 6. Continuous support via email for queries and royalty remittances
  • I still have further queries. How do I contact you?
    Best way to contact us is by writing to us at publishing@ukiyoto.com as we are most prompt via email.
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