Submitting Manuscript Documents


These instructions are for Legacy Isle Publishing clients, including Haliʻa Aloha program participants, who need to submit a manuscript.

  • Manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word format in 12pt Times New Roman font. (Haliʻa Aloha program participants should refer to the program policies for additional formatting requirements.) We will also accept submissions created in Google Docs.
  • Please make every effort to turn in a clean copy of your work with as few errors as possible. (Double-check your work for typos, inconsistencies and correct use of Hawaiian or other foreign language diacritical markings.)
  • Use page breaks to separate chapters or start a new page (do NOT use multiple carriage returns).
  • Do not use two spaces between sentences. If you have, do a search and replace and eliminate double spaces before submitting.
  • Use tabs to indent when necessary (do not use spaces) OR set your document settings to automatically indent paragraphs. (Instructions can be found here.)

If you use Google Docs, there are two acceptable ways to share your manuscript with us:

  1. Use the “Email a copy” menu option from the “File” menu — This is the simpler method, but it will only work if you have a Gmail address tied to your account. (On mobile, the option may say “Send a copy” and is accessible from the “more” menu.) Set the file type to “Microsoft Word” and be sure you are sending as an attachment (don’t check the box for “don’t attach”). (See illustration.)
  2. Download a copy — This is the other option that we prefer and will work if you do not have a Gmail address tied to your Google Docs account. Download a copy of your document to your hard drive and attach it in an email to your Legacy Isle point of contact. Google provides instructions here. Choose the option to download as Microsoft Word.
  • Do NOT use the “Share with people and groups” option or “Get link” option. Your manuscript needs to be accessible to multiple members of our team and these sharing methods are limited to only specifically invited individuals who also have a Google account tied to the invited email account. This will prevent our team from being able to work with the document.

Reviewing a Returned Manuscript

Depending on the condition of your submitted manuscript, you may receive a copy back with editorial changes and comments made using the Microsoft Word “Track Changes” feature. You will need to review these comments.

If you do not have Microsoft Word and use Google Docs, you must IMPORT/UPLOAD your reviewed manuscript into Google Docs. (If you need instructions on how to do this, see this Google help article.) Do not copy/paste our document into a new Google Doc; this will destroy all of the commenting and change notes. Once imported, you will be able to review and reply to comments. Follow the instructions above to return your revised manuscript.