Choice Press - House Standards Policy
Manuscript Acceptability
Choice Press is committed to publishing books that reflect our values of quality, integrity, and excellence. To maintain this commitment, all manuscripts submitted for publication must meet our standards for form, style, content, and alignment with the Choice Press brand. Final determination of manuscript acceptability is made by the Publisher. Authors are expected to make reasonable accommodations to ensure their manuscript conforms to these standards as part of the collaborative publishing process.
Manuscript acceptability encompasses:
Clear and coherent narrative structure
Competent writing and readable formatting
Reasonable alignment with the tone, vision, and standards of Choice Press (quality, integrity, and excellence)
Content suitability for the intended audience
Substantive and stylistic polish consistent with quality literary or legacy publishing
Our goal is to uphold editorial excellence while working in partnership with authors to refine and elevate their work.
Grammar and Copyediting Standards
All manuscripts submitted to Choice Press must adhere to the grammatical, stylistic, and formatting guidelines set forth in The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition (CMOS 18) or will so adhere after our in-house editing process. This standard governs issues of punctuation, capitalization, citation, usage, and overall consistency.
Manuscripts that significantly diverge from these norms may be returned for revision prior to acceptance. Light to moderate copy editing is included in our editorial process, but authors are responsible for ensuring that their work is polished, coherent, and ready for professional review before submission.
Copy editing at Choice Press is done with care to preserve authorial voice while ensuring that the final product meets the highest standards of clarity, accuracy, and stylistic integrity.
Brand and Content Alignment
Choice Press seeks to publish books that are constructive, meaningful, and rooted in human dignity. We reserve the right to decline or request revisions to manuscripts that, in our sole discretion, do not align with the ethical or aesthetic character of our publishing house.
We do not publish:
Erotica or sexually explicit content intended to arouse.
Works that glorify or incite racial hatred, violence, bigotry, or minor exploitation.
Writing that endorses discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexuality, disability, or national origin.
Content that unilaterally demeans human dignity or exploits others for the sake of shock or sensationalism.
We are not obliged to accept any manuscript that violates these standards, even if it meets other technical or contractual criteria.
Virtue and Responsibility
Choice Press believes that books should contribute to the moral and intellectual flourishing of readers. While we welcome complexity and difference, we expect our authors to uphold standards of virtue in both content and intent. We encourage writing that challenges, inspires, educates, and uplifts. We discourage writing that undermines the common good.
This does not mean we avoid difficult or controversial topics, but rather that such topics must be treated with honesty, responsibility, and respect.
Conclusion
These House Standards reflect not just what we publish, but why we publish. We believe that books have the power to shape culture, carry legacy, and spark meaningful dialogue. Upholding these standards ensures that every Choice Press title is worthy of its place in our catalog and on readers’ shelves.
As part of our commitment to transparency and excellence, this policy may be reviewed and updated periodically. Authors are encouraged to reach out with questions or clarifications as they prepare their manuscript for submission and review.