The ATA Handbooks are written by dedicated members of the American Topical Association. The information in them is up to date through the time of publication, and in most cases is very good background for topicalists who are starting up on a new topic, or for those who need more information. Subsequent books on the same subject must pick up from where any previous handbook on the same subject left off, unless the old books have been sold out. New information that supplements the original book(s) should be added to any new book.

In order to make the handbooks more than just a checklist with a few illustrations, some new guidelines are now in place for future authors. The purpose of a handbook should be two-fold. First, it should serve as a research tool for topical collectors. Second, it should have additional information in it that would attract non-collectors and lead them to discover this fascinating hobby of topical collecting.

Before starting on a book for the ATA, please acquaint yourself with these guidelines for preparation.

1. Let the ATA office know if you are considering a new handbook. We expect to create no more than four titles per year due to time constraints and limited human resources. We cannot automatically print every handbook given to us. A committee must decide whether or not to add any particular title.
   
   
2. When sending scans of stamps, identify the Scott catalog numbers to be used as captions.
   
   
3. Type standard text in all the same type size (11 or 12 point) except for section headers and titles.
   
   
4. Always use a single space wherever a space is used. It is no longer necessary with computers to use a double space after periods.
   
   
5. Always enter a blank line between paragraphs to help our formatting layout.
   
   
6. To indent paragraphs always hit the indent button one time only.
   
   
7. If you use a dash, make sure to include a single space on either side of it. The computer then recognizes it as a dash and not a hyphen.
   
   
8. Before sending your draft in, run and review a spell check. Make sure that all country’s names and people’s names are consistent in spelling throughout your book.
   
   
9. Include an index, and use both first and last names wherever they exist.
   
   
10. Rather than type a word in all capitals use Bold, bold and italics, bold and underline or change to a different font. When using fonts other than Times New Roman or Arial, check with the ATA Office to ensure that we have that font. If not, you will have to send a copy of the unusual font to us; else your work may look strange in conversion.
    
    
11. Be consistent in the style used for numbering items in a list. Use Roman Numerals for section headings. Where standard Arabic numerals are used, if you place a period or a bracket behind one, make sure that you to the same for all. Go back and check to insure that some numbers haven’t been skipped or have been duplicated.
    
    
12. Use tab stops at the top of your page when you are listing things, rather than using tabs, spaces or “Enter” to get to where you want to. Set up a tab stop for where the catalog numbers and/or the descriptions will be. To set a tab stop, make sure that your layout is showing a ruler bar at the top. If one is not shown, click “View” and then go down to “Rulers” and click that. Also make sure that the “Normal” layout (View>Normal) is selected. To add a tab stop, click on the ruler where you want the tab stop to be set and you will see a symbol that looks like a small dark “L” where you clicked. You can drag it wherever you want it to be place. To eliminate a tab stop, drag it off the ruler bar.
    
    
13. Type all your text using only these two tab stops, or the first two tabs if you used the defaults, but do not format the wrapping or add any extra tabs or unnecessary “Enters”. You’ll do that in the next instruction. Your description will need to wrap to the correct spot, without the need for inserting extra tabs or “Enters”. To do this, highlight the entire list of items that need to be formatted after it is completely typed. Then click at the beginning of the first line of text to be formatted. Next use the elevator bar on the right side to move down to the lat line you wish to format. When you get to the last line, hold the “Shift” key down and click at the end of the last line. This will highlight all the text between where your first and last clicks were. On the far left side of the ruler (See “View>Rulers” in the menu bar, you will see two “triangles” with the top one upside down. Click and hold on the box and drag it to the second tab stop. Both triangles will move. If you created tab stops, they will disappear and need to be reinstated when you are done. Now click and hold the top triangle and drag it back to the far left of the ruler bar. This will leave the bottom triangle and the box behind. This sets up a paragraph wrap. When you hit “Enter” the formatting will start all over again so that each paragraph starts at the far left and wraps all additional lines.