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658. INTERESTING A PUBLISHER IN YOUR MANUSCRIPT

August 30, 2005

Folks:

The posting below offers guidelines on preparing a book prospectus to a potential publisher. It is from Chapter, Chapter 2: Interest a Publisher in Your Manuscript, in Writing and Developing Your College Textbook, by Mary Ellen Lepionka. Atlantic Path Publishing. copyright © 2003 by Mary Ellen Lepionka. All rights reserved. [www.atlanticpathpublishing.com] ISBN 0-9728164-0-2 Reprinted with permission.

Regards,

Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: Declining by Degrees

Tomorrow's Academic Careers

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INTEREST A PUBLISHER IN YOUR MANUSCRIPT

Your Prospectus

Each company has its own requirements for a prospectus and might send you guidelines or a preprinted form. Typically the prospectus is a two- or three-page explanation of what you are doing, for whom you are doing it, and why. That is, the prospectus states your topic, scope and sequence, and theme; identifies your market and audience; and sets forth your rationale or main goal. This is the "story" of your book.

In commercial publishing a book's story is critically important. Editors usually are teamed with marketing and advertising managers, who use the story (1) to determine if the company thinks it can sell your book profitably, (2) to identify specific potential customers, (3) to launch marketing and advertising campaigns, and (4) to educate and win the commitment of the sales force. The story also guides the book designer and others whose job it is to make sure your book looks right for what it is trying to do.

Telling the Story. Because your book is one of dozens or even hundreds presented by editorial teams to the publisher and ultimately to the sales force, its story should be stated briefly. The brief statement is like an abstract containing a working title and the key words that define and sell the book idea. The prospectus should start with this story abstract and then go on to elaborate. Examples of book stories follow:

SOCIAL WORK will be introductory text for entry-level courses in programs leading to licensure in social work and will integrate theory and practice using a problem-solving casebook approach.

TECHNOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT is a thematic, multidisciplinary treatment of the global impacts of technology on human environments from prehistoric times to the present and supports courses in earth science and cultural ecology.

PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH will be a comprehensive general-purpose handbook with guidelines for observing, measuring, describing, and reporting research in the physical and social sciences.

HISTORY THEN AND NOW is a topical survey of the history of history for graduate students taking Historiography I and Historiography II, with an emphasis on the role of culture in the selection and interpretation of evidence.

IN THE FIRST INSTANCE will reexamine theories of the origins of the universe in light of new discoveries from radiotelemetry and particle physics, and will complement general introductory textbooks in physics.

INTRODUCTION TO TECHNICAL WRITING surveys all aspects of professional practice in the field and features authentic models of excellent writing for future technical writers in both technological and nontechnological fields.

BIOLOGY AND THE LIFE SCIENCES: An introduction is an introductory text for undergraduate survey courses in biology or the life sciences. DNA and the human genome project is the unifying central theme of the book, and a whole chapter is devoted to the implications of recombinant DNA, reproductive technologies, and gene therapies in the treatment of disease.

EDUCATION AND DIVERSITY will focus on the social foundations of education in the U.S. with an emphasis on the social contexts of issues concerning multicultural education, bilingual education, and inclusion.

Planned Contents. The prospectus next walks the editor through the nuts and bolts of the books by describing the organization of it and the elements and features that will be in it-its apparatus and pedagogy, the subjects of later chapters of this book. How will chapters open and close, for example, and what regular features will appear in each chapter? Will there be figures and tables? Photos? How many of each? Will there be a glossary? An instructor's manual? And so on.

Markets. The prospectus should go on to identify the likely primary and secondary markets for the book. Who will buy it? Who will read it? Your primary market is where you expect to sell the most copies, while the secondary market includes others who might be interested in using your textbook. For instance, the primary market for this book is prospective textbook authors, the people for whom I have written it. Secondary markets might include institutions of higher education and college textbook publishers or editors.

Competition. Your prospectus should include your competition analysis. Briefly list and evaluate each competing text you have identified, explaining how your book will be similar to and different from it in goals, structure, and content. This discussion should lead to an explanation of what you believe is outstanding or unique about your book. Also report if your book idea or chapters have been field tested in your own or others' courses. A sample prospectus-the one for this book, which was accepted for signing by a major publisher-is presented in the chapter appendix. While this book is not a college textbook, and the prospectus is brief, the same elements of a good prospectus are there.

Your Preliminary Book Outline

An outline functions as both a writing guide and a organizational scheme. Each part or unit and each chapter is identified by number and title, followed by topics and subtopics in the order you plan to write. Observing the formal rules for outlining rather than merely listing topics will help you establish a structure for the book. Preliminary book outlines typically undergo changes as a result of the publisher's market analyses, analyses of competing books, and feedback from editors and peer reviewers, not to mention needed changes that authors themselves usually discover during drafting. In addition, if your undergraduate textbook involves a large investment, the publisher might propose changes to your outline to ensure any of the following outcomes, based on consumer wants and needs:

*Chapters generally have consistent and appropriate lengths.
* The book includes timely topics and topics that customers generally expect. It also foregoes topics that customers insist they do not want or need.
* To a reasonable extent the book organization works according to known ways in which the course is taught.
* The content is appropriate for the intended course level or for the reading or intellectual level of the intended audience.
* The book can compete successfully with market leaders in its field.

The writing outline is the basis for a table of contents (TOC), which is perhaps the most important tool for marketing and selling the book. If you are developing your book in collaboration with editors, you may receive specific informed suggestions for converting your outline into the system of headings and subheadings that will become your table of contents. Otherwise, you will need to do this yourself in an informed way. Chapter 7 of this book is devoted to the art and science of creating a proper heading structure for your book.

Your Sample Chapters and Cover Letter

If possible, include two or three sample chapters with your prospectus and drafting outline, or establish when you will send sample chapters. A sample chapter should be double-spaced with pages numbered consecutively and should have all its components in place, including any apparatus and pedagogical features you have planned, figures and tables, and references. It is assumed that you are working on a computer and saving to hard drive and disk. Aside from giving the editor an example of how far your planning has gone and what you have to say, sample chapters present your voice and show off our ability to maintain a consistent writing style and format (see Chapters 5 and 11).

The cover letter recalls your previous contract, briefly reiterates that you have a manuscript or book idea for the publisher's consideration, and identifies all your enclosures. You also provide detailed information about your availability for your project and where, when, and how the editor can reach you. The editor will need practical information as well, such as the present status of the manuscript, your timetable for submitting sample chapters and for completing the work, the estimated length, and even the word processing program you are using.

In your cover letter also indicate if you are making a multiple submission-submitting a prospectus to more than one publisher simultaneously-although you are not obligated to do so. Publishers naturally discourage simultaneous submissions to multiple submission outright. Because of the extreme competitiveness of the textbook industry and the amounts of money involved, publishers are sensitive to needs for product secrecy and competitive edge. Authors have used the multiple submission strategy to their advantage, however, as it facilitates an earlier response from the publisher.

Getting an Offer

Waiting is next and often takes longer than one would like. Acquisitions editors may be on the road, traveling to conventions and campuses, and unable to attend to your submission immediately. Editors typically send your prospectus and sample chapters out for professional peer review, which also can take some time. Finally, the sponsoring editor may need to present your book plan to other tiers of corporate management before an offer can be made. Regardless, prospective authors are perfectly justified in recontacting the editor in a month or two if there has been no response.

Sometimes editors will offer you a contract on the basis of your initial submission of your manuscript proposal, but they more typically request more information or more sample chapters or your response to peer reviews. Let us say, for instance, that reviewers unanimously felt that your sample chapter on law enforcement is too long, overemphasizes federal law enforcement over local and state law enforcement, and omits any mention of special law enforcement units such as border patrol, tribal police, and campus police. The editor might ask you to address these concerns by revising and resubmitting the chapter. The decision to make you an offer will rest on your response. Inexperienced or unknown textbook authors who do not respond well or refuse to make changes, perhaps in the belief that their draft is fait accompli, do not get signed.

Let us assume that you offer a thorough, timely, and well thought out response to the editorial suggestions, however, and that, as the next chapter suggests, you get to sign a contract with the publisher of your choice.