Publishing
Section 4
You can either send this person a brief letter asking them how you should
structure your proposal or telephone them. Some publishers have an outline
of what a proposal should look like on their websites. Even if this is the case,
it is still worth approaching an identified person at the publisher directly as
this establishes a personal relationship between you and the publisher.
What should you usually include in your proposal?
n
The proposed title of your publication
n
How long it will be
n
Name of the author(s)
n
The timescale in which you anticipate you can complete the book
n
An outline and overview of the contents of your book
n
Sample chapters, in draft
n
Who is the intended audience of the book
n
Details of competing titles, along with an explanation of what
makes your proposed book stand out from the crowd
nReferees.
When you submit your proposal, you may want to indicate, in writing, that
you are submitting it subject to the publisher keeping it confidential.
Journals
If you are submitting an article to a peer-reviewed journal, you will most likely
need to submit your whole article to the editor. Again, when submitting your
article, indicate that you are doing so under confidentiality. The editor
will decide whether or not the article is worthy of being peer-reviewed for
publication. If the editor decides that it is, s/he will forward it to the relevant
peer reviewers.
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