Publishing a Book

Publishing a book refers here to publishing a book for use in the academic context of colleges, universities, and research. It is important to be clear about what kinds of books are usually published for these uses. First, there are textbooks, which usually contain no original research but are instead ways to organize and present research done by others for use in classroom teaching. These books are usually addressed to the student and written at a level specifically chosen for the target market (e.g., lower division undergraduate students, graduate students). These books often include exercises, glossaries, topics for discussion, and other aids to learning. The second kind of book is the edited anthology, which is a collection of essays assembled by an editor around a more or less specific theme, such as “Sports and Society” or “New Media in Africa.” The essays may either have already been published earlier as chapters or journal articles, or they may be newly written for the current book. The anthology is usually intended for an audience of graduate students or academic researchers. Another kind of book for academic use is the scholarly monograph, which literally means “one writing” and is therefore, usually but not always written by one author. It is an original book that reports on new scholarship. The first step in publishing a book is to select which type of book he or she will edit or write.

The next step is to identify a publisher. Typically, one looks for a publisher that publishes similar types of books to the one under development but not too similar. Potential authors can search[Page 1372] for publishers online, by thinking about publishers of books they have already read, or by attending book fairs at academic conferences. Many publishers have “acquisitions” or “submissions” editors, whom potential authors can contact.

The next step is to write a prospectus or proposal, which is essentially the same thing. This document should include a brief description of the book one wants to publish. Those proposing a book are advised to include details about the intended chapters and contributors for an anthology or the chapters he or she will write for a scholarly monograph. It is also standard to include a discussion of which books are in competition with the proposed book. In this discussion of the competition, the potential editor or author tries to identify what his or her book does that these other books do not, or what his or her book will do better than what the existing books do. Also included in the proposal document are a brief description of the intended audience and a discussion of the kinds of courses for which the book might be adopted. Any publisher, even the most esoteric academic press, will be interested in whether it can sell the proposed book. When submitting a proposal, it is also helpful for the author to include a chapter or two, if already written, as well as his or her curriculum vitae, or a condensed version of it, especially featuring the previous publications, if any. Some authors wait to submit a prospectus until the book is nearly finished, some send it out with only a single chapter completed, or even when they simply have an idea for a book. However, some people maintain that the more of the book that is already completed and the more an author can show a publisher, the more likely he or she is to be offered a contract.

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