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Post by drbearjew on Nov 16, 2011 9:19:55 GMT -5
I've sent out a prospectus to three University presses - two of which have rejected it so far. Still waiting on news from the third.
The standard email was sent - they regret they cannot publish it at this time, it is not an issue of scholarship but an issue of needs, etc.
I've read the William Germano book on how to turn a dissertation into a book, and I've received some feedback on my prospectus from my advisor.
Does anyone have experience in submitting prospectus, or talking to editors at presses? What are some of the things they do look for? How might one be able to assess the needs of the press prior to submission, or is this really not feasible?
I hope this thread is appropriate to this forum. My apologies if it is not.
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rrr
Full Member
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Post by rrr on Nov 16, 2011 9:45:00 GMT -5
Did you add the research about similar books, the marketing pitch and all that jazz? My book friends tell me that helps.
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Post by lookielou on Nov 16, 2011 10:37:26 GMT -5
Is it possible that you sent your prospectus to UPs that were a bad "fit" for the work you do? FWIW, don't feel too badly if places like Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, Duke, or U of California P declined to consider your book further. They get many submissions.
Some UPs are downsizing. For instance, I've heard that within the last year or so, Penn State UP is no longer acquiring Latin American studies titles.
I have talked to editors at conferences and managed to land my book with my first choice, but it took me 2 years to finagle a final book contract. It helped that I had a supportive colleague who encouraged me to use his name with the editor at the press. Is there a similar connection you can use to get in touch with an editor?
My best advice is to make sure that you tailor your prospectus to the press: follow the guidelines provided on the website. Send the prospectus/sample chapters out to multiple places, not just 3. Get other people to look over your prospectus--people in different fields whose books have been published by the presses you admire.
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Post by drbearjew on Nov 16, 2011 11:24:28 GMT -5
I sent to Duke, Chicago, and California as my top three.
Broadly, I am an ethnographer engaged with substantive interests aligned with Critical Affect Studies. I thought Duke would be a good fit because they publish quite a bit on affect; Chicago because they do quite a bit of ethnography; and Cal because, well, my advisor suggested it.
Anyway, I did pitch it (I think) in terms of talking about other works, where mine fits, etc.
What are the pros and cons of going to an academic press that is not a University press? e.g. Routledge.
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Post by leavinglv on May 4, 2012 0:32:01 GMT -5
My sense is that it's better to go with a university press because they will put some effort into marketing your book when it's out. Plus if it sells rather well (which these days is probably in the ballpark of about 1000 copies), they will print a soft cover version that can be made available widely in bookstores, on Amazon, etc. Routledge, on the other hand, only publishes hard copies that will go to institutions that can afford the roughly $150 price. So I would try as many university presses as possible before turning to Routledge.
Also, it's time to use your networks! Having advisors or other colleagues who have published with certain presses introduce you to editors is a good way to go. I was put in contact with the acquisitions editor at a top press that way, and it has streamlined the process immensely. Good luck.
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Post by Miss Ann Thrope on Mar 25, 2015 5:47:24 GMT -5
About how many presses is the norm to submit? 3? More? Just 1? I'm considering submitting to five presses but that seems like a lot...
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like everything else...
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Post by like everything else... on Mar 25, 2015 14:46:59 GMT -5
...landing a book contract is essentially about networks.
You may get lucky and get a contract through an email submission, but this is highly unlikely.
I would spend my time and effort in trying to work your networks. Specifically a)try to find out if your advisor or other published senior colleagues are willing to get you in touch with her and b)see if there is a book series in which your book fits, then find out who's editing it, and see if anyone you know knows the series editor and can put you in touch. If they don't, try to contact them directly through their academic email.
But don't waste too much time in sending emails to generic email addresses.
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ike everything else...
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Post by ike everything else... on Mar 25, 2015 14:53:11 GMT -5
Typo: "to get you in touch with her" should be "to get you in touch with their editors"
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Post by disagree on Mar 25, 2015 16:05:04 GMT -5
...landing a book contract is essentially about networks. ... But don't waste too much time in sending emails to generic email addresses. I respectfully disagree. Yes, social networks can help, but book publishers (and more specifically their editors) reside in a completely different institutional realm from academia. Nudges from professors they respect might help them take a closer look at a prospectus or manuscript, but they have their own criteria and standards for selecting one for further review. They're not going to accept a project that they don't believe in (or if they don't think it will help their catalog). I secured a full review of a prospectus and manuscript at a 2nd-tier academic publisher without any connections, other than name-dropping my graduate institution and advisors (all of whom are at least known on a national level). Those names might have helped, but I definitely know that it was my topic, approach, and the quality of my submitted work that ultimately resulted in full review and the book contract. Regarding "sending emails to generic email addresses" -- this definitely won't work because most editors prefer to receive submissions via snail mail. They're very unlikely to open, print, or read email attachments sent as cold-calls. (This comment makes me think that "like everything else" doesn't have much experience here.) There are guides out there for submitting book proposals, or for turning theses into books; it would be best to review those first. To respond to the OPs initial question: identify 3 or 4 likely publishers, and then take one of two strategies. First, if there is one that you really want, send it to them and let them know they are the only one seeing this. Some publishers explicitly state "no simultaneous submissions," but these are generally the upper-tier ones. You can, however, ignore this (but state so in your cover letter), and send it to 3 or 4 at once and then wait. No real need to send more than that -- if you're not getting positive feedback, you might want to reconsider how you're pitching this before exhausting future options. Hope this helps. |
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Post by sockpuppet on Mar 31, 2015 11:45:02 GMT -5
About how many presses is the norm to submit? 3? More? Just 1? I'm considering submitting to five presses but that seems like a lot... Wow, I remember when this thread got started about 4 years ago. Submit to your top 3 choices at first (aim high) and wait about 6 weeks. If you hear nothing, then send another batch of 3. Keep going down the line of UPs until you get to the respected commercial academics. Don't put yourself in a position where a lower ranked press presses you to commit to them while you still think a higher ranked one might respond. In the end, there were about 6 UPs where my book could have fit. It just depends on your topic. As for the other responses in this thread. Yes, send paper copies at first (unless they specifically invite electronic copies). No, it's not all about networks. |
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Post by Miss Ann Thrope on Mar 31, 2015 13:08:42 GMT -5
Sockpuppet,
Thank you!
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