Getting Your Book Published

By Mitchell Allen and Christine S. Smedley

Book Overview

Many useful insights into the publishing process. . . . This book does provide an aspiring author with an excellent basic overview of the publishing system and how it works to serve both authors and publishers. It speaks to the ′business of publishing′ by offering concrete examples. . . . The chapter on ′writing a book′ is full of useful guidelines on what constitutes a publishable book, including edited works and those derived from dissertations. . . . The sample book proposal contained in this book is invaluable for any author, including those who may have prepared such presentations in the past--and especially for those who have not presented a book for publication. The chapter on ′the publishing contract′ contains much that will dispel the mystery associated with this document; it also advises the author as to which portions of the contract are negotiable and which usually are not. . . . The authors are right on target when they urge authors to view the ′author/publisher relationship as a partnership′ that builds lasting ties between the two parties. . . . Especially useful is the chapter on ′the production process′ and the schematic drawings illustrating the sequence of the various steps in that process. . . . The ′marketing′ chapter makes a valuable distinction between trade, text, and scholarly books. . . . This book is recommended for authors of professional and scientific works for its careful and comprehensive analysis of the publishing process as it applies to them. . . Scholarly authors should read the book and will profit from doing so. --Publishing Research Quarterly "If you are thinking about or planning on writing a book, I heartily recommend that you read this one. The authors are members of the Editorial Acquisitions and Production Staff of Sage Publications and obviously know whereof they speak. They take the reader through all of the steps of publication from the initial idea to helping with the marketing and provide what sounds to be like insider advice." --Academic Bookshelf Your colleague down the hall just had her book accepted by a respected publisher based upon a 3-page outline. You have been writing your magnum opus for a decade and have only a wall full of publisher′s rejections to show for it. What are you doing wrong? Getting Your Book Published is a practical guide for scholars and other professionals to the ins and outs of the academic and professional book publishing world. It will help you determine whether your idea can be turned into a book, how to find the right publisher and convince them to publish your work, and how to evaluate a contract and work with your editor. It outlines the production process and explains how you can help the publisher provide the most effective marketing possible. Sample proposals, letters, and other tools will help you get a foot in the door . . . so that the next book published is yours.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803954182
• ISBN13: 9780803954182
• Release Date: September 1993
• Publisher: Sage Publications
• Length: 146 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Though now a bit dated, the content is still relevant and very useful to young academics...

I have three books under my belt, one through a publishing company I established for the purpose of marketing a book that was too long, too detailed and too much of a niche topic that I really didn't think a publisher would take it without asking me to cut it in half -- it surprised me and was selected by CHOICE as as an "Outstanding Academic Title." My second was a modest paperback with the same attributes of the first; it was published by my employer-university. And, my third, that I co-authored with a good friend and scholar in my field, was published this year by one of the top academic presses in the world. In addition, I recently published -- through the press I established off to the side -- an excellent book on the 1918 influenza pandemic that is doing very well. All this to say that I've seen academic book publishing from a wide variety of situations and angles. While "Getting Your Book Published" is now a bit dated, it still has excellent, well-presented content and should be required reading for young scholars with any interest in the publishing process. I thoroughly enjoyed its straightforward, direct style as the contributors discussed the book publishing world and how to go about submitting your book proposal and/or dissertation to a publisher. With a larger than usual font for an academic title and shorter chapters that allows one to read it in just a couple of afternoons, the authors provide readers and would-be authors with a good fundamental understanding of how to go about getting published. Coverage includes: a discussion of the various types of publishers and the bottom-line economics they deal with to market books and survive; how one decides whether their book should be rewritten into one or more journal articles or can be broadened and rewritten into a book; the process of identifying and submitting a manuscript to the right publisher; how to prepare a book prospectus; how the peer-review process works; working with an editor; and, the book production and marketing process. From my experienced vantage point I believe that these authors are right on target with their descriptions and advice. And, though the title is now a bit dated, with the intense competition in the book-publishing industry today, it is still relevant and should be considered even more carefully to survive in a world where it gets tougher every day for young professors to get published. Highly recommended for college and university library collections and individual faculty seeking a mentor-in-print to help them understand and successfully push a book project through from idea to publication. R. Neil Scott Middle Tennessee State University

A "Must have" for academic writers

The authors are experienced editors in the academic book publishing business. They have a wealth of experience, and that experience shows in the very detailed and practical advice they give. The aim of this book is to maximize the success of academics who wish to begin a book-length writing project. This book includes all the basics. This is an essential for the bookshelf of the academic writer.