How Do You Write A Book Proposal For An Academic Press? - Fixanswer

Some presses have strict guidelines. Others do not. The University of Chicago Press, for instance, says that a “project description” (similar to what other presses call a “prospectus”) “should be accomplished in

5–10 pages

.”

How do you write a book proposal?

1) Header. …
2) A brief synopsis of the book. …
3) Longer synopsis of the book, if you feel it is necessary. …
4) Chapter breakdown. …
5) Sample chapter (some editors will not require this) …
6) Book details. …
7) About the author/biography. …
8) Platform/audience.

How do you get an academic book contract?

Step 1: You connect with an acquiring editor. This might happen at a conference, or on Twitter, or via good old-fashioned email. …
Step 2: You’re invited to submit a full proposal. …
Step 3: The reviews come back. …
Step 4: The press’s editorial board approves the offer of a contract.

What makes a good academic book proposal?

Paragraph 1:

Hook – Invite the reader into your proposal with an interesting anecdote or some surprising data

. Paragraph 2: State your central argument. … Paragraph 3: State the contribution to scholarship and place in the literature. Paragraph 4: Provide a brief roadmap to the book.

Do publishers edit your book?

Publishers are not meant to edit your book

. Their job is to choose a work that is worthy of being represented by their reputable company. … If editing isn’t your strong suit, Scribendi offers many services for writers who have finished their manuscript but are not quite ready to submit it to a publisher.

How many pages should be in a book?

For a short and snappy non-fiction/educational type book, aim for

between 100 – 150 pages

, based on approximately 367 words per page using Arial font size 12 with a paragraph spacing of 1.5. This would equate to 36,700 – 55,000 words in total.

What is included in a book proposal?

A book proposal is a document designed to convince publishing houses to publish a book. Though a book proposal does not contain the entire book, it attempts to

present a brief summary of the central book idea, sample chapters on the subject matter, and a marketing plan for the proposed book.

How long is a book proposal?

The average book proposal itself will be

between 15 and 30 pages

. But book proposal length also includes those sample chapters, and this is where individual projects can land all over the map. If your book proposal is shorter than ten pages without sample material, however, it’s probably too short.

Do academics get paid for books?

But for the most part, academic books sell to a small audience, and given the time and cost of doing the research required to publish one of these books, they

don’t make any money for their authors

. They don’t make a lot of money for their presses either, though the people who work for a university press are paid.

How long should an academic book be?

Most scholarly journal articles are between 7,000 and 8,000 words, and most scholarly print books are

between 70,000 and 110,000 words in length

, with little flexibility for any word count in between.

How long does it take to publish an academic book?

It will take a

minimum of 1.5 years (24 months is more common)

from the time you submit your complete manuscript to an academic publisher and the time your academic book is published.

How long is a chapter in an academic book?

Typical thesis chapters are

10 – 12,000 words long

. Book chapters can be quite short – say 5,000 words – and are rarely much more than 8,000. Given that there is additional work to do in a book chapter (see 4 above) this means that there is much less in your word budget to use to make the point.

How many words does an academic book have?

Most scholarly journal articles are between 7,000 and 8,000 words in length, while most academic print books published are

between 70,000 and 110,000 words

, and historically there has rarely been any flexibility in this due to the methods used, and costs involved, in the printing process.

Should a book proposal be double spaced?

If properly developed and researched, a proposal can take weeks or longer to write. While proposal length varies tremendously, most are somewhere

around 10 to 25 pages double-spaced

, not including sample chapters.