ADVICE FOR NEW AUTHORS

Download Proposal Guide (PDF)

We have a strong list of books already commissioned for 2012-2013. However, if you feel you have a proposal which may be of interest to us we encourage you to send us a short summary of what your proposal might cover before preparing a complete formal document using the template below.

Please email the summary to Geoffrey Mann at geoffrey@russellhouse.co.uk who will aim to reply by email within two-three working days.

Publishing proposal guide

To consider any proposal from you or your colleagues, we require the following information, submitted as an e-mail attachment. Usually between 2 and 6 pages of A4 will suffice.

PLEASE INCLUDE THE HEADINGS (shown in bold here) on your proposal.

1. Title and any sub-title.

2. Author/editor details.

3. The audience: Who is the work for? What can they hope to gain from reading it?

4. A blurb about the book that speaks to this audience, for example as on a back cover.

5. Marketing: how can the audience be reached? Don't dwell on this at length if the book relates closely to our existing marketing activities. Please contact us if in doubt.

6. The competition: in what other ways can the audience obtain information and advice that is similar to, or competes with, what your work will offer. (This might include competitive publications, academic or professional courses, training packages, etc.)

7. An outline of the contents.

8. Do you own (or can you obtain) copyright to all the material?

9. Likely length (words and/or pages).

10. Illustrations: numbers of photos, drawings, diagrams, charts, etc.

11. Format: what size of page and type of binding do you envisage?

12. What sort of price range do you envisage?

13. Timetable: what is a realistic target date for you to submit the completed work? Please note that we will need to receive the completed manuscript on disc and as hard copy.

14. Backing: it can sometimes help if people/organisations are willing to lend their name(s) to the publication. There is no need to respond on this, if you have no strong link-ups.

15. Please add any other information that you may want to supply in support of the project.

If you have finished, or nearly finished, writing the manuscript, we would be very pleased to see that also. But it is still very important that you submit a proposal as suggested here.

If the project has already been published in the same or similar format, please let us know: how many were printed; how many have been sold and/or given away; at what price the sales were made.

Thank you very much for your interest in Russell House Publishing.

Russell House Publishing Ltd,
Top Floor,
58 Broad Street,
Lyme Regis,
Dorset, DT7 3QF

Phone: (UK) 01297 443948

e-mail: jan@russellhouse.co.uk