Proposals & Manuscripts

When submitting a proposal, we like to see the following:
1.   A covering letter (just addressed to the Editor), giving:
some background about yourself and any previous writing experience;
why you have chosen to write the book;
what research has been done;
what differentiates your book from the (usually) many similar titles already in the bookshops;
whether someone qualified in the subject area has seen the manuscript and commented positively on it;
your contact details - address, phone number, email, etc.

2.   A synopsis of the book, including number of words, details of any diagrams/illustrations, suggested table of contents.

3.   A printout of a sample chapter. Please, don’t send the whole book unless we have asked for it.

4.   A stamped, self-addressed envelope if you wish to have your submission returned to you.
N.B. NEVER send original documents, photos, or whatever, unless we have specifically called for such items, and then, ensure that they are sent by registered mail / signed for / recorded delivery, and insured if appropriate.

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We do consider unsolicited proposals, but we ask that you please do your homework first of all.

Far too many submissions assume that acceptance will be practically automatic, and that the author has his chosen subject really tied down such in a way that the public will fight to buy his book.
One might as well visit a major supermarket with a tube of one’s own concoction of toothpaste, hoping that they will adopt it, over and above the well-known, tried and trusted brands that have proven themselves over the years.

Here are a few statistics about the UK book trade:
>>> There are over 130,000 new titles published in the UK each and every year. That is apart from imported works, e.g. from the USA. The book trade here is so saturated that the average book sells less than 250 copies a year! I repeat - less than 250 copies a year.
>>> A large bookshop might stock up to say, 30,000 titles, while most shops stock far fewer, and that includes backlist as well as new titles.
>>> Some of the major bookshop chains nowadays only order one copy of each book at a time. The only exceptions being the “top fifty” types.
>>> Most publishers have cut back their publishing schedules drastically over the past few years; lots of them have stopped taking up new work from many existing authors, let alone newcomers.

If the above sounds negative and off-putting, unfortunately that’s the way the world is nowadays. It’s a tough environment , and the only thing that has become easier is self-publishing - or, more accurately, the physical process of book production.
Self-publishing certainly has value, but the above factors still apply. It is useful for those people who need a book on its own for one reason or another; for example, to accompany a course or series of lectures. Or, perhaps the author is a consultant, and would find the book useful for his clients or patients.
This kind of direct selling doesn’t need the book to be in the bookshops, it just requires that the book be well-presented and thought out.

If self-publishing is appropriate for your needs, then consider it carefully; we’re not talking about vanity publishing, which is delusional, we’re talking about a real, specific purpose for the book, one that simply does not include the necessity for it to compete in the public arena. If that sounds something along the lines of what you need, then have a look at the section on ESP (Exclusive Self-Publishing) in this website for more information on the subject.

We can help you along this route, because “self-publishing” does not automatically mean “quality production”; one may learn to put a car engine together pretty well, but that doesn’t mean one can also create the widgets and things that make up the engine... we can - that’s what we do all day - and probably the process we’re talking about could be called “assisted self- publishing”.
Read about ESP and contact us if it sounds interesting to you.