Developing Your Manuscript

• Developing a Prospectus and Table of Contents
• Manuscript Development
• The Review Process

DEVELOPING A PROSPECTUS AND TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. PROJECT

1. Brief Description

In one or two paragraphs, describe the project, your rationale for writing it, approach, and biases (if any) toward the topic.
 
 
2. Outstanding Features

List briefly what you consider to be the outstanding, distinctive, or innovative features of the book.
 
 
3. Apparatus

Will the book include examples, cases, activities, strategies, teaching suggestions, glossaries, bibliographies, appendices, chapter summaries, questions, answer books, problem sets, student guide, instructor's manual, etc.?

II. MARKET CONSIDERATIONS

1. Primary Markets

 

 
 
 
 
 

1. College: In which college courses will this book be applicable? Are these introductory, undergraduate, or graduate courses? Would it be used as a basic text and/or a supplement?

 

 
 
 
 
 

2. Professional Reference: Is the book suitable for purchase or personal reference? Who would purchase it -- teachers, administrators, nurses, engineers, etc.? Where are they likely to be located -- schools, business, hospitals, etc.?

 

 
 
 
 
 

2. Secondary Markets

Library, trade, foreign, etc.

III. COMPETITION

1. Consider any existing books in this field and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. (If possible, supply title, author, publisher, date of publication, and number of pages.) How will your book be similar to, as well as different from, competing texts? 
2. Please discuss each competing book in a separate paragraph so that we will have some basis on which to compare your material. If no competitive book exists, try to cite a book that comes closest to your own.

 

 
 
 
 
 

IV. STATUS OF THE WORK

1. What is your timetable for completing the book? What portion has been completed? When will sample chapters be available for review?

 

 
 
 
 
 

2. What do you estimate to be the size of the completed book? (Double-spaced, typewritten pages normally reduce by approximately one-third when set in type. For example, 450 typewritten pages equal approximately 300 printed pages.)

 

 
 
 
 
 

3. Will the book contain any photographs, line drawings, charts, graphs, diagrams, etc.? If so, approximately how many of each?

 

 
 
 
 
 

4. Has your material been previously class tested, either in your own course or in any other sections, courses, schools, etc.?

 

 
 
 
 
 

V. VITA

VI. TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Example:

CHAPTER 1: LOCATION SKILLS A. Library Skills 1. Card Catalogues 2. Reference Books 3. Resource Materials

VII. SAMPLE MATERIAL

VIII. COVER LETTER

IX. MAIL TO:

(Find the Acquisitions Editor for your discipline), Editor
ALLYN & BACON
PEARSON EDUCATION GROUP
160 Gould Street
Needham Heights, MA 02494-2315

Next>> Manuscript Development
 

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