The proposal guidelines

First impressions count, and your book proposal is the first document that publishers will use to make an initial decision about whether to reject your book or consider it for publication. So it’s worth taking your time over it and making it as good as it can be. Happily, our helpful guide will take you through the process step-by-step.

If you haven’t yet made a shortlist of publishers to approach, check out our guide to Choosing the right book publisher.

Once you’ve decided which publisher would give your book the best home, visit their website and find their proposal guidelines. Be sure to follow them! If anything is unclear, contact the commissioning editor and ask. They will be pleased you want to get this right.

If you’ve previously prepared a proposal for another publisher, don’t simply reuse it. You can certainly do plenty of copy and pasting, but make sure your proposal is in the format requested by the publisher you are approaching now.

Where to now?

• Back: Writing your book proposal
• Next: Who will read your proposal?
• Return to the ECR Hub homepage
• Ready to submit your manuscript? Discover the step-by-step guide to publishing with Edinburgh University Press