Who will read your proposal?
- Commissioning editor: they will decide whether your book makes a significant contribution to the field, whether it fits with their list and ultimately whether to take your proposal forwards.
- External reviewers: they will engage with the content on an academic level and will give their view on the market, readership and competition.
- Academic committee: university presses ask a committee of academics to read your book proposal to ensure the content meets the quality expected of a university press publication.
- Sales and marketing: they need to understand the key features of your book so that they can effectively position and promote it to bookshops, libraries and academics.
In other words, you need to communicate the importance of your book to both academic specialists and academic publishing specialists. Bear this in mind when you’re writing your proposal – you want to convey the academic importance of your book while also writing clearly in plain English wherever possible.
Where to now?
- Back: The proposal guidelines
- Next: The key elements of the proposal
- Return to the ECR Hub homepage
- Ready to submit your manuscript? Discover the step-by-step guide to publishing with Edinburgh University Press
