A Guide:

We welcome the opportunity to evaluate proposals for new books. This page describes the information you should provide if you are thinking of writing or editing a book. 

In the first instance you should send a synopsis to the relevant commissioning editor.  The more that you can tell us about the proposed book, the better. The synopsis should include: 

• Title. A good title is very important because it may be the only indication of content, apart from the names of the authors, in bibliographies and references. It should be informative and descriptive, but also concise.
• An overview. A paragraph outlining in general the aims and coverage of the book and its level. It would be helpful to say why you think it is a good topic for a book and why you feel qualified to write it.
• Readership. Please state who you think will need the book and how your book will compare with others on the market. Do you think the majority of readers will buy the book, or will they use library copies? Mention any books that may compete with or complement yours.
• Table of contents. We need to know as much as possible about the intended contents and the way the topics will be presented. Please give a list of chapters and a paragraph on each chapter outlining its content. If you have already prepared a sample chapter, we should be glad to have a copy.
• Format. Please estimate the number of final printed pages in the book (allowing 500 words per typeset page). We should also like to know if the book will be illustrated by line drawings, photographs, graphs or in any other way. If you are able to submit a disk with the typescript, please give details of the system that will be used.
• About the authors. Please give a brief account of each author's present interests and position. If the book is a multi-author work please comment on how strict the editing procedure will be and what steps will be taken to avoid overlap and/or gaps in coverage between chapters.
• Timescale. It would be useful to have an estimation of the intended completion date. In the case of an edited volume please give the date for the deadline for the contributions and the date for delivery of the complete edited typescript.       

On receipt of the synopsis the proposal is reviewed. Reviewers' comments are discussed with the author and, subject to the satisfactory outcome to these discussions and the subsequent acceptance of the proposal by the Society, the terms and conditions are negotiated and defined in the Memorandum of Agreement.