The short list below outlines the information most helpful to us in determining the suitability of a book for the FirstForumPress publishing program.
1. The proposed book title.
2. A summary of the overall contribution of the work plus a briefly annotated table of contents. In crafting your chapter titles, remember that they should not be abstracts, but rather should succinctly reflect the content and logical flow of the book. And in the summary, it will help us if you identify the basic question(s) that your book addresses.
3. Information (an up-to-date c.v.) about the author(s).
4. Target audience. Is your book a monograph reporting the results of research? a synthetic analysis? or . . . ?
5. The estimated length of the entire work in characters, words, or double-spaced manuscript pages (if the latter, indicate the number of lines and characters per line on a typical page, or include a sample page), as well as the anticipated number of figures, tables, photographs, etc.
6. The expected manuscript completion date and an indication of what material is available now for review.
■ The six items above focus on what we, as the publisher, need to know. Now, turning to information that is important to you, the author:
The books that we publish have been peer reviewed. As is the case with many scholarly publishers, we will proceed with the external review process only if your manuscript is with us on an exclusive basis—that is, only if it is not being considered by another publisher. But remember, if we are having your manuscript reviewed, we have already committed to the concept of the project; that means that, if the results of the review process are positive, we will be proceeding with publication.
Note: We ask that you send your proposal via post or fax—not via email attachment. And please, always feel free to contact us with questions or for a preliminary response to your project.
■ Submitting your proposal.
If you already have a contact at FFP, you will want to send your proposal to that person. Otherwise:
- For books in the areas of disability studies, sociology (with a focus on the United States), criminology, or criminal justice, contact Andrew Berzanskis.
- For books on US Politics, Asia, Europe, or Latin America, contact Jessica Gribble.
- For all other projects, or if you're not sure who is the appropriate editor, contact Lynne Rienner at the address or telephone number below (no email submissions, please).