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Science and Technology Book Proposals

Thank you for visiting our submission page. We welcome submissions for all proposals that fit within our core publishing program. Please see the subject / specialty list here.

To submit your proposal, you will need to fill out a proposal form. Please download the relevant form below:

Once you have filled in the form, please send it to the Proposals Department with the following information in the email:

The form contains clear guidelines which you are strongly advised to follow - they will make the process easier, and increase the visibility of your proposal.

General Guidelines

We look forward to receiving your book idea. The form is intended to act as a guideline to the relevant information we need at this stage to consider your proposal for publication. Please provide as much detail as possible to ensure we are able to accurately assess and review the material without having to request further information.

Please follow the notes provided in each section to ensure your proposal includes sufficient information on:

Market and target audience
Define as accurately as possible the target readership for the proposed work and the market facing reasons why it is needed now. We try to market our products on the basis of the content/features they include, tailored to customer needs, and the benefits of these features to our readers, so please try to provide as much detail as possible on this aspect.

Competition and portfolio fit
Any products we publish must i) consider and compete successfully with the strengths of other similar resources on the market and ii) complement rather than compete with other related products in our portfolio. By tailoring your book from the point of conception to respond to the strengths and weaknesses of the competition and cluster effectively with our other products, it is easier for our sales and marketing teams to make it a success. Please remember that non-book products (including online services, training courses and free resources, for example) may present competition as well as traditional print products.

Content and sample material
It is possible to make a publishing decision on the basis of a table of contents and four or five sample pages, but ideally we would like to see at least a draft chapter to enable our reviewers to evaluate your style and technical accuracy. If you have more sample material available, or even a complete manuscript, please send it with your completed form.

Author background information
Please provide us with up to date contact details and a current biography. We would welcome a full CV giving details of all relevant teaching, research and professional experience, and a list of previous publications or articles.

PUBLISHING TIPS

If you are considering submitting a proposal, here are some tips to help you:

  • There are a lot of books in the world and to do well, it's best to have a fresh approach and not rehash something that's already available. What purpose will your book fill? Why do people need it? What will it help them do?
  • Research related books through Amazon.com or in the bookstore. Amazon is a godsend. Simply type in a key term and see what comes up. You can also look inside a lot of books and see their table of contents and layout.
  • Differentiate your idea from Elsevier books on the same subject. It's important for each book to occupy its own niche.
  • Differentiate your book from competitors. How is your book different and better than what's already out there? Why would people choose your book over the other?
  • Be specific about your audience. Your book should be written with a particular type of reader in mind or you risk having a diluted, over-general book that pleases no one.
  • A sample chapter is ideal but not mandatory if you can show writing samples on a similar subject. We need to see that you can write well and convey information to others.