Submitting a proposal
Developing your manuscript
The editorial stage
Sales and marketing
Style guide
References
Drug nomenclature
Submitting figures and photos

SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL

Discuss your proposal or book idea

If you would like to discuss your idea before preparing a detailed proposal, please contact the relevant publisher for your book:

Medicine: Sophie Kaliniecki; s.kaliniecki@elsevier.com; 03 9691 3319 / 0423 967 870

Nursing and midwifery: Luisa Cecotti: l.cecotti@elsevier.com; 02 9422 8572

Health professions: Melinda McEvoy; m.mcevoy@elsevier.com; 02 9422 8579

Elsevier Australia
Lvl 12, Tower 1, 475 Victoria Avenue
Chatswood NSW 2067
Phone: (02) 9422 8500
Fax: (02) 9422 8501

How do I prepare & submit a publishing proposal?

A publishing proposal document should be completed as thoroughly as possible to provide the information required for an effective appraisal both in-house and via external peer review. Your proposal document should be submitted preferably via email; however fax and mail are accepted.

The following is a summary of the sort of information required by Elsevier Australia to assess a proposal for a new book. The aim is to provide guidelines on the features that should be covered and the appropriate amount of detail to include.

Proposal summary

1. OUTLINE

1.1 Working title

• Choose a title that is as explicit as possible.

1.2 Aims & scope

• In one or two paragraphs describe the work, its rationale, framework and approach.
• List what you consider to be outstanding, distinctive or unique features of the work.
• What do you envisage the approximate extent of the work to be in terms of pages and/or words?

1.3 The market

• State the primary market for which the book is intended. Provide details of this market, emerging trends and any other developments that may affect the sales and marketing of the book.
• Provide details of other markets for which the book may be suitable.
• Provide an estimate as to the size of the target market.

1.4 Competition

• Please discuss each of the major competitors of your work in separate paragraphs. Details on the following should be included:
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of each competing title?
• How will your work be distinguished from these titles in terms of approach, topic coverage, level, pedagogical features, etc?

2. CONTENTS
   
   2.1 Table of contents

List the chapters and chapter headings in the sequence in which they will appear. Each chapter listed should include a synopsis of what the chapter will cover. The contents of the chapter should be listed in point form under the headings and subheadings that you propose using. This information should be detailed, because it is what we use to ascertain how the material fits together and how each chapter will be developed.

2.2 Sample chapter

Be prepared to produce a sample chapter of around 3000-4000 words to show the level, approach and style of writing for the whole book. We, or our reviewers, may select a particular chapter and in some cases more than one chapter may be required.

2.3 Illustrations & tables

Give a brief description of the content and purpose of the illustrations and tables and indicate what proportion of the book they will make up. A sentence or two to describe this is adequate.

2.4 Ancillary materials

Give details of any proposed student and/or instructor ancillaries you plan on including with this book including ideas for possible web-site development if appropriate.

3. AUTHOR(S) OR EDITOR(S)

Brief curriculum vitae on all author(s) or editor(s) should be included. If the book is a multi-contributed work, list intended contributors and the chapter(s) that they will contribute. We do not normally reveal the identity of potential authors or editors to reviewers without permission so these details should be included in a separate document.

Please note that contributors should only be approached on a tentative or informal basis until a formal commitment to publish the book has been made.

What happens next?

The relevant Publishing Editor will conduct market research to determine the suitability of the prospective title. Your proposal may be peer reviewed (anonymously) and the size of the market quantified. Some development may be necessary as a result of the review process, to ensure competitive advantage and to address market requirements.

After research and reviewing of the proposal have been completed, a commitment to proceed with the book will be given. The Publishing Editor will then present the book to the publishing committee and once accepted for publication, a contract will be issued. The contract will provide details of the conditions under which the book will be published as well as final details regarding the format and contents of the book.
 

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DEVELOPING YOUR MANUSCRIPT

Before you begin

The Publishing Editor responsible for your project will send a Memorandum of Agreement (your contract) to be signed by you and any co-authors. Please ensure you return this document as soon as possible.

The development stages are:

1. writing of manuscript, including the seeking of permissions for copyright material and the sourcing of artwork as required.
2. submission of first draft manuscript to Elsevier Australia for external peer review to assess the level, coverage and quality of work.
3. reviewer feedback conveyed to authors.
4. revisions/changes accommodated by authors.
5. submission of final manuscript with details of artwork, image and text permissions as required.

The development team

• Publishing editor: responsible for assessing viability of any given title, securing and contracting author(s) and managing projects within their list.
• Developmental editor: If your project has numerous contributors; a large number of permissions and/or figures; a complex ancillary package; entrenched competition; or requires extensive reviewing for whatever reason, then a Developmental Editor will be assigned. The Developmental Editor reports to the Publishing Editor on the progress and development of the manuscript, and is responsible for briefing an author, maintaining contact during the preparatory stages, working with authors and reviewers in developing the text, and ensuring the manuscript arrives in-house on time and in an acceptable form.

Developmental schedules

As outlined in your Memorandum of Agreement timelines are stipulated for each stage of a project and it is imperative that the schedule is adhered to as closely as possible, (not withstanding unforeseeable circumstance). If you are not clear about any aspect of the schedule or have any concerns, please contact us.

1. Draft ms submission
   The manuscript is complete and submitted to us to undertake comprehensive reviews by selected peers who are chosen for their key position in the market field, knowledge of the area you are writing about, and potential adoption influence.
    
2. Review
   A standard questionnaire is sent to reviewers to guide them in providing consistent, constructive and comprehensive feedback. Reviewers are paid a nominal honorarium for their time and expertise, and they are generally acknowledged in the preliminary pages assuming Author approval.
   
   Once the review process is complete, the reviews are compiled and sent to you for consideration. Some further development of the manuscript may be required as a result of feedback. Contributors can be directed to take in changes, but please ensure they understand the need for a quick turnaround, so you have time to review the material before final submission to us.
    
3. Final ms submission
   Once your manuscript is complete and you have checked it complies with our Guidelines for writing and submitting your manuscript (see heading below), it can be submitted to the Publishing Editor or Developmental Editor (whoever is your most current point of contact). After checking and preparing the transmittal notes, the Publishing Editor or Developmental Editor will convey the project to Publishing Services for the next stage of production.

Preparing your manuscript

The following information will help you prepare your manuscript to our style specifications. Please follow these guidelines to ensure a smoother production process. Where more information is required, refer to the Style Manual: For authors, editors and printers, 6e, John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. Manuscripts may be rejected if the following conditions have not been met:

• Your manuscript should be in an electronic format suitable for submitting either via email or on CD. No handwritten text can be accepted.
• We assume ms will be prepared in Microsoft Word. Please contact your Publishing Editor or Developmental Editor if you intend otherwise.
• Please save each chapter as a separate file. Similarly, preliminary matter, appendices and other end matter should be saved as separate files. Please do not submit the entire manuscript as one file.
• Name your files in a logical fashion, e.g. "BTFF_Ch01_Professional practice.doc" gives the book title abbreviation, the chapter number, and the chapter title. (Using 0 before numbers under 10 will ensure chapters sort correctly.)
• Type your manuscript in 12 point Times roman or similar. Do not use style formatting other than headings, bold, italics and bullet points.
• Do not paste any artwork into your chapters. Indicate in the text where you require material such as figures, images and photos to be placed. (See Checklist for preparing your artwork for more details on setting up artwork files.)
• Ensure your manuscript is the agreed length (refer to your Memorandum of Agreement).
• All agreed pedagogical features have been included.
• Please use the most up-to-date references as possible.
• Manuscript and illustrations are complete.
• An up-to-date Artwork/Figure Checklist and written permissions from copyright holders and permissions items to include in the manuscript are ready.
• Patient releases for photographs, case history descriptions and other information from which the patient is recognisable or otherwise can be identified must be supplied. (Patient Consent Permissions Letter template)
• We require printouts only of diagrams that will be scanned and inserted into the manuscript.
• Ensure you keep a copy of all material that you will submit.

Your responsibilities as an author

As an author, you are responsible for providing material to Elsevier Australia in accordance with the schedule and conditions outlined in your Memorandum of Agreement, as well as the Guidelines for writing and submitting your manuscript (see heading below) and Checklist for preparing your artwork.

You are also responsible for coordinating and managing any contributors that you have selected to work on the manuscript. You will be expected to maintain regular contact with contributors, to check their text and artwork, to provide guidance and feedback, and to follow up on any outstanding material. If there are any concerns relating to contributors, please contact your Developmental Editor as soon as possible.

It is also your responsibility to ensure that all permissions have been sought as required. You can request contributors to source permissions for the material they are working on, and ask they send the permissions clearance to you when submitting their chapters. For more information on permissions, please go to Permissions Guidelines.

If you are part of a team of authors, you and your colleagues will need to work closely together to ensure the successful development of the text. If you have any queries, concerns or problems, you can contact either your Publishing Editor or Developmental Editor for advice or mediation.

If there are contributors working on the manuscript, figures should be submitted by the chapter contributor to you. Should any figures be missing or found unacceptable for publication, it is your responsibility to provide the figures or alternatives to us.

Guidelines for writing and submission of your manuscript

You will be provided with an Artwork Checklist spreadsheet to use for any figures or illustrations to be included in your manuscript. How to submit figures and use the Artwork Checklist are discussed here.

If you have contributors working on the manuscript you should check they are producing their work in accordance to your requirements or the guidelines they have been provided with. They must submit their chapters directly to you, as you are responsible for submitting the entire manuscript to Elsevier Australia. Ensure all the submission requirements below are met, not just for your material but for those of the contributors as well.

For individual chapter authors

If you are contributing to a collected work, please refer to all general manuscript and figure submission guidelines, together with the following:

Before you begin

The Publishing Editor responsible for your project will send a Memorandum of Agreement to be signed by you and any co-contributors. Please ensure you return this document as soon as possible.

Who do I work with?

As a contributor, you will be mainly working with the author/editor responsible for your chapter. In some cases, it may be decided that more than one person will be involved in writing a chapter, and you may have a co-contributor. The author/editor will provide you with your co-contributor's contact details and you should organise to discuss the development of the chapter via telephone, email or in person where possible. If you experience any difficulties with the development of the chapter, you should contact your author/editor as soon as possible.

What are my responsibilities as a contributor?

As a contributor, you are responsible for providing material to your author/editor on time and in accordance with the Memorandum of Agreement sent to you by Elsevier Australia. You are also required to ensure your manuscript is submitted to the author/editor in accordance with the guidelines set out here. You should also ensure your work reflects the requirements of any specific guidelines set out for the manuscript.
 

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THE EDITORIAL STAGE

The process, step by step

• Copyediting of manuscript, with liaison between copyeditor and authors, and professional illustration preparation if required.
• Typesetting and correction.
• Checking of first page proofs by authors.
• Proofreading and correction
• Second page proofs sent to professional indexer
• Printing of manuscript.
• Publication.

The editorial team

The Publishing Services (editorial, design and production) team will determine the publication schedule. and will introduce you to the copyeditor and inform you of timeframes for each stage of production.

Editorial coordinator: reports to the Publishing Services Manager, deals with project from transmittal of the completed manuscript (post-review) to publication, coordinating copyediting and proofreading stages; liaising with authors, copyeditor, proof reader, indexer, typesetter and printer.

Publishing services manager: responsible for the overall management of the production schedule including appointing freelancers (editor, designer, typesetter, indexer, proof reader), enlisting print quotes and booking printers, establishing systems, and liaising with Elsevier US or UK in the case of adapted titles.

Copy editor: the copy editor's primary role is to ensure the clarity of expression and the coherence of the text in order to facilitate the reader's comprehension. If a literate editor is not able to follow the logic and expression of your writing (leaving aside technical matters), chances are that the reader won't be able to either. An editor otherwise assumes responsibility for the following:

• correcting grammar, punctuation and language usage
• checks consistency of citation styles and the completeness of references (but not their accuracy)
• consistency of structure of text as denoted by headings
• checks captions and figures for sense and sequence
• standardises (as much as possible) the voice and tone of the writing
• ensures all text and any illustrations, photographs, captions, footnotes etc are keyed to each other correctly

The function of an editor is to be 'the reader's advocate', and an editor should always ensure that nothing intrudes between the author's intent and the reader's understanding. This will include anything affecting clarity of communication from ambiguous expression to confusing layout. Please try to respond to your copyeditor's queries promptly and directly. You can forward queries onto a contributor where necessary, but please reinforce the need for a quick turnaround in their response.

Page proofs

After the copyediting process, the typesetter prepares first page proofs with images and tables included within the design. A set of page proofs will be sent to you for checking.

It is your responsibility to read the text, tables, captions and all other material, correcting errors of fact or other inadvertent mistakes. This is not an opportunity to rewrite the text, and rewrites that don't address any actual error will only be taken in at the copyeditor's discretion.

• Please mark any changes neatly and clearly in red, blue or green ink, never pencil or black ink. This will be a great help to the copyeditor and reduce the chance of your changes being misread or misunderstood.
• The typesetter works line by line when correcting proofs, looking down the margins of proofs. Therefore, you should make your correction in the margin - not in the lines of type - nearest the mistake and level with it. If more than one mistake occurs in a line of text the marginal corrections should be written from left to right in the same order as the mistakes occur in the line.
• If you are heading up a team of contributors, checking proofs is your and your co-authors' responsibility, not that of the individual contributors.
• If you are one of a team of authors, please advise if you each require proofs of the full text or only of those chapters for which you were responsible.
• One of a team of co-authors must be responsible for collating corrections into a single clean set for return to the copy editor.
• All proofs must be read word for word - this will generally be the only opportunity you have to see the work before publication.
• Write corrections clearly in ink in the margins of the proofs with corresponding marks in the text.
• Once you have returned marked up first page proofs, our Publishing Services team will coordinate the rest of the project, liaising with the copyeditor, indexer, typesetter and designer, until the book is ready to be sent to the printer. We'll let you know once this has happened, and advise you when to expect your complimentary copies of the book in print

Cover art

Creation of the cover art and design is the responsibility of the Publishing Services team who will work in conjunction with the marketing team. Cover design generally will not involve you but if you have thoughts about suitable images, feel free to email us about these. Please note that your preferences may not necessarily be addressed.

Index

A professional indexer will be commissioned to create the index for your book. If you wish to either see proofs or to suggest key headwords for inclusion in the index, please mention this to your Editorial Coordinator.
 

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SALES AND MARKETING

What will be done to promote and sell my book?

Our sales and marketing teams will be promoting your title, independently or as part of a discipline-related list, through many channels which may vary to suit the needs of the individual products.

Promoting your book

• Direct mail (leaflets, emails, electronic campaigns, and catalogues). Throughout the year, items are mailed to customers (individuals, booksellers, academics, etc) throughout our domestic market and worldwide. These include monthly brochures and previews, which are used by the sales force to secure orders for current and future titles. Various trade promotions may also be undertaken to assist bookshops in merchandising and selling our products.
• Exhibitions. Books are also promoted and sold at exhibitions, conferences and congresses throughout our markets. Elsevier Australia or independent contractors or local booksellers acting our behalf attend exhibitions throughout the year. Please visit our Conference Calendar for more information regarding the conferences at which Elsevier Australia will be present or represented.
• Advertising. Promotion is also carried out via advertising in journals and other relevant professional publications.

Selling your book

• Sales team. Elsevier Australia books are sold by our experienced sales team calling on academics, professionals and bookshops. The team receives back up from in-house sales support and works closely with the marketing department.
• E-commerce to consumer. Elsevier Australia has developed our e-commerce site to guide the internet customer to the in-depth information in our online catalogues and through to secure online order forms. In addition the website includes contact details of customer services and our representatives for customers who seek information online but would prefer to deal with person to person ordering.
• Communications and special sales. A special communications group (Excerpta Medica) is responsible for exploiting the rapidly growing pharmaceutical and corporate markets. If appropriate, Excerpta Medica can tap into special customers for your book.
   

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STYLE GUIDE

Click to open the Style Guide.

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REFERENCES

Click to open the References document.

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DRUG NOMENCLATURE

Click to open the Drug Nomenclature document.

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SUBMITTING FIGURES AND PHOTOS

We generally use the term 'artwork' to include illustrations, figures, line drawings, photographs, graphs, X-rays, ECGs and flow charts

These guidelines do not apply to tables or text boxes unless there is an illustration to be inserted into the table or text box.

General artwork guidelines

• Please do not include artwork within your manuscript Word files except tables and text boxes. Graphics pasted into Word documents lose reproduction quality and cannot be accepted. Instead, provide either hard copies for scanning/redrawing or provide individual press-quality electronic files.
• Artwork created in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, figures supplied as PDFs, and artwork cut and pasted from websites are not usually suitable for quality reproduction. You can print out artwork in these formats and supply them as hard copies which will be redrawn by an illustrator.
• Please complete and submit an Artwork Checklist (see Artwork Checklist below for template) with your manuscript using the template supplied. You can use this checklist to ensure that you have provided all the information we need in order to be able to reproduce your artwork and to ensure no material is missing.
• Artwork should be numbered consecutively within each chapter, e.g. Figure 1.1, 1.2 and so on, then Figure 2.1, 2.2 etc.
• Indicate preferred placement of artwork in the text by using [Insert Fig 1.1 here].
• Captions can either be included in the text where the artwork is to appear or saved in the Artwork Checklist.
• Where an image is made up of a number of parts, provide all parts and label them a, b, c etc.
• Any artwork from a source other than your own must have permissions clearance in writing (General Permission Letter template). Copies of permissions clearances should be submitted with your manuscript. All artwork sources must be properly acknowledged in the manuscript.

Artwork supplied as electronic files or scans

• Any electronic artwork must be supplied as press-ready files, in an acceptable file format and resolution.
• Acceptable file formats are 'eps ' 'jpeg' or 'tif ' files. Figures created in Word, PowerPoint or cut from websites are unsuitable for quality reproduction and cannot be accepted. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding suitable file formats.
• Images must have resolution of at least 300 dpi for black and white or colour files, and 900 dpi for line art. This is the resolution that is required at the final physical size of the image, so please contact your Developmental Editor to discuss the size specifications for your images. As a rule, files under 400kB are unlikely to be usable.
• Colour files should be saved in CYMK mode, not RGB.
• When saving files, use the figure number as the file name (i.e. Fig 1.1.jpg)

Artwork supplied as hard copy

• Each piece of hard copy artwork should be clearly labelled with the corresponding figure number, caption and full source details.
• If supplying original materials such as photographs, slides, X-rays, ECGs etc to be scanned, please place each item in a plastic sleeve or envelope. Label each with the figure number and also your contact details for return of the item. Do not write directly on the originals or on the back of photographs as ink or outlines may mark the image; rather, write on a post-it note or sticky label and then place this on the back of the original.
• If supplying a photocopy of artwork that is to be redrawn or amended please ensure it is a clear photocopy in which all labels and parts of the artwork are legible. Similarly, if providing a sketch of what the artwork should like, please ensure it is clear and all parts are legible.
• Please note that scans will only be as good as the quality of the original supplied.
• If any scanned items need to be annotated (e.g. addition of arrows or labels), include a sketch or photocopy indicating these, together with any notes that may assist the illustrator or typesetter.

Using artwork from websites

• Website addresses or web links will not be accepted; you must provide a copy of the actual artwork.
• Artwork on websites is subject to copyright and you must obtain permission to use it. Contact the website owner to obtain permission to use the artwork either as it is (in which case you need to request a press-ready file of the artwork) or to be redrawn by our illustrator (in which case you will need to supply a clear print out).
• If the site does not contain sufficient contact information to clear permission, the figure will probably not be suitable for publication.

Using figures from other Elsevier publications

• In many cases artwork can be reproduced from other Elsevier publications and we can order the press-ready file for you. However, if the book is out of print, or if there is a source line below the artwork indicating the copyright does not belong to Elsevier, the artwork may not be available. If this is the case, we will advise you, and you will need to supply a replacement figure.
• To ensure we source the correct image, please supply a photocopy of the artwork along with clear, complete citation information including the title and author of the book, publication year, page number and figure number in the original publication.
• Please ensure the figure number applicable to the new book, as well as the figure number in the original Elsevier book, is supplied in the Artwork Checklist.

Artwork checklist

The Artwork Checklist can be used to record the details of artwork included in the manuscript and ensure that all material is ready and permission has been sought where required. To source the Artwork Checklist, click here.

Tables and text boxes

Tables and text boxes can be included within the manuscript for submission, however it is important to ensure they are labelled correctly and numbered consecutively within each chapter, e.g. Table 1.1, Table 1.2 and so on. Captions should be included as well.

NOTE: Tables and text boxes do not need to be entered into the Artwork Checklist.

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