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Submitting a Proposal

Refer to the following guidelines on the submission of scholarly and non-fiction manuscripts as well as information about the review process and contracts. For guidelines on the submission of poetry manuscripts, please visit the Oskana Series page.

See below for details on: 

 

Manuscript Submission

Be sure that the subject line of your email states your full name and the working title of the manuscript and indicate if this is a scholarly book or a trade book, OR a hybrid manuscript submission. (Please note: Oskana Poetry & Poetics manuscript submissions have their own guidelines; please see the Oskana link for those directions and specific email address.) 

In an email addressed to uofrpress.acquisitions@uregina.ca, please provide the following (or as much of this list as possible):

  1. The working title for the book.
  2. A summary of the project (250–500 words), describing your manuscript in clear language, avoiding academic jargon as much as is possible.
  3. A copy of your scholarly CV or author resume, including statement of your citizenship/country of residence (for granting purposes).
  4. An annotated table of contents (if possible).
  5. A list of similar books published on this subject, noting how yours stands apart from them. Please include a statement on what unique contribution your manuscript makes to the field (and be sure to specify the field(s) to which it makes this contribution).
  6. The intended audience—list in as much detail as possible (avoid stating the general reader). Are there specific communities of readers for this book? Who are they? Any potential course adoptions for this book and what are they? (Your publisher needs to be able to imagine who exactly will buy this book and if we can reach them via our marketing and distribution channels.)
  7. The total word count of the completed manuscript (or an estimate what it will be when completed), including front matter, back matter, all footnotes/endnotes, and references?
  8. A list of any additional materials to be included, such as maps, photographs, graphs, tables, etc. Do you have permissions to reproduce these materials?
  9. Has any of the manuscript been previously published? If so, give an estimated percentage of previously published material that makes up your manuscript: 10%? 30%?
  10. Did this manuscript originate as a dissertation or from a conference proceeding? If so, explain the changes that have been made towards moving it to book form.
  11. Is this book proposal under consideration elsewhere by other publishers?
  12. Lastly, visit our website and review our new releases and our backlist. Tell us how your book fits into the lists that University of Regina Press is developing. For instance, do you see books that we have recently published that are complementary to your own? In reading our publisher's letters that are found on our website, can you speak to how your book fits in with the Press's vision and mandate?

 Thank you! This information will be helpful as we consider whether our Press is a good fit for your book and to make the case for our URP editorial team and our publications boards. Do note that it typically takes four to eight weeks for an editor to be back in touch with you. If you haven’t heard anything after eight weeks, please do follow up with an email to uofrpress.acquisitions@uregina.ca.

 

Peer Review

The review process includes:

  • an initial assessment by the acquisitions editor to determine the manuscript's compatibility with the University of Regina Press's publishing mandate.
  • following ASPP guidelines, a review of the manuscript by at least two scholars in the discipline to assess the originality and importance of the manuscript's contribution to its field of scholarship.
  • an opportunity for the author to respond to the assessments and describe proposed changes or revisions to the text, if they are needed.
  • a re-read report by one of the reviewers to ensure revisions are satisfied. 

Manuscript appraisers are asked to consider specific questions when assessing manuscripts:

  • What is the thesis of the work? Is the scholarship sound and up-to-date? Does the manuscript make a significant contribution to its field?
  • Is the presentation effective in terms of style and organization?
  • What is the primary audience for the work? To what extent is it likely to appeal to readers outside its main area of scholarship and to general readers?
  • What are the major books published on this subject? How does this work compare with them?
  • What revisions would you suggest? Do you recommend publication, with or without revisions?

The identity of readers is kept strictly confidential.

If the reviewers recommend publication, the author is responsible for considering and incorporating the reviewers' suggestions for revising the manuscript before submitting a final electronic and hard copy to the University of Regina Press.

The peer review is overseen by the Faculty Publications Board, which is made up of ten tenured faculty members working at the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan.

 

Signing a Contract

Once University of Regina Press has agreed to publish your work, the project will be assigned a place in the press's publication schedule. The author will be issued a contract and a deadline for receipt of the final manuscript and all accompanying material.

University of Regina Press's standard contract details the responsibilities of both the press and author. For example, it is the responsibility of the press to publish the work within a specified time frame, to edit it and market it in accordance with current publishing standards, to bear financial responsibility for publication, and to pay the author, on a regular basis, royalties on sales of the book or subsidiary rights to the book. It is the responsibility of the author, for example, to submit the completed manuscript and all additional materials by the agreed-upon date, to obtain permissions for use of copyrighted material, and to obtain all illustrations, graphs, charts, etc., which are to be included in the publication. Authors are welcome to discuss the specific terms of the contract with the acquisitions editor. However, an author is responsible for obtaining independent legal advice before signing, if he or she is uncertain about accepting any of the terms of the contract.

 

Next Steps:

Preparing Your Manuscript

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