Scientific Writing and Scholarly Publishing: Book writing & publishing

• 5 strategies for hitting a writing deadline (blogger Delia Lloyd)
• Writing an academic book (blogger Ilya Somin) - a four-post series on writing and getting academic books published
• Clarity in scientific writing resources from UCSF's writing course (UCSF only)
• Getting it published: A guide for scholars and anyone else serious about serious books (print book available through Interlibrary Loan)
• Writing for publication in nursing (ebook through the Library)
• Tips for turning your dissertation into a book (Taylor & Francis)

Steps to publishing a book

1. Develop the concept for the book you want to write.
2. Research books in your field in order to understand how your book will differ.
3. Research publishers in your field and examine their submission guidelines.
4. Contact the publisher's acquisitions/commissioning editor for your field as appropriate before preparing your proposal.
5. Prepare and submit your book proposal packet according to the publisher's specific guidelines. Anticipate a first response within 1-3 months. You may be expected to include at least one written chapter with your submission.
6. Track your submission(s) and response(s) and submit to a new publisher if your proposal is rejected.
   • Some publishers allow simultaneous submission to more than one publisher and will state this in their submission guidelines.
7. Once your proposal is accepted for publication, sign a contract outlining royalties, copyright, delivery date, and other details.
8. Write or complete your manuscript in conjunction with your editor.
9. Once complete, the manuscript goes to production, publication, and marketing.

See an overview of Taylor & Francis book publishing's steps.

Resources

Examples of helpful online guidance applicable to prospective authors:

• Publishing your first book (video, 12 min, Oxford University Press) - what goes into a book proposal, and OUP's review process
• Initial inquiry instructions for prospective authors (MIT Press)
• Navigating your success in book proposals (Routledge Press) - hints and tips from book editors
• Example publishing guidelines, checklists, and forms (Taylor & Francis)
• Peer review best practices for scholarly books (Association of University Presses handbook)
• Understanding and negotiating book publication contracts (Authors Alliance guide) - see all Authors Alliance guides for scholarly book authors

Authors have the option to publish their books open access, making them freely available online to all readers. Book publishers use a variety of business models for open access publishing. Though some, particularly commercial publishers, use the book processing charge (BPC) model charged to the author (example), models that subsidize publication costs through institutional support programs are increasingly popular.

UCSF does not have a funding program to help authors pay BPCs, though the UC Libraries contribute to several non-profit book publishers that either do not charge author fees or discount the BPC.

Open access (OA) book publishing resources

• OA book programs available to UCSF authors
• FAQ about OA book publishing (UC Office of Scholarly Communication)
• OA Books Toolkit (OAPEN Foundation) - covers topics like the OA book landscape, business models, contracts, and copyrights
• Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) (OAPEN, others) - a community-funded, searchable index of OA books, to help find trusted OA book publishers
• Rights reversion resources (Authors Alliance) - for authors seeking to regain copyrights for their published books