Proposal Guidelines for Humanities Authors

 

Working with Ashgate

Thinking of becoming an Ashgate author? Then we want to tell you upfront about Ashgate's strengths as a publisher and about our limitations.

We are specialists in every sense. We publish specialised research and, with offices in the USA, UK and Australia, we specialise in marketing our books worldwide to the academic community. We are not a trade publisher; our books are intended for academic libraries rather than the student textbook market or the general public. For more information about how we market and sell our books please see Guide to Marketing and Sales.

All our books are peer-reviewed, and we make a conscious effort to arrive at decisions about new proposals more quickly than many other academic presses. We have an international reputation for our commitment to producing attractive books that effectively promote the advancement of scholarly research. Don’t take our word for it, read what others have said about us in 'What our authors say about Ashgate'.

The average length of time it takes us to publish a book from receipt of the final approved text is 9-12 months. Whilst other publishers may outsource large areas of the editorial process, at Ashgate we demonstrate our commitment to quality and author care by maintaining an in-house team of dedicated and experienced editors who provide an accessible, friendly and supportive environment. For our authors this means a genuine partnership in bringing their work to life, and for our customers this means trusted, distinctive and authoritative publications.

 

Publication Terms

  • Ashgate Humanities authors receive a nominal royalty and ten free copies of their book, and are entitled to a 35% discount on all Ashgate titles.
  • Almost all the books we publish are produced in hardback print editions with an average print run of 300-400 copies.
  • Prices for our specialist books are usually between £60 - £70 or US$114.95 - $124.95. The price of the e-book edition is the same as that of the print edition.
  • Most books published by Ashgate in the Humanities are between 80,000 and 100,000 words in length.
  • Authors or editors wishing to include illustrations in their books will be responsible for providing good-quality copies of those illustrations, and for clearing all reproduction rights and paying any fees required by the copyright holder. Colour illustrations (including jacket cover images) can only be considered where authors are able to supply a subsidy to cover the additional costs involved. For further details regarding illustrations please see Guide to Including Illustrations in Your Book.
  • For information on how to prepare your typescript for publication, please see our Author Guidelines.
  • If you need your book to be published by a particular date (for example for the UK Research Assessment Exercise or a specific conference) you need to flag this to us clearly from the outset.
  • If your book is a revised version of your PhD thesis, has the thesis been posted on to any institutional repository? If yes, is the institutional repository publicly accessible or accessible only to members of the institution? Please give details.

 

Essay Collections

In addition to single-author monographs, Ashgate welcomes proposals for multi-contributor essay collections. In addition to the Publication Terms outlined above, editors of such volumes should bear in the mind the following:

  • In order to ensure the marketability of edited volumes published in the Humanities, we require that all material submitted is original: we ask individual contributors a) not to publish the same research in another book or journal before or while the Ashgate book is being published, and b) not to publish it elsewhere until two years after the Ashgate edition appears. All contributors are required to sign an agreement to this effect.
  • Editors of collected volumes should ensure that contributors' essays are tightly focused around a clearly identified theme or series of related themes, so that the book holds together as a volume – rather than appearing as a set of disparate articles.

 

Submitting a Book Proposal

Ashgate commissioning editors are actively seeking new book proposals. While Ashgate does not have a policy against multiple submission, it is important that we know up front whether a proposal is under consideration with other presses. In certain circumstances, Ashgate may be open to sending proposals or manuscripts to a reviewer that are also under serious consideration with another press. In cases where a book proposal is not being submitted exclusively to Ashgate, it is the author’s responsibility to inform the Ashgate commissioning editor that the proposal has also been submitted elsewhere.

The following guidelines provide potential authors with an outline of the basic details we need in order to make an initial assessment of the proposed book. Please send your book proposal either by email or by post directly to the commissioning editor for your subject area (inc. email address). Our commissioning editors are listed by subject within the Contact Us area of our website.

Please note that Ashgate does not undertake to return to authors any material submitted by post.

 

Book Proposal Guidelines

Your book proposal should include the following:

  • The proposed title for the book: does the main title clearly flag what the book is about?
  • A statement of the aims and rationale for the book: how does it further research in the field?
  • A one-page synopsis of the project.
  • The draft contents list.
  • A sample chapter or related material (if available).
  • A short biographical paragraph for all authors, editors and contributors involved with the book, and a short CV for the principal author(s) or editor(s).
  • Details of competing books, either published or in preparation, and how your book distinguishes itself from these.
  • The readership level at which your book is aimed, e.g. third-year undergraduate, post-graduate researcher, university lecturer, etc.
  • Details of any specific regional market interest the book may have.
  • Details of special features, including tables, further reading sections, bibliography, glossary, CD, linked web site, etc.
  • Details of the number and type of illustrations you would like to feature, e.g. photographs, line-drawings, maps, music examples.
  • The estimated word extent.
  • The estimated delivery date.
  • Suggestions for appropriately qualified academic referees or reviewers.
  • If your book is a revised version of your PhD thesis, has the thesis been posted on to any institutional repository? If yes, is the institutional repository publicly accessible or accessible only to members of the institution? Please give details.
  • An indication as to whether the proposal has been submitted to any other press.

Please feel free to contact us at any time to discuss your book proposal ideas.

 

House Style Guidelines

House style guidelines for the preparation of your text are available to download (please note, these guidelines should be used only by authors whose books are formally under contract with Ashgate - all others should see the proposal submission guidelines, and/or contact the Ashgate commissioning editor for the discipline most closely relating to your topic).

If you have a query concerning the house style guidelines, please contact:

Ann Allen
Editorial Administration
Ashgate Publishing Ltd
Wey Court East
Union Road
Farnham
Surrey
GU9 7PT
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)1252 736600
Fax: +44 (0)1252 736736

Email: aallen@ashgatepublishing.com