| INFORMATION
TODAY, Inc.
BOOK PROPOSAL GUIDELINES
ABOUT INFORMATION TODAY, Inc. BOOKS
In addition
to its many journals and conferences for the information industry,
Information Today, Inc. (ITI) publishes books, directories,
and scholarly monographs. Our primary readerships for these
books include librarians, researchers, and other practicing
information professionals; scholars and students in the field
of library and information science; K-12 media specialists
and educators who utilize technology in the classroom; indexers;
knowledge management (KM) professionals, and business users
of online information and the Internet.
ITI is the official book publisher for both the American
Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIST)
and the American Society of Indexers (ASI).
Currently, ITI publishes four primary book lines: ITI
Books (library and information science titles), CyberAge
Books (popular titles for business and professional users
of online information and the Internet, distributed to
the book trade by Independent Publishers Group), the
ASIST Monograph series (scholarly titles in the field
of information science and technology), and ASI Books
(indexing guides and reference books).
We welcome proposals from authors which are relevant
to our focus. Generally speaking, a book that will have
strong appeal to readers of one or more of our journals,
or to attendees of our conferences, is appropriate for
our book publishing program.
If you have a book project in mind, please send us
your proposal. If you are not certain your topic is appropriate,
we suggest you visit http://www.infotoday.com or
request a copy of our latest print catalog (send email
to custserv@infotoday.com)
to get an idea of our scope. If you have questions, contact
John B. Bryans, Editor-in-Chief, Information Today Books (jbryans@infotoday.com).
Complete editorial contact information appears at the
end of these guidelines.
THE BOOK PROPOSAL
Please include all of the following in
your book proposal:
1) Suggested title and subtitle
2) Synopsis/overview
What is the book about and what is its purpose? Include a description of
the people, organizations, issues, technologies, and products that will
be covered; explain the organization of the book and any special or unique
features, and describe the approach you will take to make it as useful
and interesting as possible. Include your estimate on the length of the
book (approx. word count).
3) Preliminary Table of Contents
4) Graphics
Include information about illustrations, photos, charts, graphs, tables,
screenshots, etc., which you would plan to include in the book, if any.
5) Readership information
Who will buy the book, and why? Include your estimate of the size of the
primary markets for the book and suggestions on where/how to reach them
(associations, publications, events, Web sites, etc.). If your book will
appeal to the readership of one or more of our journals or books, make
this point. It helps in this section to know of any success stories for
similar books, with sales data where available. Describe the role you would
expect to play in the marketing and promotion of the book. If you have
an opinion as to an appropriate price range for the book, let us know.
6) Competition
List a few competitive titles, and describe some success stories with sales
information as available. If you have found nothing similar, describe the
sources you have searched. Some competition is desirable because it suggests
an established market for your book; where there is considerable competition,
there should be significant and easily expressed differences between your
book and others. It is helpful to mention books that, while having a similar
mission, are weak in certain specific areas where yours will be particularly
strong.
7) Author biography (narrative format); copies of
related work
Why are you qualified to write this book? Describe yourself, and any applicable
writing and professional experience (attach resume or CV if desired). Include
a copy of any published article(s) or book(s) you have authored that you
believe will help us to assess your writing ability and fitness for the proposed
project. Include SASE if you wish us to return the material.
8) Timing
When would you deliver a manuscript, assuming an agreement is reached within
30 days of your proposal submission?
Proposal Format
We prefer receiving a
printed version of the proposal by mail rather than a faxed
or emailed document; if we require the proposal in electronic
form we will advise you. A cover letter should provide
a short explanation of the contents of your package plus
complete contact information.
Proposals typically run between 2 and 5 pages; length
is not important so long as the proposal clearly explains
the concept and its viability. In addition to your proposal,
feel free to include the first three chapters if already
written. Do not send the entire manuscript unless requested
to do so.
We will attempt to respond to your proposal within
four weeks of receipt—feel free to contact us if you
have heard nothing by this time. Please mail your cover
letter and proposal, with SASE, to:
John B. Bryans
Editor-in-Chief
Information Today, Inc.
143 Old Marlton Pike
Medford, NJ 08055
Phone: 609-654-6500, ext. 134 • fax: 609-654-4309 • email: jbryans@infotoday.com |
