Curriculum Vitae

• degrees
• employment history
• publications

~ Veterinary Community Home ~ Manuscript Proposal ~

Sample Chapters

Select two or three sample chapters (if any are complete) that best represent the content of the book and accurately reflect your writing style. The choice of chapters is very important. Be sure they reflect the features, strengths, content, etc. that you claim your book will contain.

~ Veterinary Community Home ~ Manuscript Proposal ~

Detailed Table of Contents

You should also submit a detailed table of contents for the complete book. The more information you provide, the more feedback we can obtain from reviewers. This table of contents should include part or section titles, chapter titles, appendixes, and anything else that is part of the manuscript (ie, you might want to indicate where cases will fall or what ideas you have for boxes in a particular chapter).

~ Veterinary Community Home ~ Manuscript Proposal ~

Prospectus

The prospectus is a very important part of your proposal. Each item in it should be carefully and thoroughly written. The more time you spend on it, the easier the actual writing of your project will be. The prospectus should include the following information:

1. Description of the intended market for the book and the needs of this market.
   • This section profiles the appropriate course for the book, describing the course, its level, prerequisites, the academic departments that offer the course, and the type of school where the course is found. Professional markets should be described in similar detail.
     
     
   • Secondly, you need to take some time and really think about the needs of this market-- particularly the needs that are not being met by the current books. What is it that students really must learn in this course? What practical skills should they take away from this course? What trends, innovations, and new standards will affect the way the course is taught? If your book is targeted toward the practicing dentist, professional needs should be described.
   
   
   
2. Description of competing books.
   • List books with which your project will compete, and discuss specifically their strengths and weaknesses. Compare and contrast the organization, approach, writing style, and features of the competing books. Describe how each of the competing books does and does not meet the needs of the market as stated above. Which of these books have you taught from in your courses or used professionally?
     
     
   • If there are no books your project will compete against, explain why not. What changes have taken place in the market that have encouraged you to write your book?
     
     
   • Your discussion of existing texts will help reviewers and the publisher place your material in perspective. Remember, this is written for reviewers and not for publication, so be as frank as possible regarding your competition.
   
   
   
3. Description of your book and how it will meet the needs of the market.
   • In a few paragraphs, describe the work, its rationale, approach, and organization. List what you consider to be the outstanding, distinctive, unique features of the book. Will the book include examples, cases, margin notes, boxed material, questions, problems, glossaries, a bibliography, appendixes, etc.? Do you plan to provide supplementary material (instructor's manual, study guide, student workbook, etc.) to accompany the text?
     
     
   • In the second part of this section, you should explain how your book will meet the needs of the market that you described above. In this section, you also need to compare your book against each of the competing books you've listed and explain the strengths and weaknesses of your book vis-à-vis these competitors. Please point out how your project addresses the deficiencies you feel exist in competitive books.
   
   
   
4. Your qualifications for writing this book.
   • Cite your own experience, previous publications, special research, courses taught, professional practice, and current interests that give you the qualifications to write this book.
   
   
   
5. Physical characteristics of the book.
   • What is the estimated length of the completed book? Double-spaced, typewritten pages normally reduce by about one-half to one-third when set in type (ie, 600 typewritten pages = 300 to 400 printed pages). Approximately how many photographs do you plan to include? About how many line drawings (charts, graphs, diagrams) will you need? How many tables will be in the book? Will there be any other art or special forms included in the book? Will Contributors be involved? What is the expected completion date of the project?