1. Preparing the Book Proposal Winter TA Conference Dept. of English Georgia State University Baotong Gu bgu@gsu.edu http://rhetcomp.gsu.edu/~bgu Atlanta, GA, January 14, 2005

2. Proposal Outline The Proposal Abstract Introduction/Context Significance/Uniqueness Methodology Comparable Books Audience and Market Length, Status, and Timetable Credentials and Research Interests Contact Info Attachments Table of Contents Vita

3. The Process Identifying the “niche” for your book Researching the publishers Contacting editors Securing a contract Writing your manuscript

4. The Proposal--Abstract Book title Subject matter Uniqueness Focus Subtopics

5. The Proposal— Introduction/Context Contextualization: why such a book Unique aspects of the topic

6. The Proposal— Significance/Uniqueness Unique subject Unique focus Unique approach Unique appeals

7. The Proposal--Methodology Explain what Explain how Don’t over-elaborate Don’t overwhelm

8. The Proposal—Comparable Books List relevant books Explain the differences between existing titles and your proposed book Justify the need for such a book

9. The Proposal—Audience & Market Primary market and audiences Secondary market and audiences All related fields

10. The Proposal— Length, Status, and Timetable Somewhere around 300 manuscript pages Think about cost of publication (publishers very reluctant to publish long manuscripts) How much you’ve completed How much you have yet to complete A timeline

11. The Proposal— Credentials and Research Interests Previous research you’ve done Relevant publications Relevant background Educational Professional (teaching) Cultural and ethnic

12. The Proposal—Table of Contents Annotate it in detail Appendices Number of tables Number of figures/illustrations

13. The Process— Identifying the Niche No previous publication on the topic A but not B A but A1 not covered or not well covered Appealing to different audiences and markets

14. The Process— Researching the Publishers Series titles Series editors and their contact info General contact info, including snail mail address Submission guidelines

15. The Process— Contacting Editors I'm an assistant professor of rhetoric and composition and professional and technical writing at Georgia State University and am writing to solicit your interest in my proposal for a book tentatively entitled From Oracle Bones to Computers: A Rhetorical History of Writing Technology Development in China, which examines from a rhetorical point of view the major writing technology developments in the 5000-year history of China. I believe this is a meaningful project mainly because this topic has escaped the attention of most researchers in such fields as rhetoric, writing, communication, and technology and, as far as I know, no book-length study currently exists on this topic. I'm contacting you and your press because I feel my proposed book might be a good fit for the following series that your press publishes: Studies in Rhetoric and Communication Rhetoric, Culture, and Social Critique I have enclosed a copy of the proposal, which also includes an annotated table of contents and my curriculum vita. I would appreciate it if you could read my proposal and let me know your decision. Should there be any other information you might need from me, please feel free to contact me at bgu@gsu.edu or 404-651-2900 (O), 770-953-2467 (H). bgu@gsu.edu Many thanks in advance for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.

16. The Process— Securing the Contract The ever elusive contract Usually offered only after manuscript review

17. The Process— Writing Your Manuscript Good Luck! Questions?