Thank you for your interest in publishing through NAfME and our co-publisher, Rowman & Littlefield (R&L). Please provide the following required information when submitting a book proposal.
Section I -Proposal Overview Summary:
- The book’s preliminary title
- Significance of the work to the music education field and/or the music educator
- The components of the strategic plan that are addressed within the topic. (Proposed books must fulfill our mission to advance music education for all, serve the organization’s policies and encompass at least one element of the Strategic Plan.)
- A description of the target audience including teaching grade level (if appropriate)
- An abstract of no more than 500 words containing the central point, theme, and agenda
- State the difference between your proposed book, our current book publications, and existing literature on your topic from other publishers. (Please refer to the NAfME’s Publications Catalog for categories and subjects.)
Note: The summary section should be no more than 2 pages in its entirety.
Section II -Manuscript Proposal Detail :
- Chapter titles/heads, and a synopsis of what each chapter will cover. Include ideas for any graphics including music examples, photographs, or illustrations and appendix, index, etc. Please indicate a rough estimate of the number of graphics.
- Three to five sample chapters that are most representative of your book.
- A separate page with author bio/resume. List any previous publishing experience and qualifications to write on topic.
- Contact information: your full name, title, mailing, address, fax, email, phone numbers.
- Advise if any part of the proposed book has been published previously. If so, outline where, when and by what publisher. (Written permission to use copyrighted material will need to be obtained by the author).
- Indicate if you have submitted either this manuscript or a revised version to another publisher. Any manuscript that is being simultaneously submitted to other publishers or organizations cannot be considered.
Send all required elements as Microsoft Word document(s) in an e-mail to Ella Wilcox. (Files are required electronically via e-mail rather than through the physical mail.) Incomplete information cannot be accepted.
The summary overview and manuscript details are reviewed internally for organization, writing style, and depth of content. If approved at this stage, the proposal will be be sent to an external panel of members who are experts in the field of music education. (This is a blind review process.)
If the panel reaches a favorable consensus, the project is then passed on to NAfME’s co-publisher, R&L. They will examine the book from a marketing perspective and determine whether the book will be a successful addition within the music education marketplace. R&L will then issue a publishing contract packet to the author(s) that will reside between R&L and the author(s). R&L will manage all aspects of the terms, productions, and publishing process from that point forward.
You will be notified of the proposal’s status 6-8 weeks after the time of submission. Note: If accepted, final manuscript must be submitted to R&L as digital files only; no hard copy, camera-ready pages.
If you have any questions about this process, please contact Ella Wilcox.
