Pen and Sword Social History
The imprint:
Pen and Sword (www.pen-and-sword.co.uk) is a highly successful publisher of
military, local and family history titles. We're looking to broaden our list into other
genres and we have recently launched new imprints in historical fiction, archaeology,
and social history.
The social history imprint will publish titles aimed at history lovers and family
historians eager to flesh out their research. We want our books to reveal what life was
like in the past for ordinary people through their own voices. We will be looking to
commission a wide range of titles: collections of personal stories tied together by a
theme (along the lines of Virginia Nicholson's recent book Millions Like Us on
women's experiences during the Second World War); accounts of historical
scandals/crimes (if you think you have the next Suspicions of Mr Whicher, we'd love
to hear from you!); 'factional' accounts of real stories, (like Elizabeth Jenkins's novel
Harriet, which fictionalises a real-life sensational Victorian murder case). Within the
imprint we will be commissioning different series of books. A series of historical
guides will immerse readers in specific periods and historical settings and we are
considering a 'Weird History' series with titles on unusual topics. We also hoping to
hear unconventional approaches to traditional topics, as well as ideas focusing on the
grimmer gorier side of history.
In September we will be launching the imprint website. This will be a key
promotional tool for our titles, and will contain a regularly updated blog featuring
posts from authors; social history resources and links; a timeline; profiles and Q&A
for each of our authors; preview material from titles and previews of forthcoming
titles; a 'virtual bookshelf' of our titles.
The imprint commissioning editor Jen Newby is on Twitter (@SocialhistoryPS) and
you can email her for more information or to submit a proposal via
socialhistory@pen-and-sword.co.uk
The first titles from the Pen and Sword Social History imprint are due to be published
in early 2014. They include:
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A 'visitor's guidebook to Victorian England.
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A title revealing the hidden history of Scotland's 'Harlots and Heroines'
between 1690 and 1969.
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A guide to the weird and wonderful world of Victorian sexuality.
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A book exploring the First World War's legacy for mental health
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The story of Manchester's 'Real Sherlock Holmes', a colourful Victorian
detective
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A visitor's guidebook to Jane Austen's England
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A collection of unpublished letters between First World War servicemen and
their families
Frequently asked questions
Who are our authors?
Pen and Sword Social History authors come from a wide range of backgrounds. They
are freelance writers, university lecturers, journalists, retired people with a passion
for history, local historians, novelists, and people from many other walks of life. You
don't need to have already published a book to be considered, but if you have
previous professional writing experience do tell us about it.
The authors of successful proposals tend to display the following traits:
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A good depth of knowledge of, and a passion for exploring, their chosen
subject area.
A clear, accessible writing style.
An understanding of the market their book would be going into and knowledge
of existing titles in the area.
A willingness to market that their book using blogging, social media, as well as
more traditional media.
How do I put together a proposal?
Send an outline of your idea (between 300 and 500 words) to our commissioning
editor Jen Newby, along with any sample chapters if you have already started writing.
You can email Jen (socialhistory@pen-and-sword.co.uk) or write to her via: Pen
and Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS.
We'll review every proposal that we receive, although due to the high volume of
submissions we cannot always reply to unsuccessful proposals and we are not able to
provide critiques of manuscripts. If we decide to take your proposal further we will
get in touch within two weeks. The commissioning editor will discuss your idea and
look more closely at your synopsis and chapter plan. You'll also need to fill in a
questionnaire, which will be the basis of the proposal.
Once ready, the commissioning editor will present your proposal to the Pen and
Sword editorial board. The board may suggest changes to strengthen your proposal,
and if it is accepted we will then discuss terms (e.g. deadline, advance, number of
images you will source) and send you a contract. We’ll send you two copies of the
contract and both need to be signed and sent back to us. Your copy will be returned to
you.
How much will I be paid?
Pen and Sword pay all of their authors an advance, in addition to royalties on
hardback, paperback and e-book editions of titles. The advance is usually paid half on
signature of the contract and half on publication and advance sums vary depending on
individual projects and the author's previous experience. Your book will stay in print
for years, so you will receive royalties over a long period of time.
What happens during the writing process?
You can take as long as you like to research and write your book, although most
authors choose to set deadlines of between 12 and 24 months. Deadlines of several
years are unlikely to be practical, except in large scale research projects. During this
time your commissioning editor will be on hand to provide support and make
research suggestions, read drafts, and help you source images.
Our books are usually between 40,000 and 100,000 words. Books over 70,000 words
have a significantly higher price bracket. Your commissioning editor will help you to
set an appropriate word count and it is important to stick to this. Bear in mind that if
you write more than contracted, then this could cause the cover price of your book to
shoot up.
What format will my book be published in?
There are several different formats in which we may choose to publish your book and
often we will use more than one of these over the course of the publishing term to
maximise return.
Seventy per cent of titles are published in Royal format. The measurements for this
are 234mm tall by 156mm wide. You will see many books in bookshops in this
format. We will publish in hardback if your book is considered more collectable or
academic and in paperback if more general. Sometimes titles will appear in both, but
not at the same time!
Titles that sell particularly well may also appear in B format, which is more of a
general paperback size and is 198mm tall by 129mm wide.
We also look to put the majority of titles in to e-book form. We have links with over
90 e-book distributors worldwide. Titles that are published initially in hardback are
often published 6 months later as an e book, whereas paperback editions will be
released in e-book format almost simultaneously.
If your book contains a significant amount of colour photographs or black and white
photographs that would look better larger, then your book may be produced in a
larger format. This larger format does have cost restraints, so please make sure your
you have discussed this with your commissioning editor prior to contract!
Where can I source images for my book?
When we commission your book we will discuss the number of pictures that you'll
need to provide to illustrate the text. Your advance and royalties will be in respect of
both the words and pictures that you are contracted to provide. Depending on the
format of their book, our authors usually provide between either 20 to 40 images (for
a book containing plate sections) and 60 to 100 images (for a book with images
integrated in the text). We will discuss the format with you during the commissioning
process. If picture research is new to you, then your commissioning editor will advise
you. Colour images can significantly enhance a book, but you do need to be aware
that they also enhance the cover price and consider whether they would be suitable
for your book.
First of all please remember if you are scanning pictures, to scan them at the highest
quality settings (300 dpi) and to roughly the same size as it will be reproduced.
The type of images that you will need to provide will depend on the project, but some
ideas include:
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Photographs from your collections or that you have taken yourself (digital
images or high quality scans)
Postcards
Engravings and illustrations from old books
Historical photographs
Old advertisements
Good sources of images are:
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Archives: Most UK archives will charge fees to reproduce their images, but
many will be happy to lend you images from their collections in return for a
copy of your book and a full credit. As part of your contract, you will receive
free copies of your book, and where necessary we can arrange for you to
receive a limited number of extra copies to offer to archives in exchange for
use of their pictures. Please check with your commissioning editor before you
do so.
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Old postcards: These are easily available online for as little as a few pounds.
Try E-bay or searching through sites dedicated to selling historic postcards.
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Local newspapers: If you are writing about a specific area, then the local
newspaper archives could be a good source of images.
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Out of copyright books: Images in out of copyright old books can be scanned
and reproduced, just be careful to check the publication date and copyright
status first.
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Library of Congress (www.loc.gov/pictures) is an American picture resource
containing thousands of historical images that you can freely download. Make
sure to check that the rights information (listed on the page where you
download the image) says ‘no known restrictions’.
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Other books: It's a good idea to check the image credits in books on similar
subjects to your own, and explore the sources that these authors have used.
This will save you time and help you to avoid using too many of the same
images.
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Websites and blogs: Many people choose to display their photo collections
online (for instance take a look at the excellent Soldiers of the Queen website
at www.soldiersofthequeen.com). If you get in touch with the site owner, then
often they will allow you to reproduce some of their pictures in return for a
credit and a copy of your book.
How do I submit my book to Pen and Sword?
Your manuscript should be in one single Microsoft Word document, and you can
send this by email or on CD. We also need another document containing all of your
picture captions and credits, which must be numbered to correspond with the images.
You can either send the pictures to us on a CD (make sure to number them to
correspond with the captions) or send us the originals to scan. We will be sure to take
good care of any images that you may send us and return them to you promptly. Each
manuscript will be scrupulously copy-edited and proof-read by professional editors,
then sent to you for a final check before publication.
When will the book come out?
Once you send in your manuscript it will take between nine and 12 months for it to
appear on the shelves, and we may also decide to publish the book in time for a
relevant anniversary. Please advise your commissioning editor, if you are aware of
any of these.
Authors can purchase copies of their books at a 35% discount or 50% discount on
orders of 100 or more and are allowed to re-sell their books. If you are considering
doing a talk to promote your book, then it's a good idea to take along some copies to
sell.
It is really important for authors to have a constant online presence to engage
potential groups of readers and promote their books. Ideally, you should start this
around three months before the publication date and intensify your efforts just before
and just after publication.
Web presence: If you have your own website or blog (we strongly recommend this),
then we can provide you with a special referral banner advert for your website. This
will earn you extra royalties when people click on it, go through to the Pen and
Sword website and purchase your book. Ask your commissioning editor for advice,
and take a look at blogs and websites belonging to other Pen and Sword authors, and
authors of similar books to your own.
Social media: It is a good idea to set up a Twitter account and Facebook page to
attract readers and make people aware of your book. You should also try to connect
with online forums and relevant associations or groups of people who would be
interested in your book. For example one of our authors built up a presence on the
Great War forum, speaking to people about the research that he had done for his book
and connecting with potential readers. We believe that this may have increased his
sales by up to 50 per cent.
Press releases: You will be assigned a special contact within our marketing team,
who will be responsible for your book and your main point of contact for promotion
matters. They will be in touch with you roughly three months prior to publication and
will work on a press release to send out to the media (newspapers, radio stations,
magazines etc). If you have any ideas about particularly 'marketable' angles within
your book that might get press coverage (anniversaries, links to contemporary issues
or popular television show, any points you make that might be controversial, new
research or interesting unpublished material uncovered from the archives), then do
discuss this with your commissioning editor and designated member of the marketing
team.
Amazon: Get everyone you know to review your book on Amazon, as having a lot of
reviews on the site will boost sales. Also set up an Author Central account on the site
(http://tinyurl.com/7udwo55) and upload a photo of yourself and write a short author
profile. Tag as many key words as you can to help it come up in searches. Add
reviews from periodicals to the description and make sure the description is accurate
and appealing.