Guidelines for Your Proposal Package:
The ATTW Book Series in Technical and Professional Communication
(Taylor & Francis/Routledge)
The proposal package of about 13,000 words (not including curriculum vitae) is the first step in
developing a project for the ATTW Book Series in Technical and Professional Communication. In
preparing your proposal package, please keep in mind that the ATTW series editor (Jo Mackiewicz) and
the publisher (Taylor & Francis/Routledge) need to know as much as possible about your planned book,
including its scope, its intended audience, organizational structure, and the ways in which the publisher
can best promote the volume to the intended readers.
The proposal will serve to make the case that you can write with authority, accuracy, and clarity, and that
you can present what you have to say in a way that will be of interest and of relevance to your intended
readers, and that what you have to say is appropriate for the series. With this in mind, your proposal
should include four items:
A.
B.
C.
D.
A prospectus describing your intentions (about 5,000 words)
A detailed table of contents (about 1,000 words)
A sample chapter (about 7,000 words)
An up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV)
Your proposal package should provide me (Jo Mackiewicz), reviewers, and the publisher with sufficient
evidence to make a publishing decision about the project.
A. The prospectus of about 5,000 words should include the following:
1.
Brief Description: In two to three paragraphs, state the line of the book series (research or
practice) that your work better fits. Describe the work, its rationale, approach, and (if
applicable) pedagogy. Please provide a brief statement of what your book contributes to
the field.
2.
Outstanding Features: List briefly what you consider to be the outstanding, distinctive,
innovative, or unique features of the work. What are you doing that other books are not?
3.


4.



5.


6.


Audience:
For whom do you intend the book: scholars, researchers, industry professionals,
students?
In which disciplines or subdisciplines?
Market Considerations:
Who will buy the book, and why? Please indicate what disciplines or professions will use
the work.
How might you help market the book to your audience?
Does it have the potential to be used in coursework or industry training? Would it be a
primary text or a supplemental reading?
Competition: Consider the existing books in this field and discuss their strengths and
weaknesses individually and specifically.
How is your book similar to and different from the competition in approach, level, style,
topical coverage, and depth?
If many similar books are currently available, why did you choose to develop another
volume in this area? Please mention all pertinent titles, even if they compete with only a
part of your book. (Note: This material is written for reviewers and is not for publication, so
please be as frank as possible.)
Status of the Book:
What is the current status of the project?
When do you expect to have a manuscript completed and ready to submit to the
publisher?
1
Guidelines for Your Proposal Package:
The ATTW Book Series in Technical and Professional Communication
(Taylor & Francis/Routledge)





7.



What milestones will you use to track your progress through the project?
How does the book project fit into your professional agenda?
What length do you anticipate (in number of words)? Please include the approximate
number of chapters and the number of pages per chapter for the project you are
proposing.
How many and what type of figures (e.g. drawings, charts, graphs, photographs, etc.) do
you plan? What is your plan for obtaining permissions to use existing figures?
Will the project need supplemental materials online or a companion website? Include a
list of components that you think your project requires.
Reviewers: We will use reviewers of our own choice, but we may also try to include some
whose opinion you feel will be valuable. (Note: We do not reveal the names of our
reviewers without their permission.)
Suggest three or four reviewers who are knowledgeable about this topic.
If the book has several distinct markets, try to recommend at least one reviewer for each.
If the project might have an international readership, include names of reviewers based
outside of the United States.
B. The table of contents should be complete and detailed (about 1,000 words). Please include a brief
description of each chapter’s coverage.
C. Your sample chapter should comprise about 7,000 words. The introduction or first chapter would be
a good choice. I encourage you to send another chapter—a body chapter—as well.
D. Your curriculum vitae should outline education, previous publications, and professional experience.
Please include a CV for all authors or editors.
With this material in hand, we can evaluate the proposal package for the series make a prompt publishing
decision on your proposal, and both you and we can be certain that we are in agreement on the nature of
the book contracted.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or if you would like to discuss an idea you
have for a volume in the series.
Jo Mackiewicz, Series Editor
203 Ross Hall, English Department
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-1201
2