Value Inquiry Book Series A series published by Editions Rodopi |
Manuscript Proposals
An author may submit a book for publication with VIBS in general or with one of VIBS's special series. The several special series are integrated parts of VIBS, which develop a clearly delineated family of books. Manuscript proposals may be submitted to either an editor of a special series, or to the Executive Editor.
Authors interested in submitting a proposal, as well as current VIBS authors, are advised to consult the Handbook for Authors.
Advantages of Publishing with VIBS
The publisher of VIBS, Editions Rodopi, is an independent commercial and global publisher. Rodopi offers a valuable alternative to university presses and publishers of general trade books. These publishers often require press runs of thousands of copies. Rodopi can issue scholarly works of merit in press runs of a few hundred copies. Scholarly presses often requires sacrifices of their authors in the form of cash, advance purchase of copies, or renunciation of royalties, but Rodopi does not ask for such sacrifices. University presses often take many months to reach decisions concerning manuscripts, because of unwieldy editorial boards. VIBS Editors can make prompt publication decisions because of their own expertise and the cooperation of responsive referees. Positive editorial decisions by VIBS leads to the prompt issuance of Rodopi contracts.
VIBS books are published in English, and all books will conform to VIBS's house style. The formatting, styling, and camera-ready preparation of VIBS books by the authors is supervised by the Stylistics and Format Editor. A variety of editorial services are available to the author. Books may be anywhere from 100 pages to several hundred pages.
VIBS books can take several forms, including monographs, thematic volumes of collective authorship, special series, well-edited material drawn from conferences, translations of recent or historical texts into English, and reference works. VIBS has published books in the form of philosophical autobiography, dialogue, history of philosophy, meditation, treatise, documental record, annotated bibliography, symposium, and textual commentary. VIBS opens it doors to the widest range of philosophical modes of discourse.
VIBS does not consider textbooks or dissertations. Books published by VIBS are intended for the broad community of scholars with more general interests. Nor does VIBS publish second editions, an author's collected papers, or journals.
Contents of a Manuscript Proposal
Whether it is an author's monograph or a selection of essays by different authors under the editorship of one or more scholars, your initial proposal should contain the following basic information, in addition to the title, author/editor name(s), and affiliations.
•A preliminary description or overview, preferably not longer than two pages. This summary should center on your book's subject and give an idea of how that subject is developed or from which perspective(s) it is being approached.
•Whenever relevant, provide information about illustrated material or any other special graphic features that might be required.
•A succinct author/editor(s) information sheet to acquaint us with your qualifications.
•Marketing information describing the prospective readership for your book.
•A comparison of the book's originality versus the marketplace competition. List recently published books that would compete with yours and, if possible, provide a brief synopsis of each. Explain how your proposed book will be different from the other titles.
•If available, include a table of contents. In the case of a collection of essays by different authors around a central subject, add the contributors' affiliations.
•Your typescript, if already completed. Specify the total number of pages, including index, references and all other sections. If your project is in progress, give us an estimated date of completion and delivery, and approximate total length. You should make a realistic estimate of printed length, including a foreword, introduction, end notes, bibliography, and index. A manuscript submitted for review should not identify the author on its pages because VIBS uses a double-blind refereeing process.
The Evaluation Process
Upon receipt, we will forward your proposal to one or more general editors and/or an editorial board of a special series for which your book may be more suitable. It usually takes them 2-3 weeks to decide whether to go further with it. If your proposal includes the completed manuscript, the subsequent period of consideration by the editorial board is approximately two months. During this period we expect you to refrain from simultaneous or multiple submissions to other publishers.