APHA Publishing Prospectus Guidelines
For Submitting Book Proposals to the APHA Press
Download APHA Book Proposal
Proposals for books to be considered for publication and sale by APHA should be submitted to the Publications Board in the form of a “Prospectus,” a 1000-1200-word description of the project. The book proposal process typically involves three steps: an informal inquiry, a proposal, and a contract. A brief synopis of what should be included in the proposal, and the process and policy is found below.
Authors and Contributors
Names, affiliations, and addresses of the lead authors/editors.
The names affiliations and addresses of the proposed contributors if the book will have multiple authors.
Reason for the book
Provide a clear and precise statement of the public health topic or issue to be addressed and why it is pertinent, timely, and worthy of publication. Please assess how the proposed publication would fit into the existing literature on the same or related topics and what it might add to this literature.
About your book
Description
Please provide a description of your book in no more than 150 words.
Key features
Please describe the key features of your book and explain how they will benefit its readers.
Buyers
Please identify who your book is written for and who the likely buyers will be.
Special sales
Your book may have sales potential outside the traditional bookshop, library and academic markets. Please list any organizations that might be interested in making a bulk purchase.
Lead Authors /Editors Resumes
Policy on Expenses
It should be noted that it is not APHA policy to compensate authors or editors for their time and efforts. However, APHA has a modest budget to cover approved expenses. Approved expenses are those incurred in the preparation of a manuscript, such as costs for photocopying, telephone calls, mail, office supplies, and—possibly—computer time, secretarial support, and travel to meetings. The latter three items should be budgeted in consultation with the APHA Director of Publications.
Review and Principal Approval
A preliminary review of the Prospectus is conducted by the Director of Publications. If all items have been fully addressed, the Prospectus is forwarded to all members of the Publications Board for review. If the Prospectus is incomplete (see above), then the Director of Publications will return it to the authors, requesting that it be revised and resubmitted.
All completed proposals are discussed and voted on at the next semi-annual meeting of the Board or via a conference call involving Board members. After full discussion, decisions by the Board on a Prospectus may include: rejecting the proposal, requesting more information to facilitate a decision, or accepting the proposal. The second or third option may include a request for a few draft sample chapters or revision/elaboration of the outline. Decisions by the Board on a completed Prospectus can be expected in three months.
If the Publications Board accepts the proposal, the Director of Publications will notify the lead author/editor of the decision either to request further information and materials or to go forward with the project.
If the decision is to go forward, a Publisher’s Agreement and Copyright Transfer agreement will be forwarded for the appropriate signatures, and the stipulated the responsibilities of authors and editors will go into effect (see next paragraph).
Looking Ahead: Editing and Production
During the production process the authors/editors will work closely with the APHA Director of Publications and the Book Production Manager. All manuscripts are copyedited for grammatical correctness, clarity, consistency, and adherence to Chicago style. Authors/editors will be asked to answer outstanding queries before the manuscript is set in type. They will also be asked to proofread galleys and check pages.
APHA holds the copyright on its books. Authors/editors are responsible for obtaining permission for their use of material copyrighted elsewhere, such as previously published tables, figures, and graphics.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact Nina Tristani, Director of Publications at nina.tristani@apha.org.
We value and appreciate your interest in publishing with APHA Press!
Download APHA Book Proposal