Music

Guidelines for Authors

This outlines the material that Oxford University Press will need to evaluate your book proposal. Proposals for academic or trade books about music may be sent to:

Kim Robinson
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, 10th floor
New York, NY 10016

THE BOOK

1. Brief Description In one or two paragraphs, describe the work, including its rationale, approach, and pedagogy. "This book is... It does... Its distinguishing features are..."
2. Outline A detailed outline of the book should be prepared, including the chapters being submitted for review. This gives us an idea of how the material fits together, and how the remaining chapters will be developed. It should include chapter headings and sub-headings, with explanations as necessary.
3. Outstanding Features List briefly what you consider to be the outstanding, distinctive, or unique features of the work.
4. Apparatus Will the book include photographs, line drawings, musical examples, cases, questions, problems, glossaries, bibliography, references, appendices, etc.?
5. Competition Spell out how your book will be similar to, as well as different from, existing books in this field. (If possible, please provide us with the publisher and date of publication of existing works as well.) This information will provide the reviewers and the publisher a frame of reference for evaluating your material.

MARKET CONSIDERATIONS

Who is the intended audience for the book (scholars, professionals, libraries, undergraduates, general readers)? Do you know of or belong to any professional or academic associations that would help in reaching this audience?

STATUS OF THE WORK

1. Do you have a timetable for completing the book? What portion or percentage of the material is now complete?
2. What do you estimate to be the size of the completed book: Approximately how many words? Approximately how many photographs do you plan to include? Approximately how many line drawings (charts, graphs, diagrams, etc.) will you need? Do you intend to include musical examples? If so, how many lines of music? Do you plan to include material requiring permission (text, music, lyrics, illustrations)? To what extent? Have you started the permissions request process?

SAMPLE CHAPTERS

Select one or two chapters of the manuscript that are an integral part of the book. They should be those you consider the best-written ones, and do not have to be in sequence. For example, you might submit chapters 3, 7, and 14 of a 20-chapter book, so long as these chapters represent the content and reflect your writing style and scholarship in the best possible light.

Sample chapters may contain rough sketches, charts, hand-written musical examples or photocopied reproductions, and description of photographs to be included. The material need not be in final form, although it should be carefully prepared and represent your best work. Please do not bind your manuscript.

REVIEWS

If we are interested in your project, we will commission outside reviewers to read and evaluate your proposal. We will, of course, obtain the best available reviewers to consider your work. We would like to include some reviewers whose opinions you would consider particularly important. For this purpose, please provide the names, addresses and phone numbers (if available) of three or four people whom you feel would be competent to review your material and whose opinion you would find valuable. We will try to use some of these along with some of our own selection. Naturally, we do not reveal the names of reviewers without their permission.

AUTHOR BACKGROUND

Please include a current vita or brief biography of your writing, teaching, and/or educational background and experience. Be sure to list any books that you have previously published, and any other information about yourself on why you are qualified to write this book.

Please allow at least 8-12 weeks for the manuscript proposal evaluation and review process. We will contact you as soon as we have had a chance to thoroughly examine your manuscript proposal.

Thank you for your interest in Oxford University Press. We look forward to reading your materials.