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How to Publish a Book

To submit a book proposal, please complete the Aberdeen University Press Book Proposal Form.

This form gives us a detailed overview of the book that we can share with members of the Academic Advisory Board and peer reviewers.

Please take care to fill in each field and to sign and date the form.

In particular, the following fields are essential to understand the proposed project:

  • Book Description: A statement of what the book is trying to achieve, and its central arguments (1,000 words)
  • Short Summary: A 100-250 word synopsis
  • Contents: A contents list with short chapter synopses
  • Word count estimate: This is essential to our ability to estimate the resource necessary to produce your work
  • Potential Audience: This is crucial to explain how the book aligns with current research and academic discourse or addresses gaps in the literature. This is an opportunity to explain your book’s significance, especially to non-specialists. * Your proposal will be evaluated by a board of academics from a wide range of fields and so this must explain where your book fits in the literature for someone who is not in your area of study
  • Signature and date

Send your completed proposal form and sample chapter (if available) to aup@abdn.ac.uk.

Once submitted, the proposal will be considered by the AUP Academic Advisory Board, who will request peer-review reports from at least two independent experts before making a final decision. If the proposal is accepted, the full manuscript should then be submitted, using the Aberdeen University Press Style Guide, and will be subject to further peer-review prior to any final decision on publication.

If successful a publication contract will be issued before final editing and production. Authors may be asked to make changes during the production process, but they will be consulted about any changes. Authors are also consulted about the presentation and marketing of the book.

Books will be published on the Aberdeen University Press platform free of charge to readers globally and a print on demand copy will be available for purchase.

Aberdeen University Press Style Guide

The Aberdeen University Press Style Guide gives authors information about the formatting and layout to be used in submitting a manuscript and is available to download.