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Please prepare your manuscript according to the Corwin Manuscript Guidelines. (please note this is a large file and may take some time to open depending upon your connection.)
For Permission and Copyright information and documentation, please go to our Author Permissions page.

Information for Prospective Authors

Corwin publishes leading-edge books that offer fresh insights, conclusions, and recommendations for action. We do not publish textbooks that simply summarize existing knowledge; nor do we publish popular books intended for a mass market audience. Our goal is to publish substantive and practical books that contribute to practitioners' knowledge while also being readable and useful.

What is an "ideal" Corwin book?

1. It is based on theory, research, and/or practical experience.
2. It discusses the implications of that theory, research, or experience for universal practice.
3. It draws on real-world examples and practices to illustrate points.
4. It offers practical, hands-on advice to educators who want to be successful in their chosen careers.
5. Most often, it is authored or coauthored, rather than an edited book.
6. Our audiences need substantive works that are also 'user-friendly' and tailored to their busy schedules.

Physically, our publications are designed to meet the needs of the audiences being addressed. Corwin books vary in size from 6" x 9" and 7" x 10" editions up to 8½" x 11" workbook formats. As of June 1, 2009, we publish exclusively in paperback, and we also offer a limited number of CD-ROMs, DVDs, and videotapes.

How to Prepare a Book Prospectus

The prospectus for a book focuses the author's thoughts and helps guide the publisher in that it emphasizes the rationale of the book why it is being written and for whom. The prospectus provides more information than an outline (which offers only an overview of the content and organization).

In essence, a good prospectus sets forth all the information necessary to allow a publisher to adequately evaluate a project's potential.

Please use the following three-part guidelines in preparing your prospectus keep these areas separate, as it will make it easier for us to understand your intentions about the book. Feel free to add any additional items or categories you feel are necessary.

Part 1: About the Project

Rationale: Why are you writing the book? What will it accomplish? Why do people need help on the topic at this time? Is the topic of increasing importance rather than passing or declining importance? How does the book meet the need you have identified?

Knowledge Base: What is the research or experience base for the information in the book? Briefly describe any special studies or previous work relevant to the content.

Nature of Content: Do you provide a "broad brush" approach or a detailed, comprehensive treatment of the topic? How will the book be applicable to practice?

Alternative Title Possibilities: Along with your current working title, please suggest several alternative titles. We strive for titles that clearly communicate to all audiences the topic, purpose, and usefulness of our publications.

Competing or Related Works: Please list the author, title, and publisher of the main competing or related books, and tell us how your book would differ or be superior.

Special Materials: Describe any elements in the book that will help illustrate the textual discussions (for example, cases, flow charts, forms, summaries, annotated bibliography, glossary, and so on). How many tables, figures, and exhibits do you anticipate using?

Length and Schedule: How many double-spaced, typewritten pages do you anticipate the manuscript will have? Include special materials, tables, figures, and the reference section in the page count. When do you expect to have your manuscript ready? (Please be realistic in planning your schedule.)

Other Publishers: Which other publishers are considering your project?

Author: What experience, background, or other qualifications do you have that make you uniquely qualified to undertake this project? Please attach your vita or résumé.

Part 2: About the Contents

Outline of Contents and Chapter Descriptions: Please provide an outline with all part and chapter titles indicated. Also, include a few sentences about the purpose and contents of each chapter along with specific details and examples.

Sample Chapters: Do not wait until the manuscript is completed to submit the prospectus. Instead, send it with one or two sample chapters. When we learn of projects in the early stages, we can point out potential problems and offer editorial suggestions. Of course, if the manuscript is complete, or nearly so, then send copies of all that is available.

Part 3: About the Market

Primary Audience: What is the primary market for the book? Professionals in what specific field/subfield? What associations or specific divisions of professional organizations or professional journals would provide highly targeted mailing lists for promoting your book?

Secondary Audience: Are there other audiences that might be interested in the book, but to a lesser degree? Please be as realistic and as specific as possible in describing who will buy the book.

Uses: What would the book help the audiences do, understand, improve, carry out, etc.? Distinguish between the uses for the practitioner audiences and the uses for training workshops or whatever other distinction is most meaningful.

Funding: How is the proposed book a match for district, state, or federal funding initiatives or grant opportunities for P-12 schools? Please list appropriate funding initiatives or other funding sources.

Potential Course Adoptions: In addition to sales to individual practitioners and academics, Corwin books are often used as supplements in college and university courses, staff development workshops, and other training settings. If your book has the potential for such use, please provide as much specific information as possible as to the types of courses and approximate enrollments.

Suggestions for Developing Your Manuscript

• Write in the active voice in short, jargon-free sentences, grouped into short paragraphs.
• Use plenty of headings as signposts to your discussion.
• Use lists, checklists, figures, and other devices to present information interestingly and succinctly.
• Keep chapters relatively short, in the range of 20-25 double-spaced manuscript pages.
• Summarize points at the ends of chapters.
• Select only the most pertinent references to cite in text and to list at the end of the book.
• Consider including an annotated bibliography or suggestions for further reading (these are more useful than long, undifferentiated lists of literature citations).
• Keep the overall manuscript as concise as possible. It's difficult to communicate well in few words, but your readers will appreciate the effort! Do include necessary, supportive, or background information.

A Note About Writing Style: If you would like to publish with Corwin, please pay particular attention to how you put words on paper. Our readers are busy professionals who appreciate writing that is clear, straightforward, and to the point.

Corwin looks forward to receiving your proposal. Please email your proposal to only one editor, as it will expedite the response. If you have additional questions, contact us by phone at 805-499-9734.

Leigh Peake, Interim Editorial Director
Telephone: (805) 410-7753
E-mail: leigh.peake@corwin.com

A native Virginian, Leigh Peake started in publishing as an editorial assistant at Basil Blackwell, a UK-based academic publisher. The next job opportunity took her to Newton, MA, where she joined Education Development Center (EDC) working as publishing assistant and then project director for a mathematics currriculum project, eventually published by Glencoe as MathScape. Near the end of that project, the door opened for Leigh to join Heinemann where she stayed for fifteen years, first as acquisitions editor for mathematics and science and later as vice president and editorial director. Leigh has been with Corwin for two years as president and now has happily returned to editorial on a temporary basis as we conduct the search for Corwin's permanent editorial director. When Leigh is not at work, she can likely be found working with and riding her horse or practicing yoga.

Cathy Hernandez, Managing Editor
Telephone: (805) 410-7146
E-mail: cathy.hernandez@corwin.com

Cathy worked for several years teaching students from PreK to grade 3 before beginning a career in educational publishing. Over the past 20 years, she has been involved in the development of a wide range of products for teachers, parents, and K-12 students, including professional books, online courses, and supplemental materials. A third-generation Californian, Cathy lives in Ventura County.

Hudson Perigo, Executive Editor
ACQUIRES IN ALL DISCIPLINES
Telephone: (323) 378-6324
E-mail: hudson.perigo@corwin.com

Hudson Perigo began her career in Professional Development in healthcare. She entered publishing as an author of books on gifted education and as a ghost writer for physicians, business leaders, and celebrities (including Mary Kay Ash and Richard Simmons). She later joined the editorial side of publishing as reprints editor with Lowell House and rose to executive editor. During her tenure, the company was purchased by Glencoe-McGraw Hill where she managed textbook development in communications, business, and health in both K-12 and Higher Education. Hudson joined Corwin in 2006. She holds a B.S. in Education from Miami University, OH; an M.S. in Educational Counseling from the University of Louisville; and an MFA in Cinema from the University of Southern California.

Jessica Allan, Senior Acquisitions Editor
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, EARLY LITERACY, GIFTED EDUCATION, SCHOOL COUNSELING, SCIENCE, SPECIAL EDUCATION
Telephone: (908) 277-1447
E-mail: jessica.allan@corwin.com

Jessica received her B.A. from the University of Richmond, taught high school English in France, and then moved to New York City, where she worked at Random House and received an M.A. in Literature from NYU. She worked for Callaway Editions and Scholastic before moving to Baltimore and spending 8 years at Brookes Publishing, acquiring books in the areas of literacy, learning disabilities, behavior, and mental health. She joined Corwin in 2007. She is the mother of two young boys and her husband works in publishing as well, so they own a lot of bookcases. She is a passionate reader and loves running, hiking, and traveling to new places.

Dan Alpert, Senior Acquisitions Editor
STAFF DEVELOPMENT, DIVERSITY, ELL, ASSESSMENT, RESEARCH METHODS
Telephone: (415) 753-2129
E-mail: dan.alpert@corwin.com

Dan was born and bred in New Haven, Connecticut and is a product of the New Haven public school system. He has a B.A. from McGill University in Montreal Canada. Dan lived in New York City for more than a decade after college and began his publishing career in 1984 at Random House. This was followed by editorial stints at McGraw-Hill and Thomson/Wadsworth (now Cengage). Prior to Corwin, he served as Education and Social Work Editor for Wadsworth. In 1989, he migrated to San Francisco and never looked back. Aside from reading and writing, Dan's passions are the arts (especially theater), travel, and social justice.

Arnis Burvikovs, Senior Acquisitions Editor
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP, TECHNOLOGY
Telephone: (847) 394-1139
E-mail: arnis.burvikovs@corwin.com

Despite a classics education at Boston Latin High and the University of Massachusetts, Arnis found himself tending bar and roofing after his teaching position at Falmouth High School fell victim to a statewide budget cut. Winter and roofing were not a great fit so he interviewed as a temporary sales representative at Little, Brown and Company and relocated to Chicago. His publishing career has spanned sales, sales management, and editorial positions at college publishers such as Little/Brown, West and Allyn & Bacon. In his last position, he edited textbooks in the Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Technology areas for Allyn & Bacon. Aside from sweating blood for his authors, Arnis' interests run mostly to outdoor sports such as biking, hiking, and fly-fishing. 25 years after leaving Boston, Arnis remains to this day a diehard Red Sox fan.

Carol Chambers Collins, Senior Acquisitions Editor
TEACHING METHODS, LITERACY, MATHEMATICS
Telephone: (914) 862-4428
E-mail: carol.collins@corwin.com

Carol Collins arrived at Corwin Press in 2007 with more than 25 years experience in publishing, the majority of them as an acquisitions editor at Teachers College Press. Her prior positions included marketing assistant, news writer, journal editor, production editor, and electronic publishing manager. Carol obtained her BA in literature from the University of Sussex (UK) and an MA in developmental psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. A native of Manhattan, the daughter of a musician and a teacher, Carol now lives just north of New York City with her husband and two daughters. There, in addition to pursuing her editorial work, she enjoys cooking, playing chamber music, and kayaking and bird-watching along the Hudson River.

Peggie Howard, Media Editor
Telephone: (805) 410-7757
E-mail: peggie.howard@corwin.com

In her early life Peggie was an accountant in both the public and the private sector. In 1998 she joined Glencoe/McGraw-Hill as an editor developing ancillary products for accounting and personal finance. Eventually she moved to health and fine arts managing ancillary products and textbook development while earning her B.S. in Nutrition Counseling. Later as technology editor she produced a variety of multimedia products for health and fine arts. As if having four children and seven grandchildren wasn't adventure enough, Peggie has experienced snowmobiling through Yellowstone, whitewater rafting the Kern River and Taos Box, filming grizzly bears in British Columbia, and kayaking around the San Juan Islands.

Debra Stollenwerk, Senior Acquisitions Editor
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP, TECHNOLOGY
Telephone: (614) 268-0682
E-mail: debra.stollenwerk@corwin.com

Debbie began her publishing career in 1989 as a sales representative with Macmillan Publishing Company, a doorway to reaching her goal of becoming an editor. By 1992 she was publishing textbooks for K-12 teachers and administrators as an acquisitions editor for Merrill Education. Later, as executive editor at Pearson, she branched out to publishing professional development books for educators as well, a move which led her to Corwin in 2007. A native Midwesterner with an M.A. in theoretical linguistics from The Ohio State University, Debbie lives in Columbus, OH and is a devoted Buckeye fan, avid reader, hiker and traveler.