Proposals

On this page you’ll find key contacts and information about submissions for specific types of books.

Contacts

To submit a proposal to either our Oxbow Books or Windgather Press imprint, please follow the appropriate guidelines below. Proposals are assessed as soon as possible; it is sometimes necessary to seek an external opinion, which can take a few weeks.

In addition to our standalone publications, Oxbow Books also has a number of active series that are open to proposals:

Please see our series page for further information on all our series.


Monographs

When submitting a proposal for a monograph, please include the following information:

  • Title of proposed book.
  • Subtitle of proposed book.
  • Name(s) of author(s).
  • A summary (up to one page), including aims and how the book has originated.
  • List of contents and brief chapter summaries.
  • The introduction (if there is one) and a sample chapter.
  • A realistic proposed timetable for submission of manuscript to publisher.
  • Word count (approximate is fine), not including tables (Please note that the maximum accepted word count for Windgather press publications is 100,000 words)
    • If extensive foot/endnotes are likely, please make an allowance in your calculation as these can severely affect the overall number of printed pages and print costs and hence the budget we put in place.
  • Approximate number of pages of tables.
  • Number of illustrations (approximate is fine).
  • Any requirements such as colour illustrations or large-scale illustrations (e.g. fold-outs). Please note that colour is still comparatively expensive and will normally require a subvention towards print costs and any fold-outs will require funding. Note also that fold-outs cannot be included in e-books.
  • Why you think we would be the right publisher for your book.
  • Who you think will want to buy and read your book.
  • Any competing titles.
  • What makes your book stand out – what is unique about it?
  • Please list any groups or organisations that the book is particularly relevant for/could be marketed to.
  • Please list five key places where your book will be sold.
  • Other relevant information such as grants available, a conference, event or other deadline that the book should be published in time for.
  • CVs or biographical info on author(s).
  • Would you be willing to purchase copies of the book from the print run, and if so, how many?

Edited Collections of Papers

Edited volumes, depending on their production requirements and sales potential, sometimes require a grant to make them financially viable and to keep the price at a reasonable level. When submitting a proposal for an edited collection of papers, please include the following information:

  • Title of proposed book.
  • Subtitle of proposed book.
  • Name(s) of editor(s).
  • A summary (up to one page), including aims and how the book has originated.
  • List of contents.
  • Brief abstracts of the papers including contributor affiliation and whether they have agreed to contribute.
  • A realistic proposed timetable for submission of manuscript to publisher.
  • Word count (approximate is fine), not including tables
    • If extensive foot/endnotes are likely, please make an allowance in your calculation as these can severely affect the overall number of printed pages and print costs and hence the budget we put in place.
  • Number of illustrations (approximate is fine).
  • Any requirements such as colour illustrations or large-scale illustrations (e.g. fold-outs). Please note that colour is still comparatively expensive and will normally require a subvention towards print costs and any fold-outs will require funding. Note also that fold-outs cannot be included in e-books.
  • Any competing titles.
  • What makes your book stand out – what is unique about it?
  • Please list any groups or organisations that the book is particularly relevant for/could be marketed to.
  • Please list five key places where your book will be sold.
  • Please state whether the papers will be peer-reviewed before submission, and please confirm that the editors will copy-edit and assess the quality of papers (NB Oxbow does not arrange peer-review for edited volumes but recommends this takes place prior to submission of the finished manuscript).
  • Other relevant information such as grants available, a conference, event or other deadline that the book should be published in time for.
  • CVs or biographical info on editors. NB abbreviated CVs are fine, we don’t need complete article lists.
  • Would you be willing to purchase copies of the book from the print run, and if so, how many?

Excavation and Research Reports

Please be aware that this category of publication most often needs some level of funding to make it financially viable. When submitting a proposal for an edited collection of papers, please include the following information:

  • Title of proposed book.
  • Subtitle of proposed book.
  • Name(s) of author(s).
  • A summary (up to one page), including background to the project.
  • List of contents.
  • A realistic proposed timetable for submission of manuscript to publisher.
  • Word count (approximate is fine), not including tables
    • If extensive endnotes are likely (footnotes are discouraged in excavation reports and cannot be printed across two columns), please make an allowance in your calculation as these can severely affect the overall number of printed pages and print costs and hence the budget we put in place.
  • Approximate number of pages of tables.
  • Number of illustrations (approximate is fine).
  • Any requirements such as colour illustrations or large-scale illustrations (e.g. fold-outs). Please note that colour is still comparatively expensive and will normally require a subvention towards print costs and any fold-outs will require funding. Note also that fold-outs cannot be included in e-books.
  • Why you think we would be the right publisher for your book.
  • Who you think will want to buy and read your book.
  • Any competing titles.
  • What makes your book stand out – what is unique about it?
  • Please list any groups or organisations that the book is particularly relevant for/could be marketed to.
  • Please list five key places where your book will be sold.
  • Other relevant information such as grants available, a conference, event or other deadline that the book should be published in time for.
  • CVs or biographical info on author(s). NB abbreviated CVs are fine, we don’t need complete article lists.
  • Would you be willing to purchase copies of the book from the print run, and if so, how many?


Quicklinks to other editorial pages: