When will you publish my manuscript?
We aim to produce your book within a reasonable amount of time. However, we operate on a first-come, first-served basis, so particular deadlines must be discussed in advance. On average it takes 6–8 months from receiving the final manuscript, though this can be longer at busy periods. We will prioritise manuscripts delivered on time over manuscripts that are delivered late. If a manuscript is delivered late we cannot guarantee that the book will be published in the month originally discussed. See the Step-by-Step Production Process for a more detailed breakdown of timings.
Are your books peer-reviewed?
Peer-review is not required by us for edited volumes and research reports, though it is normal, and these days more or less a requirement for authors working in an academic environment. Oxbow does not arrange peer-review for edited volumes but recommends this takes place prior to submission of the finished manuscript. Oxbow can arrange peer-review of monographs but this must be discussed in advance so that it can be arranged and scheduled accordingly.
Are your books indexed?
Inclusion of indexes must be agreed in advance (at the point of contract and certainly pre-submission of manuscript) and arrangements made regarding who will complete the index. If you would like Oxbow to arrange for one of their indexers to complete the index, we will need to discuss a grant to cover this. Please note that titles with indexes take longer to go through the production so please bear this in mind when thinking about your submission date. We will not guarantee to include an index if you request one after submitting your manuscript or if including one would jeopardise the publication date. An index can only be included at this stage if there is a grant to cover it.
Will you copy-edit my submitted manuscript?
Copy-editing is the responsibility of the author/editors. Oxbow Books will check the text but do not guarantee to give it a full copy-edit. We will check for consistency of style and punctuation, but we will not check that all references are included in bibliographies, etc. If we consider a text to be unfit for publication it will be returned.
What should I do if the images I want to use are copyrighted?
It is the author or editor’s responsibility, not Oxbow’s, to ensure that all copyright permissions have been obtained. Oxbow does not expect to pay copyright or reproduction fees, although we may agree to do so for cover images at our discretion. Please cite the copyright for illustrations where necessary, either in the captions, in the list of illustrations or in the acknowledgements section. If copyright is not indicated, we will assume that it is the author’s copyright.
Will my book be available Open Access?
We offer Open Access publishing to all of our authors, but it is not a prerequisite for our titles and is not a free service to authors. For more information about our Open Access policy, charges and options, please see the Open Access page.
Will I get a free copy of my book?
Depending on the type of publication, monograph authors and editors of multi-authored volumes will be entitled to a certain number of free copies, as defined in your contract. Contributors of multi-authored volumes will be entitled to a watermarked PDF of the book. Authors, editors and contributors of Oxbow and Windgather titles are entitled to purchase additional copies at 50% discount.
Can I put my book on the internet when it is published?
Unless there is an agreement that your book (or part of a book for multi-authored works) is to be available Open Access on publication, there will normally be an embargo period of up to 36 months following publication before any part of it can be placed on any internet website. This will be specified in your contract.
Oxbow Books understands that it may be necessary to place all or part of a book on one or more university repositories on publication. We have a policy regarding re-use of accepted manuscripts, which can be seen here.
Will Oxbow send out review copies?
Yes, we will send out an appropriate number of review copies to an agreed list of reviewers. These reviewers may include journals as well as broadsheet media, such as magazines, podcasts and newspapers. Who we contact about prospective reviews depends on the type of book and its core readership. We prefer to send digital review copies where possible for a number of reasons: they are quicker to send, better for the environment, more cost-effective, and easier to track. However, we do also send print copies if more appropriate or when reviewers request this format.
Contact us at bookadmin@oxbowbooks.com if you have any additional queries not addressed above.
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