Guidelines for Submission
Thank you for considering Wits University Press for your manuscript. In the submission process, we do not generally consider full manuscripts upfront. Initially we require a proposal, which is put before the publishing committee. Should the committee find that your proposal fits our publishing programme, we will request your full manuscript.
Your proposal should include the following items, submitted to us in electronic form as a Word document:
1. The provisional book title
2. Current curriculum vitae of the author/s or volume editor/s, including address, telephone number, email and current position
3. Synopsis
- A brief description of the book (300-500 words), including its rationale and scope
- The estimated length of the manuscript (i.e. total number of words, illustrations, photos, tables and figures, appendices, etc.)
- The Table of Contents with brief descriptions of each chapter
- An introductory chapter and a sample chapter (about 50-60 pages altogether)
- Projected completion date of the manuscript and submission to Wits Press
- Details of any deadlines we should be aware of (e.g. key events, conferences, donor requirements)
Please note that we do not consider dissertations or theses. If your work is based on your PhD we will only send it out for review once adapted into a book manuscript and suitable for a wider academic or general audience.
4. Readership and Marketing
As the author of the work, you are acutely familiar with the readership and audience. In order for us to maximize the potential of promoting your work please provide us with as much information as possible:
- List three unique selling points of your book
- Include what area of studies this book would fall into (e.g. specialist academic (such as, literary criticism; ethnographic studies, heritage studies, politics, urban studies, development studies, trade, art/photography)
- A description of the projected audience and competing titles of a similar nature
- Specify the prescription potential (courses and institutes)
- Details of appropriate journals or media where we could submit the publication for review or promotion
- Any important figures/organisations that could be approached to endorse the publication
5. Additional information
- Indicate whether sections of the book have been published (e.g. journal article, book chapter, etc) and if you are willing to revise the chapter, if need be and source permission from the original publisher to re-publish
- An indication of any funds you can contribute to the publication or any institutions which may be interested in purchasing bulk copies at a discounted rate
- An indication of whether you are submitting your manuscript simultaneously to other publishers, in South Africa or abroad
- Suggest suitable peer reviewers. Please note that there should be no conflict of interest in your recommendations. The final decision of appointing reviewers is that of the publishing committee and your suggestions will be taken into consideration.
Once we have received a complete proposal as above, it goes before the publishing committee. This committee only meets twice a month and we address proposals in the order in which they are received. As we have many submissions, yours may not necessarily be put forward at the next committee meeting. Please be patient as we follow what is a standard publishing procedure, with a very busy programme and a small team. I hope that you will hear from us within three months from the date of receipt of proposal.
Please note that we do not publish certain categories including fiction, poetry, motivational writing, spiritual or religious inspiration, esoteric and DIY/self-help. To find a suitable publisher for these categories, we advise you to consult the free online directory of the Publishers’ Association of South Africa www.publishsa.co.za
Please direct all proposals and submission enquiries to Roshan Cader at roshan.cader@wits.ac.za
