BECOME AN AUTHOR


Become An Author

Wolters Kluwer Law & Business is seeking authors for undergraduate textbooks in Paralegal/Legal Studies, Criminal Justice, Business Law, Political Science, and other undergraduate law-related courses.

Undergraduate Publications

PROPOSAL WRITING AND PRECONTRACTUAL REVIEW INFORMATION

Thank you for your interest in doing a proposal. Below is some general information about Wolters Kluwer's pre-contractual review process and suggestions about proposal writing. A typical proposal will be between ten and twelve pages plus a short writing sample.

PRECONTRACTUAL REVIEW

The purpose of a precontractual review is to secure feedback from the market about the project in question. Typically, the best reviewers are experienced teachers in the particular subject area, familiar with the competing works in the field; reviewers often represent prospective adopters for the book. We generally commission five reviews.

The review package typically consists of a proposal with table of contents and a short writing sample. We find that the chances of getting an unqualified response from reviewers are maximized when we send a strong, persuasive proposal and a detailed table of contents. A letter from WK asking specific questions about the book's approach, content, organization, and pedagogy accompanies these materials. It typically takes about six weeks to receive a full set of reviews.

A positive set of reviews allows me to present the project to our New Product Committee. Their approval enables me to offer a contract for publication.

PROPOSAL OUTLINE

  1. Introduction - One paragraph which briefly states what you are proposing.
  2. Project Description
    • Overview - This section will expand upon the brief description.
      • Approach and Pedagogy - It can be helpful for reviewers to know:
        Plans for review questions, or problems
        Do you plan on including any cases or case studies?
        Will you include charts, graphs, definitions, photos etc?
    • Student Supplements – Online Resources, Additional Cases, CDs etc.
    • Estimate of the book's length and format.
    • Teaching Materials - A good teacher's manual is imperative to greatly enhance a book's appeal to prospective adopters in the college market. Please include in your proposal what you would foresee including in such a manual. We also encourage the development of a testbank, PowerPoint slides, other online teaching support, video and audio supplements etc.
  3. Organization - Detailed Table of Contents.
    • The more specific and detailed your table of contents, the more useful reviewers' responses will be. Depending on the nature of your project, you may want to create a conventional table of contents--in outline format with graduated levels of headings--or you may want to create a table of contents that combines an outline format with short descriptions that present your rationale for content, organization, or pedagogy.
  4. Course Overview – What course or courses could this book be used in? Is this normally an elective or a required course? Your perceptions about the salient characteristics of the course.
  5. Unique Aspects or Selling Points of this project – Please provide a short paragraph or bullet point listing the key marketing or selling points that distinguish your book from the competition (even other Wolters Kluwer products, if applicable).
  6. Author Information – Please provide a short bio, a paragraph or two, for each author.
  7. Competition Analysis - Discussion of the approaches leading books embody.
    • 2-3 leading competitors - brief analysis of their strengths and weaknesses.

WRITING SAMPLE

We encourage you to submit a sample chapter with your proposal. A writing sample will offer the reviewer a clearer idea of how you are able to implement the concepts and ideas in your proposal.

Please contact me with any questions. Thanks again for your interest in Wolters Kluwer,

David Herzig
Associate Publisher, College Market
Telephone: 303-664-1412
E-mail: david.herzig@wolterskluwer.com