Section 4. Publication Processes for Books

4.1 Submission Process

Submissions to a book series can involve a proposal for a new book or submission of a full manuscript. All submissions should occur through the Clearinghouse submissions portal (https://submissions.colostate.edu). In the event that a submission is made through email or another form of personal communication and the submission is deemed worthy of further consideration, the book author or editor should be directed to submit the proposal or manuscript through the submissions portal.

The series editors will not consider work submitted simultaneously for consideration by another publisher. The basic process for submitting to a journal is found in Figure 1.

Submissions Flowchart

Figure 1. An Overview of the Process for Submitting to a Clearinghouse Journal, Book Series, or Edited Collection

4.2 Review Process

If the series editors determine that a proposal is consistent with the goals of the series and possesses strong scholarly merit, it will undergo a rigorous peer review by scholars selected by the series editorial team. Reviews should conform to the WAC Clearinghouse peer review processes. These processes are informed by the Clearinghouse invitation to contribute scholarly work and its statement on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

Reviews will be conducted by reviewers associated with the series as editorial review board members and, in some cases, by members of the Clearinghouse editorial board. Reviews are typically completed in one or two months. The submissions portal provides tools that allow members of a series editorial team to manage submissions, to provide access to reviewers, to request and manage reviews, and to identify members of an editorial review board. You can view information about using the portal in Section 6. An overview of the review process is found in Figure 2.

Reviewing Flowchart

Figure 2. An Overview of the Process for Reviewing a Submission to a Clearinghouse Journal, Book Series, or Edited Collection

4.3 Issuing Contracts

When the review process is complete and the editorial team has determined that a contract should be issued, they should contact the publisher with a request to issue a contract. Normally, the decision to offer a contact for a book is made following review of a book proposal. However, if a manuscript is submitted in place of a proposal, the decision to issue a contract can be made following review of the full manuscript. This review might lead to a request to revise and resubmit, to accept the book as is for publishing, or to reject the book. In all cases, the decision to publish a book will be based on review of the final manuscript. That is, while a contract indicates that the book will be considered for publication, the final decision is based on the quality of the final manuscript.

Issuing a contract involves the following steps.

  1. The editorial team sends to the publisher (a) the book proposal and supporting materials (sample chapters, author/editor CVs) or the complete manuscript and supporting materials; (b) the reviews completed for the book; and (c) any comments regarding the book, the likely manuscript turnover date, and unusual formatting or production concerns.
  2. The publisher reviews the materials and, typically, agrees to issue the contract.
  3. The publisher creates the contract and, working in Adobe Sign, distributes it to the series editorial team and the book author(s) or editor(s).
  4. The publisher sends a follow-up email message indicating that the contract has been issued and explaining what to do if it’s caught in a spam filter. The message also includes a request to complete two forms: (a) the CIP data form, which is used to prepare the submission of the book to the Library of Congress; and (b) the Clearinghouse marketing information form, which is used for marketing and to prepare the book cover and website material. These documents can be found in the Appendix.
  5. When the contract is signed by all parties, it is distributed automatically as a PDF document to everyone who signed it.

4.4 Development Process

The Clearinghouse encourages a review process based on anonymous review of proposals and manuscripts and clear advice regarding improvements to a manuscript. We emphasize the creation of a constructive review environment. We focus on helping contributors develop strong proposals and manuscripts. We also encourage, in edited collections, the creation of coherence and connection across chapters. Overall, we seek to help contributors create a strong contribution to central contributions within the discipline of writing studies. An overview of the development process can be found in Figure 3.

Development Flowchart

Figure 3. An Overview of the Development Process for a Book

4.5 Manuscript Preparation

Book series editors are responsible for ensuring that a manuscript is ready for publication. This includes ensuring that the manuscript meets the criteria specified in the checklist at the beginning of the WAC Clearinghouse Authors and Editors Guide. These include:

  1. Manuscript Length. Please ensure that your manuscript does not exceed the length limitations for Clearinghouse books (typically, between 70,000 and 110,000 words, and not more than 125,000 words). See Manuscript Length.
  2. File format. Please provide your document in a single file in Word format (.docx) or “Rich Text Format” (RTF). See File Format and Delivery.
  3. Content and Order. Please order the parts of your book following our guidelines. See Book or Chapter Content and Order.
  4. Accessibility. Ensure that standard processes to ensure accessibility are followed. This includes providing ALT text for images and ensuring that
  5. Links. Please ensure that all links (websites, etc.) in the manuscript are live. Readers should be able to navigate to the sites by clicking on the link.
  6. DOIs. Please use DOIs in reference lists and works cited lists when available. If you use a DOI, you do not need to use a URL. See Reference List and Works Cited List.
  7. Citation System. Please use the citation system defined in the most recent version of the MLA or APA handbook. See Citation System. Please note that we have house styles that override some MLA and APA guidelines. For example, reference lists and works cited lists do not start on a new page and the list title should be formatted as a top-level heading.
  8. Manuscript Preparation and Use of Word-Processing Styles. Please consult and follow our house style guidelines. And please format your document using styles (e.g., normal, heading 1, heading 2, heading 3). See Manuscript Preparation and Use of Word-Processing Styles.
  9. Figures, Images, and Other Illustrations. Please provide most images as separate files in high-resolution format (e.g., at least 2400 pixel widths) for images that are intended to run the full width of a page. Some figures, such as charts and diagrams built with tools within a word processing program, can be left in the text. See Figures, Images, and Other Illustrations. Please ensure that figure numbering follows series guidelines (typically Chapter Number.Figure Number – Figure 3.1, Figure 5.3, etc.). Please provide ALT tags for each figure.
  10. Tables. Please ensure that tables will reproduce well in a 5-inch width. See Tables. Please ensure that table numbering follows series guidelines (typically Chapter Number.Table Number – Table 1.2, Table 3.3, etc.).
  11. Author Affiliations. In edited collections and in book parts that have authors, please provide the institutional affiliation.
  12. Abstracts, Chapter Numbers, Keywords, and Other Elements. Some series use elements such as abstracts and keywords, particularly in edited collections. If your book will be published in one of these series, ensure that your manuscript follows the series conventions. Please format chapter titles using the standard approach followed by the series.
  13. Index. The WAC Clearinghouse does not provide indexing services. However, if you wish to create an index, please do so in Microsoft Word (see Indexing later in this document). Indexing must be completed before final turnover of the document, either before or after copyediting but prior to book design.
  14. Permissions. Please ensure that you have permissions for the use of all copyrighted work.
  15. Proofreading. Please proofread your manuscript carefully before submitting it. See Proofreading.

Note on Google Docs: Some book editors and authors prefer to use Google Docs. This can pose challenges at the later stages of manuscript preparation. For example, if a manuscript has been moved into Microsoft Word (which we use to prepare a manuscript for importing into InDesign), it may have been styled (headings, etc.). If so, and the manuscript is then moved back into Google Docs, any custom styles will be lost. The production team has determined that it is best to avoid moving the document into Google Docs during the latter stages of manuscript preparation.

4.6 Production

Production involves

  • preparing the manuscript for copy editing
  • carrying out copy editing
  • reviewing the copyedited manuscript before returning it to the book authors or editors
  • working with the book authors or editors on finalizing the manuscript, including obtaining final edits and approvals from authors of chapters in an edited collection
  • preparing the final manuscript for import into InDesign, which includes updating the manuscript so that it uses our standard set of styles
  • working with figures
  • ensuring that ALT tags are provided for figures and other images in the book
  • ensuring that the document is structured (i.e., uses heading levels)
  • creating and reviewing proofs
  • designing the book cover and creating back-cover copy
  • creating the book webpage
  • creating the ePub edition
  • sharing the print files with our print publishing partner

Additional work involves submitting the book to the Library of Congress, assigning and registering ISBN numbers, registering the book with OCLC WorldCat, and creating and registering the book DOI.

Detailed information about the production process can be found in the Appendix.

    4.7 Dissemination / Marketing

    When a book is ready for release in digital editions, announcements are sent to major email lists (typically WAC-L, WCenter, WritingStudies-L, and the Clearinghouse list WACNews-L). If the content of the book is relevant, it is also sent to EATAW’s email list. Ideally, the announcement will make its way to other lists, such as the TYCA list.

    The book is also announced on social media through the Clearinghouse Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts.

    The book may also be announced on the Clearinghouse main page.

    When the print edition is ready, our print publishing partner announces the book to a marketing list it has created, makes it available in marketplaces such as Amazon, and engages in other marketing efforts as appropriate.