During the course of my PhD itself I had decided that I wanted to publish my thesis as a book. But I was clueless about how to go ahead with this process. In the due course, I learnt the steps and process. You may find this blog helpful if you are a first timer wanting to publish your book:
Step 1: Create a prospectus: It is not as daunting as it sounds as a book prospectus is a very simple document to create. The key components of the prospectus should be:
• The main argument in the book in a summarized form
• A brief of each of then chapters
• A broad timeframe for manuscript completion
• Specifications of the target readers
• Available competing literature
Do not make it a very elaborate document but a short and brief document with only the required information
Step 2: Circulate the prospectus: Circulate your prospectus as much as possible to publishers. Do check the specifications of the publishers from the website as some may ask for sample chapters and CV also to be included.
Step 3: Manuscript Submission: If the publisher does not send you a letter of regret and shows interest in your content the next stage is the review of the prospectus and the manuscript. Depending upon the subjective requirements of the publisher, you may have to send him the required chapters once they let you know that they are interested in publishing your thesis into a book
Step 4: Contract finalisation: If the press gets positive reviews about your manuscript, a contract may be offered to you. It may call for further revisions but then leave the contract with you for your approval. Some main issues over which n there is scope for negotiations are:
• Index cost, cover & images cost, Copy editing cost will borne by the author or the publisher
• The rate of the royalty
• If the book will be released in paper back
Step 5: Revision and Copy Editing: some of the publishers may get reviews more than once and may ask for multiple revisions. After this, is the stage of copyediting and proofreading. This is a time consuming process and sometimes may even take few months.
Step 6: Page Proofs and printing: At this stage of page proofs there is scope to accommodate small errors and mistakes which got overlooked at the initial stages. Once you correct those mistakes, the manuscript goes to the printer. The book takes couple of months in the press.
Step 7: Up for sale: Bingo!! You book is there on the shelf. Up for sale!!
It is clear that publishing a book is a long and time consuming process. It may take a lot of time even after completing the manuscript so o not give up as it is worth all the effort and hard work put in.