Thank you for your interest in being a JIST author. If you have an idea for a book, assessment, DVD, or electronic product that fits with JIST’s core values and markets, we will be glad to review it for possible publication. To give your proposal the best chance of being selected, please make sure that it includes everything we need to determine whether your book or product is right for JIST.
Before You Send Your Proposal
Before sending your proposal, you need to do a little homework to make sure your book or product is right for us. Please completely explain to us what your book or product is about, who it is for, and how it will sell.
1. Familiarize yourself with JIST. Browse our website or request a catalog (go to www.jist.com/request.asp). Look at the types of products we publish and the subjects we cover. We are currently publishing books and other media (DVDs, software, assessment inventories, workbooks, and instructors’ guides). We are especially interested in products that appeal to institutional markets such as schools, colleges and universities, government agencies, and workforce-development programs. We occasionally publish books on education and training, as well as business topics; however, career and job search books get top consideration. Your product must fit our niche but not compete directly with any of our current products.
2. Research the competition. Go to bookstores or Amazon.com and see what other books have already been published on the subject. Think about how your product is different and better than existing products. Does it approach the subject from a different angle, include new coverage of the topic, or have some other element that will be irresistible to buyers?
3. Research the audience and market. Know who your book or product is for and how a publisher can best make these people aware of your product so that they will buy it.
4. Compile your formal product proposal. Put together all the items that we will need to determine whether we will publish your book or product. See the next section for details.
5. Please don’t call about your proposal. We regret that the volume of submissions prevents us from discussing proposals over the telephone.
What Your Proposal Must Include
Your proposal should be clear and concise. It should be three to seven pages in length, not including sample chapters and your resume or CV. Crucial elements to include are the following:
A working title
What title do you propose for this book or product? Please include your first choice as well as a few alternatives. List the keywords that the title should definitely include—words that convey the essence of the product and appeal to the target audience.
A summary
Answer as many of the following questions as possible:
- In a nutshell, what is the book or product about?
- What led you to create it?
- What need does the book or product fill? What problems does it solve? Why is the information important?
- How is the topic increasing in importance rather than declining?
- How do you envision the finished product? What are its dimensions, page count, and other physical specifics?
- Does it include charts, worksheets, illustrations, or other special features?
Target audience
Who is going to buy your book or product? Provide demographic information for your target audience, such as
- Age
- Reading level
- Gender (if applicable)
- Education level
- Place in career (entry level, mid-career, advanced)
- Vocation or industry (blue collar, professional, clerical, etc.)
- Specific fields (medical, legal, computers, teachers, etc.)
- What magazines or professional journals do they read?
- What associations do they belong to and what conferences do they attend?
Target markets
Besides bookstores, where is this book or product going to sell? Identify institutions and organizations that are likely to purchase the product. Identify the primary market and at least two secondary markets.
Competitive analysis
Determine which existing books or products are the most similar to your proposed product in terms of audience, scope, and coverage. List the top 5 or most relevant competing books or products and include the following information for each:
- Title
- Year published
- Publisher
- Page count
- Price
- Trim size (6 x 9, 8½ x 11, etc.)
- Amazon.com sales ranking
- How your book or product is different and better than what’s currently available
Sales and marketing analysis
Research the potential market for your book or product and give facts and figures that support the notion that significant numbers of people will buy it.
Are there factors (such as government spending) that will affect the demand for information in this area?
Demonstrate your ability and willingness to help promote and sell the book or product after it is published. Suggest ways that your publisher can partner with you to market and sell the product.
If you have contacts within companies or organizations that would be interested in buying the book or product in quantity, describe them here.
If you have previously published other books or products, please provide sales figures for them.
Outline
Include a full, detailed outline of the topics that your book or product will cover. The outline should include chapter titles, chapter subtopics, and synopses of what each chapter covers.
Sample chapters
If you’re proposing a book, workbook, or booklet, please include an introduction, which should explain the questions the product addresses and outlines the answers it gives. Also send at least one full chapter (preferably not the first chapter) that is representative of your writing and organizational skills as well as your knowledge of the subject.
Your bio and qualifications as an author
Please send a copy of your current resume or CV. Include information on previous writing and publications you have done. Demonstrate why you are an authority on your subject and why you are the right person to create this book or product. Include any affiliations or associations you belong to that will enable you to help promote the product after it is published. Do you regularly speak to large audiences on topics related to your product’s subject? Do you have access to specific, relevant mailing lists? Do you write a regular column for a newspaper or magazine? Are you an instructor who will use your own book or product as required reading in your classes?
Project status
Is your book or product already written? If not, when do you expect to finish it? Have you proposed it to other publishers previously or simultaneously? Has it been previously published and the rights have reverted to you? What type of software are you using to prepare the manuscript?
Where to Send Your Proposal
We prefer to receive submissions through e-mail. Please decide which product line your product is most relevant to, and send it to one of the following people. Please do not send your proposal to more than one person at JIST. We work closely together and will share your proposal with each other if needed.
If your proposal is for a career or education reference book, workbook, assessment, DVD, or electronic product to be sold primarily to workforce development, schools, colleges, and other institutional markets, direct it to
Susan Pines
Associate Publisher
spines@jist.com
If your proposal is for a book intended mainly for bookstore markets, direct it to
Heather Stith
Acquisitions Editor
JIST Publishing
hstith@jist.com
What to Expect
We will review your proposal and try to report the status back to you in 14 to 16 weeks. If you do not hear from us after 16 weeks, you may query us for the status by e-mail. Please do not call. If we determine that your proposal does not fit our current needs, you will receive notification by mail. If, on the other hand, we are interested in more information, we will call or e-mail you.
If your proposal is ultimately selected for publication, your editor will offer you a contract and will then provide direction on any requested revisions to the structure, contents, and outline of the product. You and your editor will agree to a submission deadline. Then you will work on preparing and submitting your final manuscript. At this point, the editing, production, and printing process begins, which will require at least one round of revisions from you. In general, we produce a finished book or product within 6 to 9 months of your final submission.