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Computer & Engineering Publishing Group Editors
Our editors cover the following areas:
- Mike Hendrickson mikeh@awl.com:
Computer Science- Programming Languages, Software Engineering, The Java
Series.
- Paul Becker paul.becker@awl.com:
Computer Science- Object Technology/Implementation, Database Technology,
Software Patterns Series.
- Mary O'Brien mary.obrien@awl.com:Technology
and Information Technology.
- Karen Gettman gettmank@awl.com:
Computer Science-Networking, Electrical and Computer Engineering-Electronics,
Architectures, Communications, and Semiconductors; Mechanical, Industrial,
and Manufacturing Engineering.
- Peter Gordon peterg@awl.com:
Computer Science -- Software Engineering/Management, SEI Series, Computer
Graphics, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Typesetting, Algorithms,
ACM Press.
- J. Carter Shanklin jcs@awl.com:
Computer Science - Addison-Wesley Object Technology Series (Booch/Jacobson/Rumbaugh,
Series Editors) and UNIX OS.
- John Wait johnw@awl.com:
Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series
Guidelines for Authors Submitting Manuscripts
To ensure that each project receives the fairest possible review, AWL
requests the author submit four items for evaluation and consideration by
AWL and peer reviewers:
- A prospectus describing the author's intentions
- A detailed table of contents
- One to two chapters that accurately reflects the book's core material
- The author's vitae
After reviewing these materials, Addison Wesley Longman will decide whether
or not to seek outside peer review of the proposal prior to a decision to
publish the work. Should we decide to seek further review, we may request
further material or changes in the proposal to ensure that your ideas are
presented in the most favorable manner. Reviewers of your proposal will
come from the targeted audience for the work, professionals or academics
like yourself. Properly done peer reviews take time, depending on the amount of material in your proposal. AWL's reputation is built on publishing quality books, and peer reviews are an important quality control tool for both author and publisher. In almost all cases we will share with you any peer reviews commissioned.
The Prospectus
Your prospectus should include the following information:
- A brief description: In several paragraphs, but not more than one page,
describe the work, its rationale (what problem is this work solving?), its
approach, and the target audience. Begin with a one to two sentence
summary of the book. As appropriate, follow this with a short explanatory
paragraph on the topic to put the book in context for non-technical readers
of the proposal. (Ex: Software Testing deals with ...X and is useful for
Y. All programmers should test their programs but many don't for Z. This
book will address overcoming Z.) You should then elaborate on these ideas
individually and at greater length making sure you address the following
items:
- Outstanding features: Supply a brief listing (but at least five points)
of what you consider to be the outstanding, distinctive or unique features
of the work. These are items that you would use to sell the book to a
bookstore buyer. Who is and why this author? What problem does this book
solve? What's unique about the book? What's different compared to other
books on this topic? (Include: organization, examples, case studies,
software included, experience of author, ties to leading products, etc.)
What is going to grab someone's attention and encourage them to examine the
book more closely?
- Competition: Consider the existing works in this field and discuss
specifically their individual strengths and weaknesses. This material is
written for reviewers and not for publication, so please be honest and
direct. You should describe what advantages your book has over the
competition, and how your book will be similar to, as well as different
from, its competition, in terms of level, style, topical coverage, and
depth. If significant books are now available, you should explain why you
chose to write another book in this area. Please mention all pertinent
titles even if they compete with only a portion of your book.
- Include a more specific discussion of the pedagogical elements. Will
the book include examples, cases, learning objectives, questions, problems,
glossaries, a bibliography, references, or appendices? Is the book
primarily descriptive or quantitative, elementary or rigorous, etc.?
- Audience/Market:
a. Who is the book's intended audience (end users of applications, software architects, application developers or designers, project managers, IS managers, CTOs, CEO's, theorists, undergraduate/graduate students, etc.)? Provide example affiliations, disciplines, titles and responsibilities of this audience.
b. List at least five benefits the target audience will gain from reading
the book and learning the material. What can they do with this
knowledge? How are they better off with it? (Ex: code more concisely or
solve problem X)
c. What prior knowledge or skills will the audience need to understand
this book? What other books should they be familiar with?
- Promotion/Sales:
a. If you are aware of professional organizations, user groups, or
mailing lists that would be useful in promoting the book, please list them.
b. Would this book be appealing to corporations as an item to bundle and
sell with their products or for use in training programs? Why or why not?
(Please include any potential sales leads or special sales opportunities)
c. Estimate the size of your target audience. Describe for a
non-technical person (such as a bookstore employee) why this topic is of
considerable market interest and why the book will sell well.
d. Under what category would this book be shelved in the bookstore?
- Support Material: If the work is for a professional audience, do you
plan to provide supplementary material to accompany it? (For example,
program code, figures or diagrams, software or discounts on other
products.) Please provide a brief explanation of the content/functionality
and rationale for each item. Consider how such material might be made
available. Is it suitable for posting on a (secure) ftp site or at a World
Wide Web location? Would this be a free supplement or do you see it as a revenue item? If software is to be included, please state the minimal hardware and software
requirements necessary to operate such software. If the software comes
from a third party, please provide background information and contact
information for the source.
- Status of the work:
a. What portion of the material is now complete?
b. When do you expect to have a completed manuscript?
c. How long do you plan for the book to be? Specify if this page count
is the number of double/single-spaced word-processed manuscript pages or a
final published length target.
d. How many and what type of figures do you plan to include? Specify
separately the number of photos, screen captures, and the amount of line
art (diagrams, tables, charts, graphs, drawings). Will you be rendering
these or will you need professional assistance?
e. How much copyrighted material will you use? Do you have or believe
you can obtain permission to use this material? Do you have any ideas of
these costs?
- Reviewers: Addison Wesley Longman will use reviewers of our own
choosing, but we will also try to include individuals whose opinions you
feel will be valuable. Can you suggest any? If the book has several
distinct markets, try to recommend at least one reviewer from each.
Naturally, we do not reveal the names of our reviewers without their
permission. If you desire, we will submit the material to the reviewers
anonymously.
The Table of Contents
The TOC is the blueprint for your work; it should be complete and detailed.
Explanatory notes should be included as necessary. This enables the
reviewers to understand the structure of the manuscript.
Sample Chapters
The material you submit should reflect your writing style and the book's
pedagogy in the best possible light. Although the sample chapters need not
be in final form, they should be sufficiently polished to allow for a valid
assessment of your abilities. You should try to submit at least several
representative chapters if possible, but the chapters need not be in
sequence. We advise you to submit any chapter that is particularly
innovative, and we need to see rough sketches of all necessary figures.
Since the first and ending chapters often are not representative of the
core concepts and ideas of the work, these usually do not make good
examples for review.
Curriculum Vitae
Please include a vitae with your submission. We would like to know about
your professional experience including organizational memberships, education,
awards/honors, and previous publications. Please also include: preferred
salutation (Mr., Ms. Professor, nickname, first name), full name, date of
birth, social security number, business and home addresses and telephone
numbers, and preferred method and place of communication. If there is more
than one author, please indicate a primary contact person.
With this material in hand, we can make an informed decision on your
proposal, and if contracted for, both you and Addison Wesley Longman can be
certain of the type of work to be produced.
Good Luck! We look forward to receiving your material.
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