IBM Press proposal guidelines

Getting the title right is crucial. The title and sub-title should actively sell the book, not just describe it, and should stress as clearly as possible the benefits of the book. Do make the title engaging and memorable, but remember always that too esoteric a title risks becoming meaningless once the book is displayed spine-out in a bookstore.

Describe your vision for the book. What do you hope it will achieve? And what are your personal goals in writing it? This will help us to work more effectively with your book and with you. One or two sentences will suffice.

What is the big idea? What is the core idea? Please try to summarize in a couple of paragraphs why your book will be a compelling and worthwhile purchase. What is the purpose? Where is the need? Why would a busy person spend time on it? Think about the benefits that it will offer the reader; the opportunities it will create or problems it will solve. List them. Will it deliver thought leadership or practical solutions? In effect, what is the book's unique selling proposition? If you can sell it to us, then we can better sell it to our book buyers.

Please tell us about the current profile of the core subject(s) addressed by your book. Why will readers be interested in this area? What trends, events or stories are likely to make this a timely and engaging publication? Please attach any supporting news stories, journal articles, statistics, quotes or even anecdotes that you can find to illustrate your case.

Quite simply, who will buy the book? Please outline your target market (primary and secondary) in terms of sectors, roles/job-titles and even "types" of reader. Technical, business or general audience? Programmers or investment banker? Havard Business Review or MIT Technology Review readers?

Think first about your primary market sector -- the core audience for your book -- and then (in less detail) your secondary market -- additional audiences such as advisers or students (in which case specify the typical course).

Think about the key buying factors for these people, and also how we can best attract their attention and speak to them. Where are they located? What do they read? Which Web sites do they visit? Whom do they trust?

Does the book have global or local appeal? Be realistic here. This will have many important implications, from content and editorial conventions to cover design and marketing approaches. If you are planning to write for a global audience, then consider how well your book's message and content will travel. A mix of international case studies, examples and endorsements may be essential passports to a global audience.

Please outline the proposed contents or your book, including chapter headings and brief synopses of each chapter. What is the big idea, the core idea, contained in each chapter?

Please outline any key content features that your book might contain, such as worked examples, implementation plans, software or case studies, which will help readers apply your ideas. What visual material will the book contain to support your ideas? Are there resources on the Web that may be pointed to?

A top book will certainly need positive endorsements for the cover. Please list potential endorsers from whom you plan, or from whom we can plan, to secure quotes before publication. Typical endorsers might include commentators, academics or people from your target market, and they may endorse the book, your credentials as the author or even the significance of the subject. Please list only those whose support you -- or we -- have a realistic chance of winning.

Will any prominent individual or organization be willing to provide a foreword for your book? Please let us know if you are planning to include any high-profile case studies, which will enhance the marketability of book. Will the book contain any noteworthy big ideas, fascinating facts, new techniques or memorable models that might feature in press releases or promotional campaigns?

How would you sell your expertise to the potential reader? What would make a potential reader trust your advice or invest effort in applying your ideas? Describe your background, experience and any previous published work. If you have been published before, please send in an example of your work -- either a copy of the book or some sample pages. It is a useful exercise to approach the preparation of this biographical information in the style that you would like it to appear on a book jacket or in advance promotional communications. Does your reputation resonate within the audience you are targeting?

If you have any queries regarding your proposal, we will be more than happy to discuss them in advance.

Download IBM Press Proposal Form