Book Author and Editor Guidance
Open Christian Press welcomes proposals for books that are intellectually substantial, responsibly sourced, clearly written and suited to the Press's scholarly, educational, professional or Christian publishing programme. Prospective authors and volume editors should normally submit a proposal before a complete manuscript unless invited otherwise.
What a strong proposal should establish
A book proposal should enable an editor to understand the work's central argument or purpose, its contribution, intended readers, structure, evidence base, competing titles, feasibility and fit with the Press. A proposal is not promotional copy. It is a reasoned publishing case.
Proposal components
A complete proposal should normally include:
Proposed title and subtitle
A concise overview of the book and its central argument or purpose
The problem, gap or audience need the book addresses
Intended primary and secondary readerships
An annotated table of contents explaining the purpose of each chapter
Estimated word count, number of figures or tables, and anticipated completion date
Explanation of the book's distinct contribution in relation to comparable publications
Information about the author's or editors' qualifications and relevant experience
Details of any previously published material, third-party content or permissions needs
Proposed review classification, such as scholarly peer review, expert review or editorial review
One or two representative sample chapters where available
Disclosure of funding, institutional sponsorship, conflicts of interest and material use of AI tools
Scholarly monographs
A scholarly monograph should advance a sustained, original and well-supported argument. The proposal should explain the field-level contribution and the method by which claims are established. A revised thesis must be reconceived as a book for readers, not merely reformatted. Excessive literature review, examination-oriented signposting and institution-specific material should be revised substantially.
Edited volumes
An edited volume requires more than a common theme. The proposal should identify the intellectual problem that unifies the chapters, explain contributor selection, describe the chapter-review process and show how editors will prevent repetition, uneven quality and disconnected conclusions.
Volume editors are responsible for contributor communication, deadlines, consistency, permissions, chapter completeness and the accuracy of contributor metadata. Each contributor must sign the required publication agreement.
Textbooks and teaching resources
A textbook proposal should identify the educational level, course or programme context, learning outcomes, chapter progression, pedagogical features and instructor or student resources. The manuscript should distinguish foundational knowledge from the author's interpretation and should use examples that are accurate, inclusive and appropriate to the intended audience.
Professional and ministry books
Professional and Christian ministry books should demonstrate intellectual and practical value beyond personal opinion. Claims should be supported by Scripture, credible evidence, responsible experience or appropriate professional sources. Testimonies and illustrations must be truthful, consented to where identifiable and presented without exploiting vulnerable persons.
Review and editorial classification
Scholarly monographs and scholarly edited volumes are ordinarily sent to independent subject experts. Textbooks, handbooks and ministry resources may undergo expert, pedagogical, theological and editorial review appropriate to their purpose. The Press determines the final review pathway after preliminary assessment and discloses the classification in the published work.
Review is advisory to the Press. Authors are expected to respond carefully, but reviewers do not assume authorship or final editorial responsibility.
Manuscript preparation
The manuscript should use a consistent heading hierarchy, citation system, spelling convention and treatment of tables, figures and Scripture references. All quotations and third-party materials must be traceable. Authors are responsible for securing written permission for content that is not covered by lawful quotation, fair use or an appropriate open licence.
A final manuscript should normally include title page, contents, contributor information where relevant, preface or introduction, chapters, conclusion, acknowledgements, declarations, references or bibliography, and index material where agreed.
Images, tables and permissions
Images must be high quality and accompanied by captions, credit lines, source details and permission documentation. Screenshots, maps, charts, photographs, artworks and substantial tables may require permission even when found online. The Press may decline material whose legal status cannot be established.
Artificial intelligence
AI-assisted language refinement, coding, image generation, transcription or research organisation must be disclosed where material. Authors may not submit fabricated references, unverifiable quotations, synthetic evidence or AI-generated passages that they have not critically verified and taken responsibility for. Confidential reviewer reports, unpublished third-party manuscripts and restricted personal data must not be uploaded to public AI systems without authority.
Production, identifiers and distribution
After acceptance and contract, the manuscript may proceed through developmental editing, copyediting, typesetting, cover design, proof review and metadata preparation. The final publishing plan may include open-access PDF or EPUB, print-on-demand, commercial ebook or other formats.
ISBNs are assigned by format or edition where applicable. A Crossref DOI may identify the authoritative book record, and chapter DOIs may be used selectively. Metadata must remain consistent across OMP, Crossref, repositories, retailers and print editions.
Submission and decision
Proposal submission does not create a publishing obligation. The Press may decline a project because of scope, quality, capacity, timing, legal risk, market feasibility or misalignment with its mission, even when the topic is worthwhile.