Manuscript Submissions

Thank you for considering Ionic Empire as the future publisher of your manuscript!

This page will provide guidelines on how to submit a proposal to us. The questions on this page will help us fully conceptualize your idea and assess whether it is a match with our publishing interests and mission statement.

After you submit a proposal, we will email you with a confirmation receipt, including an estimate of how long an official response will take. Please understand that it may take some time to provide a full assessment (ca. two months). Let us know if you require an expedited response or if your manuscript is under consideration by another publisher.

Dē Nōbīs (About Us)

We are dedicated to upgrading the way students and teachers experience Latin and Greek, both inside the classroom and out of it. Our mission statement can be found on our ABOUT PAGE. This mission can be achieved in a variety of ways, but in general this means embracing technology, generating innovative materials, adhering to national standards, and providing truly compelling content for learners.

For an in-depth explanation of our current standards for language learners, please read our PEDAGOGICAL MODEL. (N.B. We are, of course, interested in manuscripts that utilize traditional pedagogies as well, to appeal to ALL learners and instructors of Latin and Greek).

Currently, we are looking for manuscripts or projects in the following areas:

  • Latin and Greek
    • Readers
    • Commentaries
    • Textbooks
    • Apps and games
    • Materials for oral Latin and Greek
    • Teaching resources and supplementary materials
    • Online video series
  • Archaeology and history
  • Mythology and religion
  • Et cetera

If you are unsure if your manuscript falls within these areas, please email the editor (editor@ionicempire.com) with questions or concerns.

Guidelines – How to Structure Your Proposal

Your proposal must have the structure outlined below. It is important to adhere to the following guidelines, which will provide questions and hints, to ensure a speedy reply from the editor.

Title and Sub-title

This is an often overlooked piece of a manuscript. The title is the first line of marketing and should tell a prospective reader exactly what your book is doing. A title of A New Latin Textbook is not what we want. Think about your reader and consider why they would pick up your book.

Cover Letter (The Pitch)

This is your chance to speak directly to us and describe your idea.

  1. Address us in this letter, as you would a potential reader. Really sell it!
  2. Describe your ideas, research, overall structure, pedagogies, etc. that will be compelling to your target reader.
  3. Provide relevant anecdotes, experiences, etc. involving this manuscript. Have you used samples of it in a classroom setting, for example?
  4. Why is your manuscript better than what is already out there? Why should people use your manuscript? How does this provide a unique perspective?
  5. Consider: What benefits does your manuscript offer readers/learners?
  6. Consider: What problem(s) are you solving for your reader? How will this manuscript help readers achieve a goal? What is that goal?
  7. End this section with sales pitch to give us an idea of what you would list online, put on the back of your book (if applicable), and/or advocate to a school administrator (if applicable).

Contents

In this section, we would like to understand the general structure and scope of your manuscript. Please provide a detailed list of contents, in which you outline chapter headings (if applicable) with a brief description for each.

Also, please provide a sample chapter or section (ca. 25 pages) to give us a true idea of your work. If this is not possible at the time of submission, please include drafts for a sample chapter.

Author

We want to know why you are the best person to be creating this manuscript! Please answer the following questions (include: 1 page resume or full CV):

  1. What are your areas of expertise in this field?
  2. Do you have any previous writing/developing experience?
  3. Why are you qualified to create this manuscript?
  4. What are your personal goals in creating this manuscript?
  5. Why are you interested in publishing with Ionic Empire? What type of working relationship are looking for in an editor and publisher?

Target Market

  1. Who will use your manuscript?
  2. What level of learner was this designed for?
  3. Does your manuscript have an international appeal? Multicultural appeal?
  4. Was your manuscript designed for a specific pedagogy or methodology?

Details on the Final Product

  1. How many words will this product be when finished? N.B. There are ca. 45,000 words in a 200 page book.
  2. How many illustrations/visuals will be included? Will these be created by you, an illustrator, or an outside source? N.B. Images and photos require permissions and acquisitions.
  3. Will your manuscript include block quotes (ca. 500 words)? N.B. These will require permissions.
  4. Will this book require supplementary materials (e.g. workbooks, online exercises, companion apps, etc.)?
  5. Indicate if this entire work is completed or not. If it is incomplete, provide a rough date for completion. Please be realistic.

Submitting Your Proposal

All proposals should be submitted electronically to editor@ionicempire.com. The proposal should be in one file as a DOCX or PDF. This file should be named according to the following format: LASTNAMEfirstname.pdf or .docx (e.g. WOODwesley.pdf). If the file is too large for email, provide a link to the file via Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.

Your proposal will be evaluated by our editor, who will consult our Pedagogical Model, peers in the field (anonymously and privately, to protect your work and name), and our company’s publishing plan to reach a decision.

Decision

Upon submission of your proposal, two outcomes will occur:

If your manuscript is accepted, you will be contacted by our editor with a follow-up email for feedback and contract discussions. Upon contract signing, the editor will guide you in preparing your manuscript for official submission for editing, printing, and publishing.

If your manuscript is rejected, you will be contacted by our editor with an email.

If you have any questions about this process, contact our editor via editor@ionicempire.com.