Hunter House is looking for a few good authors. We are always interested in manuscripts from authors whose work would provide our readers with the information necessary to affect personal improvement. The guidelines below are in two parts: (a) the subject areas in which we publish and (b) the kind of proposals we like to see. The areas in which we publish reflect our tag line, which is "books for health, family, and community," although some of our books fall into more than one of these categories. Our guidelines should assist you in determining whether your manuscript fits into one of our subject areas, and will direct you through the process of submitting a book proposal.
Manuscript Submission Guidelines
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e-mail:
acquisitions@hunterhouse.com
SUBJECT AREAS
Health and fitness, especially women's health
Our health books focus on emerging or current health issues that may be inadequately covered for the general population. We look for comprehensive, balanced, and up-to-date information presented in a clear and accessible manner. The book should describe causes, symptoms, medical theories, current and possible treatments, complementary and alternative therapies, successful strategies for coping, prevention, and so on. Illustrations, sidebars, reading lists, and resource sections that provide additional information or enhance the content are desirable. We specialize in women's health, with sublists on cancer, fitness, and women's health reference. We are currently interested in books about aging, complementary therapies, and fitness. At the top of our health list are Menopause Without Medicine; Alzheimer's Early Stages; Women Living with Multiple Sclerosis; The Complete Guide to Joseph H. Pilates' Technique of Physical Conditioning .
Family: Personal growth, lifestyles, relationships, sexuality
Personal growth topics that we are currently interested in are sexuality; partner and family relationships; and changing, evolutionary lifestyles. Successful titles provide step-by-step aids or a program to help readers understand and approach new perspectives on family issues or dynamics, celebrate their sexuality, and establish healthy, fulfilling lives that incorporate a planetary perspective. Examples include: Sexual Pleasure; The Pleasure Prescription; Pocket Book of Foreplay; and Intellectual Foreplay .
Violence prevention and intervention
We have a growing line of books and workbooks, often done in collaboration with nonprofits, that address community issues such as violence prevention, access for people with disabilities, and human rights. Books in this area should include clear reviews and explanations, new activities and exercises, provocative insights, and practical theory. Examples are: Violent No More: Helping Men End Domestic Abuse; Helping Teens Stop Violence; Computer and Web Resources for People with Disabilities; and Ditch That Jerk .
Resources for counselors and educators
Resources for educators are generally specialized curricula that address violence prevention and social justice issues, including
The Uprooted: Refugees and the United States;
Human Rights for Children; and
Making the Peace: A Violence Prevention Curriculum for Young People.
Books for counselors and helping professionals tend to offer information in new and underexplored fields, such as trauma and crisis in children. Titles include Trauma in the Lives of Children and
STARS: Steps to Achieving Real-Life Skills .
We are also looking for additions to our Growth and Recovery Workbooks series. These materials are for professional or supervised use with young children who have experienced trauma, abuse, or other critical life events. It is important that they have accompanying guides for the professionals who will use them. Titles include
No More Hurt and Someone I Love Died .
Audience
Our social issues books should be accessible to lay readers but should speak clearly to the specialized groups involved with the subject on a professional, volunteer, or community basis. Again, we look for credentialed authors with experience and a resource network in their field.
It is crucial that the authors of educational or professional books have credentials and experience within the specific areas they address. We look for a need for information within these areas and networks through which we can reach the professionals who will use these materials. Endorsements and a preface or foreword from noted individuals within the field are important and helpful.
We do not publish fiction.
PREPARING A BOOK PROPOSAL FOR US
A good nonfiction book proposal is made up of the following components: an overview; a chapter-by-chapter outline; an about the author(s) section; and marketing considerations.
The Overview should be a two- to three-page summary of the work: the content and your presentation and approach. It should include the following:
1. The subject hook, which creates interest in the book, including the title, subtitle, the book's angle on the current market, and approximate length of the book.
2. An anecdote or example that illustrates your theme and its significance.
3. Discussion of the book's other essential ingredients -illustrations, exercises, etc.
4. A foreword, preface, or endorsements for the book written by authorities or celebrities.
The final page of your proposal should discuss the markets for your work, your experience and credibility as an author, and any other information that makes the book unique. Our editors and salespeople must understand why your book should be written. Specify the audience your book will address (women, professionals, tradespeople). Include marketing or promotional ideas you have for getting the book known to your audience. Lastly, list current books that compete with and complement yours.
The Chapter-by-Chapter Outline is a 3-6 page outline, including all chapter titles and itemized lists of the major topics or contents of each chapter. Significant illustrations, appendices, and recommended reading should be listed. Work from a table of contents. You should have enough chapters to break up the topic in digestible pieces for the reader, but not so many that the material is scattered. Most books flow from an overall organizing subject or theme -the subject "hook" we ask for in the overview. For example, a book on breast cancer can be organized according to risks and detection, operations and choices involved, and recovery processes. After you complete your table of contents, go on to outline each chapter. Make a brief listing of topics that will be discussed in each chapter or summarize each chapter in a paragraph.
About the Author: your credentials as evidence you are qualified to write on the subject, and any experience or training that qualifies you especially well for this project. A resume or short biography that includes other publishing experience and media experience is helpful. The more you can tell us about yourself, the more we understand your proposal as a whole. Marketing and Promotion information: We look for authors who are positive about and have access to publicity. Explain what you will do to help promote the book. Describe your speaking, mass media, TV, radio, or promotional experience and include a plan of how your work can be promoted. Do you lecture, do seminars, tour, or travel for trainings and business; do you belong to active organizations and have strong networks; do you teach classes or write a newspaper column; are you prepared to market your materials? The Review Process
Marketing and Promotion information: We look for authors who are positive about and have access to publicity. Explain what you will do to help promote the book. Describe your speaking, mass media, TV, radio, or promotional experience and include a plan of how your work can be promoted. Do you lecture, do seminars, tour, or travel for trainings and business; do you belong to active organizations and have strong networks; do you teach classes or write a newspaper column; are you prepared to market your materials?
The Review Process: If we are interested in pursuing your project further, we will request sample chapters. Please send only two to three sample chapters-not the whole manuscript. Each chapter should have one concept, subject, skill, or technique. Use main headings and subheadings so a reader can know at a glance where the chapter is going.
In a chapter that explains a process or teaches a technique, explain the process step-by-step in exactly the order a reader should follow to understand the process. The general and most important concepts come first, while the exceptions and special considerations come last. Any background information can be explained first or in a separate chapter.
To effectively teach an individual step of a process or technique, follow this sequence: state the rule or instruction first. Be clear and to the point. Then give an example of how someone else did this step. Finally, provide an exercise for the reader to perform. This gives the reader three ways to learn the technique: intellectually by precept, emotionally by example, and experientially by doing.
Sending Us Your Manuscript: After you have done your marketing research and written your chapter outlines, consider whether Hunter House is the right publisher for you. We do not publish fiction, autobiography, or general children's books, so those types of works get returned right away. If you do have what we are looking for, then send it on. Proposals that are not accepted for publication will not be returned or responded to unless they have a SASE.
We do accept simultaneous submissions and look for computer printouts of good quality or e-mail. Please inform us if a manuscript is available on computer disk (IBM format is preferable).
