Information for Authors

Getting your book published
Kogan Page is always looking for new proposals and new authors. The information below shows you what you need to provide, and what you can expect when you work with us.

We pride ourselves in offering a relationship with our authors which is second to none – from initial meeting to post-publication meetings and sales updates. As Malcolm McDonald, Emeritus Professor, Cranfield University School of Management, says about his experience of working with us: "Kogan Page has the most professional and outstanding team I have ever encountered in the publishing industry. Not only that, but they are really nice people! "

Submitting a proposal
When assessing new book ideas we ask authors to think carefully about the intended market, the competition and the unique selling points of the books. We are looking for the commercial viability of your proposal and, as such, require as much information as possible.

A book proposal always prompts the following questions:

• Is there a commercially-viable market for the book?
• What evidence is there for this market?
• What is the readership for your book?
• What is the level of the readership (student, graduate student, professional practitioner etc)?
• Does the book fill a gap in the market? What evidence is there for this gap?
• Is there international potential? Where? Why?
• Are there other ways to optimise your intellectual property such as a digital version?
• Is the content at a suitable level and high standard?
• How will you, the author, help us promote and raise visibility of the title?

Authors are required to fill in an electronic version of our standard proposals document to help answer these questions - click here for our standard proposals document. The more information you can provide at this stage the greater the chance is that your proposal will be accepted. Your first port of call will be to identify the appropriate commissioning editor in order to request a proposals document.

As part of our assessment, your idea may be evaluated by an independent referee. This is to provide independent advice on the content quality and potential market for the finished book. The relationship of your proposal to the finished manuscript is therefore extremely important.

We will be making our publishing decision based on the material presentation at proposal stage. Should a final manuscript vary greatly in content or length from its proposal it will be returned for revision or rejected.

The commissioning editor, once satisfied that the proposed book is of interest to us, will put together a pack which will include your proposal, the referee’s assessment, projected costs and revenues and a market analysis. This will then be presented to the proposal board which is made up of the directors of our sales and marketing departments, editors and the managing director of Kogan Page.

Decision to publish
Should your proposal be unsuccessful we will write to you informing you that we are unable to publish it. However, we may also make suggestions that you might want to consider should we feel that there is potential but that the proposal requires development or adaptation to meet our publishing criteria.