Publishing for Engineers

Publishing books works quite differently from publishing in journals. One of the biggest differences is that you usually need to create a proposal and have that accepted by a publisher before beginning the main work on your book. Every publisher has a different focus to their publishing output and different guidelines for how to submit a proposal. Make sure you are targeting your proposal to a specific publisher and not just creating a generic proposal. Many publishers will have templates or style files that you can use to customize your proposal.

In addition, while many book proposals are peer reviewed, the final books are not always peer reviewed. If that is important to you, make sure you investigate your publisher's policies related to peer review.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you consider whether to publish a book:

• What do you want to communicate?
• Does this book address a gap in the field?
• Who are the publishers most likely to be interested in your book?
• Are there any fees for publication?
• What does the publishing agreement look like? For instance, how much will you receive in royalties and what rights do you retain to your work?

If you are interested in self-publishing, MSU Library can help: Book publishing at MSU Libraries