Advice for potential authors

Prospective authors should read through this advice before contacting the team.

Background

The University of Chester is one of a minority of UK universities to have its own in-house publishing operation, which was founded in 2001 to disseminate the institution's expertise through its range of publications. The re-launch in 2011 as the University of Chester Press reflected the institution's growing reputation for research and innovation and the aim is to ensure that the core value of excellence in learning and teaching is evident throughout its list of publications.

This in-house book publishing operation aims to provide authors with a cost-effective means of publishing their research, professional practice and creative work, together with a personal approach. It primarily publishes work from within the University and then prioritises publications with a significant relationship to the history, life and culture of Chester and its surrounding region. The University of Chester Press is managed by an Editorial Board and supported by a critical peer review process.​ 

Proposals

Any enquiries about publishing with the University of Chester Press should be directed to its Managing Editor, Dr Sarah Griffiths. Authors and editors are asked to complete the University of Chester Press proposal form outlining why the publication would either complement published literature in the field, or be an innovative approach to the subject. Other factors to be considered include the potential audience for the publication, the expected length, its provisional title, an outline of the main chapter headings with a detailed summary of the content, the author’s expertise in the subject area and any other publications, the expected completion date, potential peer reviewers, the expected audience and ideas for marketing. To accompany the proposal form, a copy of the Introduction or another sample chapter should be supplied. Expressions of interest for Open Access publications are welcome (using the same proposal form) if there is funding to support this.

In terms of illustrations, any project printed in-house at the University of Chester does not incur additional charges for black and white illustrations and they are actively encouraged. Colour pages do raise the printing costs significantly and should be limited unless funding is available. Where more printing capacity can be justified and external printers are used, all illustrations increase the cost and this consideration should be factored in when preparing the proposal.

The selection process

All proposals are considered by the Editorial Board, which consists of a range of academics with publishing experience at the University, and they are responsible for determining the editorial direction for the University of Chester Press. Peer reviewers will be approached to give an expert opinion on each publishing project and this evidence, together with the completed proposal form and a sample chapter (if available), will be considered by the Editorial Board members. They are responsible for identifying the projects that bring the most benefit to the institution and which will cover the costs incurred as a minimum. Resource constraints mean that only a proportion of proposals can be approved. Once all approvals have been secured and the legal contract prepared and signed, the project can begin the journey through the publishing process.

Manuscript submission advice for authors/editors

After approval of the proposal, authors or editors are responsible for providing a complete Microsoft Word electronic version of the publication in a consistent style and layout. Authors/editors should consider the following:

  1. Authors and editors are responsible for securing all permissions to reproduce diagrams and photographs in print and for ebook versions and these permissions must have been secured before the submission of manuscripts. Any associated costs should be borne by the author/editor.

  2. Illustrations should be supplied as separate high resolution jpeg files, together with an indication of where they should be located or be incorporated into the text. Please bear in mind that the conversion to a smaller format (usually A5) may mean that the exact location may not be possible because of layout considerations. Good quality hard copies of illustrations can be scanned in to create digital files. Tables can be accepted as separate files or incorporated into the text.

  3. References can be accepted in the usual consistent format for the subject area, e.g. based on APA or MHRA style.

  4. It is the author’s responsibility to seek permission to include quotations that exceed the normally accepted interpretation of the legal justification of “Fair dealing for criticism or review”. These are:

    1. A single extract of up to 400 words;

    2. A series of extracts, none more than 300 words, totalling no more than 800 words;

    3. 40 lines of poetry, provided that this is not more than 25% of the whole poem.

Any quotation that cannot be regarded as being included for the purpose of criticism or review requires the permission of the rights owner. It is the author’s responsibility to pay any fee involved in obtaining permission to quote more than the accepted limit.

Production

The manuscript will be formatted and copy-edited by University of Chester Press staff (or a freelance specialist) and a set of proofs produced. Inevitably, there will be suggestions for revisions and queries. Agreement on the proposed changes will be negotiated with the author/editor before the work proceeds. A final set of proofs will be checked by a proof-reader (external if the work has been copy-edited in-house) and any resulting changes incorporated in agreement with the author/editor. Final checks will be incorpated before the book goes to print.

Design

The author/editor will be involved in the design process for the cover and this will be initiated when the manuscript has been received. A blurb should be prepared for the back cover that explains the subject material and encourages readers to purchase the book. This will be agreed between the author/editor and the University of Chester Press. Any recommendations from eminent people in the field would be very welcome for the back cover.

Publication

A publication date will be agreed between the author/editor.  A press release is issued to raise awareness in appropriate media around the launch date. Authors and editors are expected to play an active part in promoting their publication and will be asked for suggestions on suitable journals for review copies, forthcoming conferences in the field and any groups or societies who may be interested in receiving publicity material on the book. The University of Chester Press will use this information to compile a mailing list of potential customers where appropriate, produce a flyer and send out review copies to specialist journals. Authors/editors should distribute flyers at conferences, reference the book on reading lists (if appropriate), promote it on social media (where possible) and include the details on their website profiles (if they exist).

The University of Chester Press will ensure that all the relevant details are uploaded to the major bibliographical databases and copyright copies are deposited with the legal deposit libraries. Authors will receive six free copies of the publication, if there are multiple authors/editors this will be split between them and further copies can be purchased at a reduced rate.

Distribution and Sales

University of Chester Press print publications can be ordered online or directly from Sarah Griffiths for institutional orders which require an invoice. The publications can also be purchased through booksellers or distributors.

Ebooks are available through Google Play and library collections such as EBSCO, Ebook Central and Gardners.