We receive about 200 unsolicited book proposals each year. Of these, the great majority are not actually within our publishing field (see below), but we give serious consideration to about twenty, and usually publish four or five. The remainder of the titles that we publish each year (around ten in all) are originated by us, or come from our existing authors, or are joint projects with other organisations.

If you want to submit a book proposal, please note the following:

1. We don't publish any fiction, nor children's books, nor poetry.
2. Although we have an interest in spiritual issues, we don't publish 'New Age' titles that are essentially concerned with mind/body/spirit issues. No books on channelling, please!
3. We rarely publish books that present a single solution to all our problems, such as the idea that we all become vegetarian, or that all global problems would evaporate if we changed from a seven-day week to a nine-day week (one proposal we received).
4. We are interested in green politics, green lifestyle, and practical books (e.g. organics and eco-building).


Here are some of the book proposals we received over a period of one month, all of which we declined:

A Gentile in a Jewish State
Phoebus's Ancient Garden
How to find a compatible dog
The Correspondence between the Quran and the Bible
Gardening with the Devil: a portrait in diary form of George French, rustic & hashish addict
Dear All: emails from Nepal
Poetry of Meadow Flowers
Creator: a trilogy of channelled text
English haiku
Harborne in Wartime: From Bugs & Fleas to Kippers & Curtains
From Wonder to Understanding (popular science)
Don't ring church bells when it thunders (popular science)

And here are a couple which we considered:

Hemp for Victory (about the history, politics and uses of hemp)
Handbook of House Design & Construction


To save your time and ours, the best approach is to have a good look at our website, and see whether your book looks as though it fits in well. Having done that, if you feel your proposal is right for us, in the first instance please send a synopsis only - not the complete text. You can email this to us at edit@greenbooks.co.uk, or post it.

Unfortunately it can sometimes take a long time for us to reply to book proposals, as we receive so many. Please be patient, and if you don't hear from us within a couple of months, contact us by phone or email to check that we received your proposal.

What your proposal should contain

We need the following:

1. An outline of the contents, preferably with draft chapter headings. Also a representative chapter or two (preferably not the Introduction).
2. Your view on the market for the book (e.g. for the general reader/for the academic market).
3. Why there is a need for your book, including a note about existing titles on the same subject and their strengths and weaknesses.

Please put this as concisely as possible (i.e. the equivalent of 2-4 sheets of paper). It will help us to quickly evaluate whether your book could be right for us.


The publishing process

We see publishing as a co-operative, creative process involving ourselves and the author. Although it states in our publishing contract that we reserve the right to make the final decision on the selling price, cover design, etc, we always work closely with authors throughout the project.

If we decide that in principle we would like to publish your book, we will discuss with you details such as the length of the text, whether illustrations will be required, whether the book will be indexed, etc, and how these will affect the selling price.

The publishing contract will include a date for delivery of the final text, and we will plan a publication date for the book (usually six months to one year from receipt of the text). When we receive your final text, we will edit it, and discuss with you any significant changes that we think are required. We will send you proofs to check, including at least one set of page proofs of the book (i.e. as it will look when published).

Fairly early on in the publishing process we will discuss the project with our cover designer. He will produce one or more draft covers, which we will send to you for your comments.

As publication date approaches, we will send you a draft Review List (the names and addresses of people to whom we plan to send review copies) for your additions and comments. We will discuss with you how we plan to market the book, including arrangements for North America and possible foreign rights sales.

We pay royalties to authors twice yearly, and the publishing contract may include an advance payment against future royalties.


John Elford
Publisher