The Alternate Press Author Guidelines

The publishing world is changing quickly and e-books are outselling print books. Consequently, we are currently revising our business plan and therefore not accepting proposals for print books. If you would still like Life Media, under its imprint The Alternate Press, to consider your book for publication, please read these guidelines carefully prior to submitting a query.

Does Your Book Fit With Our Editorial Mandate and Business Perspective?

The Alternate Press is a small Canadian publishing house with an international audience that specializes in positive, adult non-fiction about natural parenting; secular homeschooling, unschooling, democratic education and independent learning; green business; and green living. If your book falls within these categories, The Alternate Press might be a suitable home for your work. If it doesn't, please submit your book to another publisher, since we will not be able to effectively market it for you. Please note that we currently are not considering general health manuscripts, poetry or children's books for publication, and we do not publish curriculum-oriented materials of any sort, books targeting school teachers, or religious materials.

Beyond its compatibility with our other titles for marketing purposes, the criteria we use to decide whether or not to accept a manuscript for publication include the following (please address these issues in your query):

• Is there a market demand for the information?

• What else has been published on the same topic and how recently?

• How much knowledge does the author have about the topic?

• Is the quality of writing good?

• Does the book provide positive motivation and tools for change?

• Does the book have an international focus?

How to Submit Your Proposal:

Having determined that your book could fit into The Alternate Press list (if you are still not sure, checking with us via email prior to submitting a full proposal will save us all time), please prepare your proposal according to the suggestions below. Note that we consider manuscripts for publication, not ideas. So we ask that you wait to query us until your book is written, or at least well on its way. Please also note that we do not accept queries by telephone, nor do we consider hand-written submissions.

Send us the following, either by regular mail or by email as an attachment in Word (we prefer email):

• A cover letter with complete contact information and letting us know if this is a simultaneous submission;

• A synopsis or outline of the whole book;

• A sample of approximately 25 consecutive double-spaced manuscript pages, preferably including the first chapter (please do not send the whole manuscript);

• A brief biography or profile of yourself (one page or less) summarizing relevant professional and personal information. (We don't really care about your degrees but experience with the topic you're writing about is essential.);

• A list of what you have already had published, including magazine articles and books, and whether or not any part of the submitted manuscript has been published already in any format.

If you submit by regular mail, enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope with sufficient Canadian stamps or international reply coupons for our response and for any material you want returned. Make sure return packaging is adequate in size and strength and the postage is sufficient. If these conditions are not met, we will not be able to return your material.

Please ensure your submission is typed, clean and easy to read. Do not use fancy fonts or other formatting, and do not attempt to make it look like a book. Number the pages. Never send original art work, slides or photographs. If you are mailing us a hard copy proposal, hold it together with staples, a paper clip or elastic bands; please do not spiral bind it or place it in a binder or folder.

What Happens Next?

If you are emailing your submission, we will acknowledge it and then will respond in more detail within two months of receipt of your submission – usually much sooner. We receive a large number of submissions, so please do not phone us to inquire about the status of your submission, and do not email us about it until two months have passed and you still haven't heard from us.

When we respond, there are many possibilities. We may:

• reject your manuscript as unsuitable;

• ask for a longer sample;

• ask for a more complete outline or a table of contents;

• suggest the addition of material or a different approach to the topic;

• accept it and offer you a publishing contract specifying royalties, copyright arrangements, etc. (We generally do not offer an advance on royalties.)

If your book is accepted by The Alternate Press, your contract will include a tentative publication date and we will send you an outline of the process from beginning to end. Then the editing process will begin, followed by book design. You should expect substantial input from the editor and be prepared to meet deadlines for revisions.