Introduction

Welcome to Brill's Guide for authors and editors. In these guidelines, you will find
the necessary information for submission of manuscript and/or journal proposals. You
will also find information about the preparation of your manuscript and about the
production process of your book. Please note that for our imprints Martinus Nijhoff
Publishers and Vista Science Press other guidelines may be applicable. For some
series in the fields of Islamic Studies and Social Sciences, supplementary guidelines
may apply; these guidelines are available on request. Should there be anything that
requires detailed information, please contact the Acquisitions editor concerned with
your field of research.
1. Submitting a manuscript proposal
As an important player in the market for high quality academic publishing, Brill is
happy to consider proposals for books, journals and reference works, both print and
electronic. In order for Brill to judge the merits of each project and its proposed
audience, certain issues need to be addressed. For detailed information on our
publishing programs, please consult the tab About Brill/Publishing Units on our
website (www.brill.nl). You will also find the names of the Acquisitions editors
responsible for each program.
Please use the following suggestions and questions as guidelines for submitting your
proposal.
The Work
To help Brill understand the merits of your work, the proposal should contain the
following elements:
1. Aims & Scope
A detailed statement of purpose (1-3 pages) explaining the objective and
significance of the work.
2. Table of Contents
An annotated outline, including an abstract of each chapter. If the project is an
edited volume, please include the names and affiliations of the contributors.
Indicate if any of this information is subject to change.
3. Sample
Some representative material for the project such as a sample chapter,
including a brief description of special production issues such as artwork, etc.
It would be helpful, especially if you have not published with Brill before, to
send along a sample of previously published articles, book chapters, books,
etc.
4. Length
An estimate of the length of the project (number of words including footnotes,
number of illustrations b/w, maps and tables).
5. Time schedule
The proposed submission date of the completed manuscript for review.
6. Exclusivity
An indication of whether you are submitting your proposal to a number of
prospective publishers and a sentence or two explaining why you are
submitting your proposal to Brill. As a rule, Brill will not start formal review
rounds when your work is being considered by another publisher.
7. CV
Marketing
In undertaking a publishing project, a publisher (and therefore, an author or editor)
must consider the market for a proposed work. In your prospectus, please address the
following questions:
How would you describe the intended audience for your work?
Is the market primarily institutional or are there also individuals who are
interested in purchasing a copy of the Work/taking a subscription to the
J ournal?
How does this work fit in with what is already available (in terms of Brill's
own list or that of other publishing houses)?
Your proposal
Based on the nature of the project, you may use the questions below as a guide in
constructing your proposal.
Professional/Scholarly/Reference Books
1. Who will be the likely readers of this material?
2. How will they use the material?
3. Does the approach taken in the book represent a departure from, or extension
of, conventional wisdom? How will this contribute to the discipline?
4. Is the book a monograph or and edited volume? Is a table of contents
available? Sample chapters? Abstracts of chapters?
5. What academic societies or sections of major societies will be most interested
in this work?
6. What professional groups will be most interested in this work?
Text Book
1. For what course or courses would your book most likely be adopted?
2. Are there any books currently available that your proposed book would
replace? How could your book replace the one already in use?
3. How many students enlist on these courses every year?
4. Does your book require ancillary material? If so, what type?
5. Is this a monograph or a collection of articles by different authors?
Journal
1. Where is the work which would be published in this journal being published
now?
2. What work will the journal publish that is not now being published in other
journals?
3. Why do you think other journals are not publishing this material?
4. Is there any planned connection of the editors and editorial board with a
society or professional organization? If so, do you think the subscription price
would be included in the organization's dues so that all members would
receive the journal as part of their membership? What other groups might be
interested in subscribing?
5. Do you think there is an international audience for this journal?
6. Knowing the amount of research that is going on in the field, do you think
there will sufficient quality material be produced and submitted to the journal
to sustain its publication over a long period of time?
7. Do you have a list of those who, tentatively, would consider being members of
the editorial board? Proposed editor(s)? Associate editor(s)?
8. What would a sample table of contents for an issue include?
Book Series
1. What is the raison d'tre for the series?
2. Who would serve as advisory editors for the series and how would they
interact with the publisher?
Electronic Media
1. What would the media do? What would it look like and how do you envision
it being packaged?
2. What documentation would be required? What technical support?
3. Are there any pricing considerations?
What happens next?
Each proposal receives a thorough evaluation by Brill. If we think a proposal may be
suitable for one of our series, it is sent for review to the editorial board of the series.
All manuscripts are peer-reviewed by independent readers. It usually takes 4-6
months before we will be able to send you a report.
2. Guide to manuscript preparation
Once your manuscript has been accepted for publication, it should be in sound
editorial shape before being delivered to Brill. Since Brill does not undertake the task
of copy-editing, this means that all copy-editing should be completed before your
manuscript is delivered. If you are a non-native speaker of the English language, it is
highly recommended to have the English of your manuscript checked by someone
who is.
The following guidelines are meant to assist you in this process. In some cases,
though not in many, delivering Camera-Ready Copy or a so-called author's PDF is
considered the most advisable thing to do. Guidelines for the preparation of Camera-
Ready Copy or author's PDF are available on request.
Style considerations
An author's priority should be consistency. Spelling should be consistent
throughout; the structure of your manuscript (chapters, heading and
subheadings) should be clear. For footnote references and bibliographies, Brill
books generally follow the Chicago Manual of Style. If your book follows a
different style manual, or if different style requirements are applicable for the
series in which your book will appear, please consult the Acquisitions editor
concerned with your field of research. Some useful suggestions for style
handbooks are:
o The Chicago Manual of Style, fourteenth edition. Chicago-London
(The University of Chicago Press) 1993 [A fifteenth edition of CMS is
now also available. Both editions may be used.]
o R.M. Ritter (ed. & comp.), The Oxford Style Manual. Oxford (Oxford
University Press) 2003
o Patrick H. Alexander et al. (eds.), The SBL Handbook of Style for
Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies. Peabody,
Mass. (Hendrickson Publishers) 1999.

Distinguish in typing 0 (zero) and O (capital letter); 1 (one) and I, l (letters).
The first line of a paragraph should be indented, except after a blank line, a
(sub)heading or a block quotation (for a definition of the latter, see below).
Use a tab, not spaces for indentation. Normally, paragraphs should not be
separated by insertion of a white line.
You can distinguish text which is to be italicised in print either by using
proper italics, or underlining.
Do not use bold type.
Quotation marks: Single quotation marks ( ) are used to distinguish words,
concepts or short phrases under discussion. Direct quotations of fewer than
twenty-five words should be enclosed in double quotation marks ( ) and run
on in the text. Double quotation marks should also be used for titles of articles
from journals and reference works. Larger sections of quoted text (i.e.
anything over two lines): set these off from other text by adding a blank line
above and below the section, and indent the block of text on the left. These
larger sections, or block quotations, should not be enclosed in quotation
marks.
Footnotes: you may use either footnotes or endnotes; but endnotes will be
converted to footnotes during typesetting. Footnote numbering should be per
chapter. Footnote reference numbers in the main text should follow any
punctuation mark(s).
Subheadings: please make sure that each level of subheadings is clear from the
copy. If necessary, indicate the level of a subheading in the left margin of the
printout by writing L1, L2, L3. The use of more than three levels of
subheadings is discouraged.
Capitalisation: please consult relevant handbooks.
Manuscript checklist
Although the subject matter determines a books structure to a large extent, any
monograph will conform to the following general structure, and you are advised to
adhere to it. This list contains some items that are optional: these are marked with an
*. Please note that the page layout of pp. i-iv will be done by Brill; however, we do
need exact title page information.
Front matter
Prelims [preliminary pages]. Pagination in roman numerals.
Dedication Page* [the verso of this will usually be blank]
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations* [including credit lines]
List of Maps*
Foreword*
Preface*
Acknowledgements* [should include all permissions for using copyrighted
material]
List of Abbreviations*
List of Contributors*
Main text
Pagination in arabic numerals
Introduction
Part Title*
Chapters [numbered sequentially, even when a book is divided into parts;
pagination should be sequential throughout]
Running Headlines (containing 50 characters max. per running headline)
Appendices*
Bibliography and/or List of works cited
Index: to be made on the basis of page proofs
Technical details
Illustrations, maps, diagrams
Line drawings (e.g. diagrams, maps): these should be supplied on clear white
paper, with lines and/or hatchings drawn in black ink. Never use a pencil or
coloured ink.
Photographs can be submitted as electronic files, slides or glossy prints. All
photographs should be clearly cross-referenced to the List of Illustrations (see
below) by a number written on each slide frame, or a number written on the
back of each print. When necessary, crops, horizontal or vertical orientation,
enlargement of details, etc. should be indicated on a photocopy accompanying
the original.
When supplied as electronic files, line drawings should have a minimum
resolution of 600 d.p.i. [dots per inch]. Photographs should have a minimum
resolution of 300 d.p.i.. The file format should be .TIF(F), .J PG or .EPS; a
printout should always be supplied.
List of captions to illustrations, diagrams, maps etc. Numbers should indicate
clearly to which photograph each caption belongs. Credit lines and
permissions should be included in the captions.
Computer files and Word processors
Your manuscript should be accompanied by electronic copy of all pages. Each chapter
should be a separate file with a clear name. Use email (using WIN ZIP or StuffIt for
Mac), CD-ROM or 3.5 inch floppy disks. Retain a separate backup of all files in their
final version. Word processing programs: Windows users are strongly advised to use
Microsoft Word; Macintosh users: Microsoft Word or Mellel; export Mellel files to
RTF (Rich Text Format).
Non-Western Scripts and Unicode
Brill authors frequently need to include text in non-western scripts and/or special
characters not normally available on desktop computers, e.g. Greek, Hebrew, Coptic,
Arabic and Syriac. In some cases the original scripts are not considered necessary but
transliterations are used instead. It is vital that you contact Brill at the earliest
opportunity if you need these scripts or special characters and cannot supply them
yourself. Mostly, all text in uncommon fonts will be re-keyed by typesetters. In any
case you should supply us with a copy of the fonts used in your files: when a
typesetter is able to use the same font the chance of typographical errors diminishes
radically. At this moment, Brill is preparing Guidelines for usage of Unicode fonts;
these will be available shortly and can be supplied on request. If you are already able
to supply text in Unicode fonts, please contact us about this as early in the process of
manuscript preparation as possible.
Further specifications
Authors Questionnaire and Review List
When your book is accepted for publication, you will be sent our so-called Authors
Questionnaire and Review List. These are documents that will be used to promote
your book at various stages of its production. It is of great importance that the
Authors Questionnaire is received before or along with the manuscript, since not
only the production process of your book, but also the operations concerning its
Marketing have to be scheduled.
Physical shape of the manuscript
Your manuscript should be printed out on white paper, on one side only. Lines should
be double-spaced, and all margins should be at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) wide: this space
is needed for manuscript mark-up. All manuscript pages should be numbered
consecutively. Please retain a copy of the printed manuscript.
Permissions
If you need to quote extensively from other works or wish to include other
copyrighted material, you should seek permission (in writing) from the copyright
holder. In most cases this will be the publisher of the original work; the author or
originator of the original material should be asked for permission as well. Authors are
responsible for taking care of reproduction fees, if any. Permission should be
requested for reproduction of any of the following:
extensive quotations of text; it is very hard to define extensive exactly, so
when in doubt, ask for permission;
any quotation from a poem, a song, a newspaper article, or unpublished
sources, whether in whole or in part;
any illustration (drawing, table, map) whether redrawn or not
any photograph
In your letter to the original publishers Rights and Permissions Department the
following information should be provided:
the nature of your own work (e.g., a scholarly monograph with a limited print
run) and its title
the publisher Brill Academic Publishers
world rights are requested
exact references to the original publication
the approximate number of words you wish to quote
It is a good idea to ask for the exact form of acknowledgement required.
Delivery
Please send your physical manuscript neatly wrapped by airmail or courier. Make sure
that the package is addressed to the Acquisitions editor or Assistant editor concerned
with your book. When you are posting your manuscript and illustrations, it is
important that you do not give a commercial value on the green Customs slip as this
will seriously delay delivery and may incur taxes which need to paid on delivery
causing all kind of logistic problems upon receipt. If you are worried about parcels
with illustrations going astray, we suggest that you use a courier service such as Fed-
Ex, or send the parcel by registered mail.
3. The production process
Proofs and Proofreading
Once the manuscript has been given into production, the production editor concerned
with your book will contact you. You will receive one set of page proofs (and a PDF
file of the proofs upon request), usually within two months. With your proofs you will
receive a letter from the production editor assigned to your book; s/he will list any
remaining queries and single out points that need your special attention. As a rule, you
will only receive first proofs. You may sometimes be asked to read second proofs as
well if the nature of the work demands this, but second proofs will normally be
checked in-house. The following list highlights the most important points in the
process of proofreading:
Word breaks at the end of lines (hyphenation) should always be checked,
because computer-generated hyphenation is never faultless.
Running headlines at the top of each page should be checked.
Footnotes: please pay close attention to the positioning of footnotes are
they on the correct page? Also check the footnote numbering; it is rare for this
to go wrong, but it does happen.
All captions accompanying illustrations, diagrams and maps should be read
word-for-word, because they are often re-keyed.
Special attention should be given to proofreading non-western scripts and
transliterations: these should also be proofread character-for-character. Word
order in Hebrew, Arabic and Syriac should always be checked.
Illustrations: please check if crops, positioning and orientation are as they
should be (photographs are sometimes accidentally mirrored!).
Cross-references should be inserted where necessary.
Alterations and authors corrections (as distinguished from typesetting errors) are
generally not permitted; a small number may be allowed if they do not upset page
layout unduly or cause extreme overrun, but the publisher reserves the right to charge
you for the additional costs and delays incurred.
You are asked, as a rule, to return the corrected proofs within four weeks of receipt.
Indexing
The task of compiling index copy falls to the author, who because of the
specialised nature of most Brill publications is the most suitable person to perform
it. Despite advances in computer technology, indexing is not a mechanical activity
that can be left to a computer: it requires thought and knowledge. Please consult The
Chicago Manual of Style, fourteenth edition, 1993, chapter 17, pp. 701-760 (or
consult the Chicago Manual of Style FAQ site on the internet:
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/cmosfaq.html), on how to go
about compiling indices. The index copy should be submitted along with the corrected
page proofs.
Format: each index entry should be a separate paragraph, consisting of a heading (or
lemma) and one or more locators (page references). Separate the heading and the first
locator by a TAB character; put a RETURN character at the end of an entry. In some
cases, arrangements can be made for the preparation of the index by a professional
indexer; the author will have to provide funding for this himself.