Publishing ESL Materials

							Lucia Engkent                                                      TESL Ontario Conference
lucia.engkent@senecac.on.ca                                        October 29, 2010
lpengkent@gmail.com


                     Publishing ESL Materials
My publications (i.e., my experience):
Take Part: Speaking Canadian English, Prentice-Hall Canada, 1986; 2nd ed. 1992.
Take Charge: Using Everyday Canadian English, Prentice-Hall Canada, 1997.
Groundwork: Writing Skills to Build On, Prentice-Hall Canada, 2001.
Fiction/Non-Fiction: A Reader and Rhetoric, Harcourt Canada, 2001; 2nd ed. Thomson Nelson
        2006. (as second author)
Skill Set: Developing Reading and Writing Skills, Oxford Canada, 2007; 2nd ed. forthcoming.
Essay Do’s and Dont’s, Oxford Canada, forthcoming.


What to keep in mind when you are writing:
 develop materials for your own class work, to fulfill an actual need
 test the materials in class as much as you can
 remember that a textbook needs a focus and a purpose—it is not just a collection of handouts
 you don’t have to copyright your material officially, but make sure it is clearly identified as
  your work and guard distribution (be careful of posting it on-line and printing courseware)
 keep track of any material you are using from another source (avoid accidental plagiarism)

What you need to know about the market:
 publishing is a business, companies want to make money, so you need to know who will use
  your textbook and how it will differ from the competition
 ESL is usually a separate division from English composition, and textbooks are separate from
  trade books
 it’s very hard to break into the American and international market
 many companies do not want to do Canadian ESL textbooks

Permissions: If you use material from other sources (such as magazine articles), you must get
the author’s permission to use it and usually pay a fee. Costs vary. How they are paid for is
spelled out in your contract. Sometimes the publisher handles all permissions, but you may have
a limited budget.

Co-authorship: a minefield of potential problems, something to approach very carefully—it’s
like a marriage, and divorce is not easy. It doesn’t have to be a 50/50 split. Be sure to get an
agreement on individual contributions and responsibilities. Keep records of who did what in case
there are disagreements later. The benefits include sharing the work load and tapping into
different expertise.




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Query: asking publishers (by letter, e-mail, or conversation) if they would like to see a proposal,
generally the first step. Look at other textbooks to see who is publishing in that area.

Multiple or simultaneous submissions: Be upfront about it if more than one publisher is
considering your work.

Proposal (check out publishers’ webpages to see what they specifically want):
 brief description of the material, including purpose, level, and pedagogical principles
 brief explanation of how your book is unique
 outline: how each chapter is structured and what the different chapters would cover
 market evaluation: where the material would be used, target audience (including specific
   courses), how your book would differ from competing books (be specific)
 sample chapter(s) or sections
 your qualifications to write the book (a C.V.)

Review process: Your proposal is sent out to 3 or 4 reviewers, usually teachers in the field. They
evaluate it and comment on its marketability. The final manuscript is also reviewed.

Contract: Publishers will generally offer you their standard contract, but you can get changes
made. The contract will specify the length of the manuscript, due date, and royalties.

Royalties: Usually 10%. Less for editing anthologies or Canadianization of American text.

Copyright: For textbooks, publishers generally hold the copyright, not the author. You don’t
have to worry about copyrighting your manuscript. Anything you write is your property and
legally yours. However, you should control copies circulating for class testing and material
posted on web sites. Make sure you label your material with your name and the date. Don’t give
away rights with courseware.

Submitting the manuscript: Be aware of timelines. If you know you are going to be late
submitting, talk to the publisher as early as possible. Follow manuscript preparation guidelines
from the publisher.

Extras: As part of the package, you may also be asked to help prepare a Teacher’s Resource,
website materials, CDs or DVDs, tapescript, podcasts.

Acquisitions (or Acquiring) editor: chooses your proposal for publishing; usually handles
several subject areas, so might not be an expert in the field.

Production editor: shepherds the book through the process after it has been signed.

Copy editor: goes over every word you write, corrects grammar and spelling, asks you about
wordung choices, looks for inconsistencies, marks up the text for design (headings, changes in
font, etc.).




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Design process: something the author has little control over. You may be asked for input, but the
company usually makes final decisions on cover, typeface, page size, illustrations, etc.

Proof reader: checks final pages. You will be asked to proof the pages too. No textbook will be
letter perfect; mistakes are inevitable, even with electronic files.

Tax considerations: Royalties show up on a T5 (investment income), but you can claim them as
self-employment income from professional services if you deduct expenses, including home
office space and equipment. Keep records and receipts.

Self-publishing: You are responsible for not only writing the material, but also editing,
designing the book, arranging printing, marketing, sales, and shipping. You can hire freelance
editors and designers. It’s easier to do today because of computer technology and print-on-
demand which lets you avoid having boxes of books sitting in your basement. You can also sell
books from the Internet. You earn more per book, but you take on the financial risk and do a lot
more of the work than in regular publishing. It’s also less prestigious; authors generally turn to
self-publishing if they are turned down by mainstream publishers.

Reproducible materials: textbooks with pages that can be photocopied by teachers. Rights
might be restricted to one school or to the single teacher who owns the book.

Results:
 personal satisfaction
 having materials you enjoy teaching with
 impressive addition to your résumé
 fame (well, a little bit)
 fortune (don’t give up your day job)

A call to arms: We must support Canadian textbooks by buying (not photocopying) them and
getting our schools to buy them. Tell publishers what you need. We won’t get the materials we
want unless we act.

More information:
Feel free to email me questions.
Each publisher has advice for prospective authors on its website. Talk to the sales reps, who are
on the lookout for manuscripts and know the market well.




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