Submission Guidelines

Please submit all inquiries regarding submissions to Stephanie Anderson.

Thank you for your interest in publishing with Selene River Press. We are proud to be the preferred holistic health resource for a wide range of health professionals as well as laypersons interested in maximizing their health potential. Toward that end, we consider proposals for books in the following areas:

• Common-sense nutrition, focusing on whole, nourishing, unprocessed food grown in healthy soil and prepared using methods that don't drain food of their inherent nutrients.
• “Self-health” literacy, designed to foster our innate instincts for natural, whole, unadulterated foods and healthful lifestyles.
• Holistic health education, particularly the demystification of misconceptions about whole-food nutrition, food fads and diets, and supplements.
• Herbal medicine, homeopathy, and drug-free methods of combating disease and achieving health.
• Professional experience of health practitioners with respect to a holistic practice or therapies—written for the patient or for other practitioners, especially with the aim of aiding doctor-patient communication.
• Research books that present data about proven benefits of whole-nutrient complexes from whole foods and whole-food supplements.
• Organic gardening, farming, and husbandry, from books directed to the backyard gardener or the full-fledged organic farmer to titles exploring ways of connecting farmers and consumers (such as community supported agriculture programs, food co-ops, or farmers' markets). Growing methods can also include biodynamic methods or any method that is in harmony and balance with soil, plant, animal, and human life.
• Cookbooks that emphasize the preparation of fresh, whole foods, including books that teach how to grow such foods. Ethnic cooking is welcome.

Books We Don't Publish

SRP does not publish the following types of books:

• Diet books that are biased against any one food group without making the distinction between the whole, unadulterated form of that food and its refined counterpart. Example: low-carbohydrate diet books that do not discern between whole, unprocessed organic grains and refined, bleached, chemically processed grains.
• Books, whether vegetarian cookbooks or diet books, that use soy as the main protein.

We encourage you to check the titles in our online product pages to get a better feel for the types of titles we publish.

Our authors are typically accomplished experts in their fields—experts at what they do because they’ve been doing it successfully in their own life and practice. Many are whole-health practitioners, consultants, or educators who are exceptional presenters, teachers, or writers in their fields. Our authors’ credentials, visibility, and/or life experience make them well-prepared to help us promote their books effectively.

Book Proposal

The proposal you submit will be the basis on which we determine your book's suitability for publication with our press. We have assembled the following guidelines to help you prepare your proposal in a manner that will make the evaluation process faster and more effective.

Author Information. Send us your bio, resume, or curriculum vitae. Share with us your professional credentials and your current job. Let us know of any previously published works (including papers and articles), speaking experience, or radio or television appearances. Tell us why you're the most qualified person to write and help us promote your book!

Rationale Statement. What is your book about, and to whom is it directed? What are the main themes, and what are your objectives in writing it? Why is this book important? What are you doing differently or better than other similar books on the market?

Manuscript Sample. Please submit both a hard copy and electronic file(s). Include the following:

• A table of contents.
• A detailed outline of the book, including chapter titles and a paragraph for each chapter that explains what that chapter will cover.
• At least two sample chapters and an estimated schedule of when the other chapters will be complete. Please be realistic.
• An estimate of the final word count of the completed book. (We understand that this is a rough estimate only.) An indication of how many (if any) tables, diagrams, illustrations, or photos will be included in the book. Will your book include references, footnotes, or appendixes?
• Marketing Data. Please provide the following information:
• Target audience. Who will buy your book?
• Market size, description, and demographics.
• A list of competing books already on the market and, if possible, sales figures for these titles.
• A discussion of how your book differs from others like it (for instance, it contains specific content not found elsewhere or presents a new or different approach to the topic).

Preparing the Manuscript Sample

The manuscript sample should be typed (preferably in Word or saved in a rich-text format), double-spaced, and printed on plain white 8½ x 11 inch paper. Please use at least 12-point type and allow at least one-inch margins on both sides, top, and bottom. Type or print only on one side of the paper. Please include page numbers. Please use letter-quality type to make the manuscript as clean and legible as possible.

If your manuscript will contain art of any kind (photos, charts, graphs, line drawings, etc.), please do not embed the artwork into the text portion of your manuscript. Rather, save the art electronically in the original application(s) in which it was created or stored (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Freehand, etc.), and then simply insert references to the various pieces of artwork in the text portion of your manuscript (e.g., “Insert Photo 1 here.”). As with the text portion of your manuscript, please submit both electronic and hard-copy versions of each piece of art and place the electronic file name on the bottom right-hand corner of the hard copy.

Spelling: Use the first spelling listed in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition.

Style and Punctuation: Please use the serial comma. Refer to The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition regarding numbers and other issues of style.

All materials submitted should be copies only; Selene River Press will not be responsible for submissions that are lost or damaged. Please include a cover letter indicating your name, address, e-mail address, and a daytime phone number where you can be reached. Send your proposal to:

Stephanie Anderson, Publisher
Selene River Press
P.O. Box 270091
Fort Collins, CO  80527

We look forward to hearing from you!