Prospectus Guidelines
Acorda Press accepts submissions from many first time authors as well as those who have already been published. In both cases, it is not necessary to have a finished manuscript in order to be published with us.
Please be advised that we do not accept unsolicited manuscripts under any circumstances, and will return them unopened or will automatically delete them if received electronically.
Past experience has demonstrated that a prospectus is the best way to evaluate an idea for a book whether or not it has already been written. A prospectus helps us determine whether a project is feasible from editorial, production and marketing perspectives, and whether it is a good match for our target audience and content focus. In some cases, we will send a prospectus out for an independent blind evaluation or peer review if the idea is not within our scope of knowledge. We do not review submissions that are under consideration by other publishers at the same time (simultaneously).
If you are not quite ready to submit a prospectus, we will accept queries. We strongly encourage any prospective authors to get a recent copy of the Writer’s Market 
Instructions
You may either submit your prospectus by mail (the safest) or by e-mail. We do our best to acknowledge by e-mail the receipt of all queries and prospectus documents.
Create your prospectus as a U.S. Letter document. We accept files in .doc, .docx, PDF or Openoffice formats or printed on plain white, 8 ½ x 11 inch paper.
Indicate your name, address, phone number, fax number (if you have one) and e-mail address on the cover page. DO NOT put any personally identifiable information on any subsequent pages in case we need to send it out for blind review.
If you wish to submit your prospectus or query electronically, please submit your e-mail address below. You will receive an automated reply with instructions on how to submit electronically.
Alternatively, you may mail your submission to:
Acquisitions dept.
Acorda Press
930, rue Wellington, Suite 400A
Montreal, Quebec H3C 1T8
(Canada)
We do not require a SASE with submissions, as we prefer to correspond via e-mail and will securely destroy all rejected submissions. However we strongly encourage that you include a SASE with sufficient Canadian postage (non-Canadian submissions should include an International Reply Coupon available from your local post office). Consult the Canada Post website to determine the correct amount of postage required. You can expect a reply from us usually within 4 to 6 weeks.
Content Guidelines
1. Provide a working title.
2. Provide an overview of your project. Provide a brief summary of the book and what the content hopes to accomplish. Write a short paragraph on why you think the proposed book is a good fit with our existing content focus and mission. Please consult our Topics of Interest page to learn what we are interested in.
3. Describe your target audience and any related marketing information. What age and education level will your book target? Will this book appeal to a professional, academic, or general audience? If you are targeting the academic market, provide as much information as possible as to the cycle you are targeting (high school, technical, collegiate, undergraduate, graduate) and the courses in which your book might be used. If you were marketing the book yourself, what would you emphasize?
4. Tell us about competitive titles. Consult the Subject Guide to Books in Print
5. Provide an annotated table of contents (outline). An annotated table of contents is an outline of your book that has a chapter heading and a few sentences (no more than 1 paragraph) describing each chapter. If the book is an edited volume, we will need the names and credentials (affiliations) of each chapter author, and a note stating whether the author(s) are committed to writing the chapter(s).
6. Provide a short writing sample or a sample chapter.
7. Indicate the approximate length and format of the book. Estimate the length in words and/or page count, and how you envision your book will physically appear (e.g. spiral bound workbook, small pocketbook, large print, cloth bound, etc.) For edited books, please provide an approximate page count for each chapter.
8. Describe when you plan on having the first draft completed.
9. Include a copy of your curriculum vitae with your prospectus. Your vitae should demonstrate that you are active in your community of practice and are capable of presenting your ideas in a public forum or small groups.
If you need clarification regarding any of these requirements or have any other questions, please feel free to send us a message using the contact form.
Phone calls about book ideas will not be accepted.
Thank you for your interest in Acorda Press, and we look forward to receiving your book proposal!