From Proposal to Publication: What to Expect from the Book Publishing Process

Learn how to publish a book with Health Administration Press. This video walks through the complete steps, from submitting a proposal and manuscript to working with the production team and, ultimately, assisting with book marketing.

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How to Prepare a Proposal

HAP welcomes book proposals on a wide range of issues related to health services administration. Topics of interest to HAP include, but are not limited to, executive leadership and career development, financial management, information management, health services management and administration, workforce issues, legal issues, quality and safety, health systems and delivery, and healthcare marketing and planning.

The primary audiences for our books are senior-level healthcare executives in provider organizations and faculty and students in health administration and related courses. Although some books are suitable for both audiences, we encourage you to choose one audience when you prepare your proposal. Books that focus on and are written for one audience tend to more successfully convey their message.

Please be advised that we are unable to consider proposals for memoirs or autobiographies; books that are very personal, based solely on your own experience; or fictional tales set in the healthcare workplace. For HAP's executive audience, we recommend proposing books with practical strategies to maximize job effectiveness. For HAP's academic audience, proposed books should align with courses in the health administration curriculum.

Submitting Your Proposal

To help us learn about your book idea, your proposal should include:

  • A working title and all authors' names, street addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses.
  • A clear statement of the subject matter, including your approach and reason for writing.
  • A detailed outline, including chapter titles and chapter subheads, with accompanying prose as you see fit.
  • A description of the book's primary and secondary audience. If you are writing a textbook, tell us whether it is primarily for graduate or undergraduate programs and in which course(s) the book might be used.
  • An assessment of the book's position in the market, including a list of and comparisons to competing titles. When compared to already-published books, tell us how you think your book will be different from or better than the competition.
  • A description of the key features and benefits. If you are writing a textbook, detail the pedagogical features (for example, case studies, special-feature boxes, discussion questions, or chapter summaries) that will be included. Also, for textbooks, describe the ancillary material provided for instructors and/or students.
  • An estimate of the number of pages (use 8 1/2 x 11, double-spaced manuscript pages as a guide).
  • One or more sample chapters or a writing sample. Chapters other than the first introductory chapter(s) often are more representative of your style.
  • A CV or biographical sketch for each author. Especially, tell us the aspects of your background, including professional and writing experiences, that qualify you to write this book. If you will have the opportunity to promote your book via speaking engagements or the like, tell us too.
  • An estimated date or time frame for your completion.

Feel free to include any other information that will expand our understanding of the project.

Our Review Process

Upon receipt, your proposal will be reviewed internally by the acquisitions staff and then, if appropriate, will be sent for external peer review. These reviewers are experts in the field of interest related to your book idea. In general, we ask reviewers to assess whether the book proposal is of current interest; whether the outline covers all important facets of the topic in a logical sequence; and whether the writing style, level of detail, and frame of reference are appropriate for the intended audience. Frequently, reviewers will provide ideas and suggestions that can help you develop the manuscript.

Based on feedback from both the internal and external reviews, we will decide whether to proceed with the proposal and enter into a publishing agreement with you. At this point, we will also determine the appropriate imprint and we will come to an agreement with you about a reasonable time frame for completion of the manuscript.

Submit Your Proposal

If you are interested in submitting a proposal, please contact contentproposals@ache.org.

We encourage you to discuss your book idea before submitting a proposal, and we welcome exploratory emails.

Submitting Proposals for Education

During this transformative time in healthcare management, ACHE welcomes proposals for new educational offerings.  If you have a great idea you’d like to submit, please review the information for submitting a proposal.
Proposal Requirements