Pen and Sword Social History
The imprint:
Pen and Sword (www.pen-and-sword.co.uk) isa highly successful publisher of military, local and familyhistory titles. We're looking to broaden our list into other genres and we have recently launched new imprints in historicalfiction, archaeology, and social history.
The social history imprint will publish titles aimed at history lovers and family historians eager to flesh out their research. We want our books to reveal what life was like in the past for ordinary people through their own voices. We will be looking to commission a wide range of titles: collections of personal stories tied together by a theme (along the lines of Virginia Nicholson's recent book Millions Like Us on women's experiences during the Second World War); accounts of historical scandals/crimes (if you think you have the next Suspicions of Mr Whicher, we'd love to hear from you!); 'factional' accounts of real stories, (like Elizabeth Jenkins's novel Harriet, which fictionalises a real-life sensational Victorian murder case). Within the imprint we will be commissioning different series of books. A series of historical guides will immerse readers in specific periods and historical settings and we are considering a 'Weird History' series with titles on unusual topics. We also hoping to hear unconventional approaches to traditional topics, as well as ideas focusing on the grimmer gorier side of history.
In September we will be launching the imprint website. This will be a key promotional tool for our titles, and will contain a regularly updated blog featuring posts from authors; social history resources and links; a timeline; profiles and Q&A for each of our authors; preview material from titles and previews of forthcoming titles; a 'virtual bookshelf' of our titles.
The imprint commissioning editor Jen Newby is on Twitter (@SocialhistoryPS) and you can email her for more information or to submit a proposal via
The first titles from the Pen and Sword Social History imprint are due to be published in early 2014. They include:
• A 'visitor's guidebook to Victorian England.
• A title revealing the hidden history of Scotland's 'Harlots and Heroines' between 1690 and 1969.
• A guide to the weird and wonderful world of Victorian sexuality.
• A book exploring the First World War's legacy for mental health
• The story of Manchester's 'Real Sherlock Holmes', a colourful Victorian detective
• A visitor's guidebook to Jane Austen's England
• A collection of unpublished letters between First World War servicemen and their families
Frequently asked questions
Who are our authors?
Pen and Sword Social History authors come from a wide range of backgrounds. They are freelance writers, university lecturers, journalists, retired people with a passion for history, local historians, novelists, and people from many other walks of life. You don't need to have already published a book to be considered, but if you have previous professional writing experience do tell us about it.
The authors of successful proposals tend to display the following traits:
• A good depth of knowledge of, and a passion for exploring, their chosen subject area.
• A clear, accessible writing style.
• An understanding of the market their book would be going into and knowledge of existing titles in the area.
• A willingness to market that their book using blogging, social media, as well as more traditional media.
How do I put together a proposal?
Send an outline of your idea (between 300 and 500 words) to our commissioning editor Jen Newby, along with any sample chapters if you have already started writing. You can email Jen () or write to her via: Pen and Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS.
We'll review every proposal that we receive, although due to the high volume of submissions we cannot always reply to unsuccessful proposals and we are not able to provide critiques of manuscripts. If we decide to take your proposal further we will get in touch within two weeks. The commissioning editor will discuss your idea and look more closely at your synopsis and chapter plan. You'll also need to fill in a questionnaire, which will be the basis of the proposal.
Once ready, the commissioning editor will present your proposal to the Pen and Sword editorial board. The board may suggest changes to strengthen your proposal, and if it is accepted we will then discuss terms (e.g. deadline, advance, number of images you will source) and send you a contract. We’ll send you two copies of the contract and both need to be signed and sent back to us. Your copy will be returned to you.
How much will I be paid?
Pen and Sword pay all of their authors an advance, in addition to royalties on hardback, paperback and e-book editions of titles. The advance is usually paid half on signature of the contract and half on publication and advance sums vary depending on individual projects and the author's previous experience. Your book will stay in print for years, so you will receive royalties over a long period of time.
What happens during the writing process?
You can take as long as you like to research and write your book, although most authors choose to set deadlines of between 12 and 24 months. Deadlines of several years are unlikely to be practical, except in large scale research projects. During this time your commissioning editor will be on hand to provide support and make research suggestions, read drafts, and help you source images.
Our books are usually between 40,000 and 100,000 words. Books over 70,000 words have a significantly higher price bracket. Your commissioning editor will help you to set an appropriate word count and it is important to stick to this. Bear in mind that if you write more than contracted, then this could cause the cover price of your book to shoot up.
What format will my book be published in?
There are several different formats in which we may choose to publish your book and often we will use more than one of these over the course of the publishing term to maximise return.
Seventy per cent of titles are published in Royal format. The measurements for this are 234mm tall by 156mm wide. You will see many books in bookshops in this format. We will publish in hardback if your book is considered more collectable or academic and in paperback if more general. Sometimes titles will appear in both, but not at the same time!
Titles that sell particularly well may also appear in B format, which is more of a general paperback size and is 198mm tall by 129mm wide.
We also look to put the majority of titles in to e-book form. We have links with over 90 e-book distributors worldwide. Titles that are published initially in hardback are often published 6 months later as an e book, whereas paperback editions will be released in e-book format almost simultaneously.
If your book contains a significant amount of colour photographs or black and white photographs that would look better larger, then your book may be produced in a larger format. This larger format does have cost restraints, so please make sure your you have discussed this with your commissioning editor prior to contract!
Where can I source images for my book?
When we commission your book we will discuss the number of pictures that you'll need to provide to illustrate the text. Your advance and royalties will be in respect of both the words and pictures that you are contracted to provide. Depending on the format of their book, our authors usually provide between either 20 to 40 images (for a book containing plate sections) and 60 to 100 images (for a book with images integrated in the text). We will discuss the format with you during the commissioning process. If picture research is new to you, then your commissioning editor will advise you. Colour images can significantly enhance a book, but you do need to be aware that they also enhance the cover price and consider whether they would be suitable for your book.
First of all please remember if you are scanning pictures, to scan them at the highest quality settings (300 dpi) and to roughly the same size as it will be reproduced.
The type of images that you will need to provide will depend on the project, but some ideas include:
• Photographs from your collections or that you have taken yourself (digital images or high quality scans)
• Postcards
• Engravings and illustrations from old books
• Historical photographs
• Old advertisements
Good sources of images are:
• Archives: Most UK archives will charge fees to reproduce their images, but many will be happy to lend you images from their collections in return for a copy of your book and a full credit. As part of your contract, you will receive free copies of your book, and where necessary we can arrange for you to receive a limited number of extra copies to offer to archives in exchange for use of their pictures. Please check with your commissioning editor before you do so.
• Old postcards: These are easily available online for as little as a few pounds. Try E-bay or searching through sites dedicated to selling historic postcards.
• Local newspapers: If you are writing about a specific area, then the local newspaper archives could be a good source of images.
• Out of copyright books: Images in out of copyright old books can be scanned and reproduced, just be careful to check the publication date and copyright status first.
• Library of Congress (www.loc.gov/pictures) is an American picture resource containing thousands of historical images that you can freely download. Make sure to check that the rights information (listed on the page where you download the image) says ‘no known restrictions’.
• Other books: It's a good idea to check the image credits in books on similar subjects to your own, and explore the sources that these authors have used. This will save you time and help you to avoid using too many of the same images.
• Websites and blogs: Many people choose to display their photo collections online (for instance take a look at the excellent Soldiers of the Queen website at www.soldiersofthequeen.com). If you get in touch with the site owner, then often they will allow you to reproduce some of their pictures in return for a credit and a copy of your book.
How do I submit my book to Pen and Sword?
Your manuscript should be in one single Microsoft Word document, and you can send this by email or on CD. We also need another document containing all of your picture captions and credits, which must be numbered to correspond with the images. You can either send the pictures to us on a CD (make sure to number them to correspond with the captions) or send us the originals to scan. We will be sure to take good care of any images that you may send us and return them to you promptly. Each manuscript will be scrupulously copy-edited and proof-read by professional editors, then sent to you for a final check before publication.
When will the book come out?
Once you send in your manuscript it will take between nine and 12 months for it to appear on the shelves, and we may also decide to publish the book in time for a relevant anniversary. Please advise your commissioning editor, if you are aware of any of these.
Authors can purchase copies of their books at a 35% discount or 50% discount on orders of 100 or more and are allowed to re-sell their books. If you are considering doing a talk to promote your book, then it's a good idea to take along some copies to sell.
It is really important for authors to have a constant online presence to engage potential groups of readers and promote their books. Ideally, you should start this around three months before the publication date and intensify your efforts just before and just after publication.
Web presence: If you have your own website or blog (we strongly recommend this), then we can provide you with a special referral banner advert for your website. This will earn you extra royalties when people click on it, go through to the Pen and Sword website and purchase your book. Ask your commissioning editor for advice, and take a look at blogs and websites belonging to other Pen and Sword authors, and authors of similar books to your own.
Social media: It is a good idea to set up a Twitter account and Facebook page to attract readers and make people aware of your book. You should also try to connect with online forums and relevant associations or groups of people who would be interested in your book. For example one of our authors built up a presence on the Great War forum, speaking to people about the research that he had done for his book and connecting with potential readers. We believe that this may have increased his sales by up to 50 per cent.
Press releases: You will be assigned a special contact within our marketing team, who will be responsible for your book and your main point of contact for promotion matters. They will be in touch with you roughly three months prior to publication and will work on a press release to send out to the media (newspapers, radio stations, magazines etc). If you have any ideas about particularly 'marketable' angles within your book that might get press coverage (anniversaries, links to contemporary issues or popular television show, any points you make that might be controversial, new research or interesting unpublished material uncovered from the archives), then do discuss this with your commissioning editor and designated member of the marketing team.
Amazon: Get everyone you know to review your book on Amazon, as having a lot of reviews on the site will boost sales. Also set up an Author Central account on the site (http://tinyurl.com/7udwo55) and upload a photo of yourself and write a short author profile. Tag as many key words as you can to help it come up in searches. Add reviews from periodicals to the description and make sure the description is accurate and appealing.