Manuscript Submission

What We Publish

The Silkworm Books editorial program focuses on works about Southeast Asia in the humanities and social sciences. Specific areas of interest include history, political science, anthropology, sociology, environmental studies, religious studies, art, and literature.

We do not consider children’s books, bilingual editions, or unrevised dissertations and theses. If you are willing to rework your dissertation or thesis into a publishable manuscript, please consult The Thesis and the Book (Eleanor Harman and Ian Montagnes, eds., University of Toronto Press, 1976), Revising Your Dissertation: Advice from Leading Editors (Beth Luey, ed., University of California Press, 2004), or From Dissertation to Book (William Germano, University of Chicago Press, 2005).

Material that has already been made available online will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but generally:

  1. We will not consider previously published journal articles for republication in edited collections.
  2. We will consider previously published and revised journal articles for republication as monograph chapters.
  3. We will not consider manuscripts that an author or editor expects to make available online after publication with Silkworm Books.

Silkworm Books does not provide regional distribution services.

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Manuscript Submission

Submitting the Proposal

Your initial contact with us should be a brief manuscript proposal sent by e-mail to submissions@silkwormbooks.com or post to the address below. Your proposal should include the following:

  1. A description of the book's scope, length (double-spaced page count and word count, if available), and intended audience
  2. A table of contents
  3. A description of any artwork or other supplementary material, and the approximate number of items
  4. An author resume or CV with full contact information that includes a list of any previous publications
  5. A description of any material in the manuscript that has been or will be published in any format, as well as any previously published versions of the book. (Please specify format, dates, and current status.)

 


Submitting the Manuscript

We will respond to your e-mail within a month as to whether we are interested and able to consider your completed manuscript. If so, we will ask you to submit your manuscript as an electronic file. Please prepare it according to the formatting instructions and style specified below, and include the total word count for the entire manuscript and a separate count for just the bibliography or references. We do not accept unsolicited manuscript submissions by e-mail.


The Decision to Publish

Typically, we will let you know our decision within three months of receiving your manuscript. If we decide to pursue publication, you will be expected to correct your manuscript according to the guidelines set forth in the Silkworm Style Guide and to resubmit the corrected version. We will also ask you to send any special fonts, as well as illustrative or supplementary material prepared according to our instructions for handling illustrations.


Manuscript Format

Your manuscript should be in the following form:

TEXT

  • Unbound and minimally formatted
  • A4 size paper, or 8 1/2" by 11" paper
  • Double-spaced, with ample margins
  • Only one space between sentences
  • Running page numbers from first to last page, not by chapter
  • Paragraph indentations rather than line spaces between paragraphs. Use the formatting palette to indent rather than the tab key
  • Minimal use of variant fonts and styles, e.g., bold, italics, all caps
  • Endnotes rather than footnotes, numbered by chapter

Note: Text document must not contain illustrations

ILLUSTRATIONS

  • Each illustration file should have a resolution of 300 dpi or above when in the dimensions of a standard book page, roughly 4 x 6 in (dimensions may vary depending on the image). If the file size of any of your digital images is less than 2 MB, it is probably not good enough for reproduction.
  • Illustrations should be saved in separate files from the text, numbered in order of appearance in text. File names should contain chapter number followed by number of illustration, e.g. 1.1, 1.2, along with a key term to identify it.
  • Captions should be listed in a separate “Captions” file and numbered according to corresponding illustration file name. The grammatical form/style and punctuation should be consistent for all captions.
  • The placement of the illustration in the text should be indicated with a highlighted note in the body of the text, e.g. [Fig. 1.1]. The numbering may be changed later.
  • Illustrations (maps, photos, tables, artwork, etc.) taken from other sources must be credited and may also require permission for reproduction. Please submit a complete list of sources and contact information for all copyrighted illustrations.

Manuscript Style

We follow The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition (2017) and prefer that all manuscripts be submitted in this style with regard to punctuation, capitalization, usage, and organization. All foreign words should be in italics, and Thai words should be Romanized according to the Royal Institute System, if possible. For tips on good writing, please consult The Elements of Style, 4th edition, by Strunk and White (2000).

  • Silkworm Style Sheet (PDF) (as of 4 Jan 2017) Download 
  • Thai Romanization System (Royal Institute) (PDF in English) Download 

SILKWORM BOOKS

430/58 Moo 7, Soi Ratchphruek, T.Maehia, A.Mueang, Chiang Mai 50100
Tel.: (66) 5327 1370 • e-mail: submissions@silkwormbooks.com