Contemporary is a publisher of adult basic education, GED, and ESL products. Our product offering is sold into adult education schools, comunity colleges, and the international education markets. If you have a product idea that matches our market and wish to investigate publishing with Contemporary, please read the following submission requirements. Please submit questions, comments, and materials to: Editorial Director, Wright Group/McGraw-Hill (Contemporary), 130 E. Randolph Street, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60601.

Submitting your proposal to Contemporary

Your proposal is the first important step towards a thorough, helpful evaluation of your project. The proposal should include the following key elements:

I. PROSPECTUS-Your ideal prospectus should include:

• The rationale for the project
• A strategic plan for development
• A clear focus on the targeted market
• Your reasons for undertaking the project
• Coverage of the following topics:

A. THE MARKET

• What is the primary market? Would there be others as well?
• What is the level (primary, pre-primary, secondary, senior, high school, young adult, university/institute, or professional)?
• What is the proficiency level (beginning, intermediate, or advanced) of your material?
• Which courses would be the most likely ones to implement your project?
• What are the pre-requisites for the courses?
• What is the length (in hours per week) of the target course?
• Is the project a main text or supplement? How will it be used?
• What trends (changes in enrollments, course content, curriculum requirements or use of pedagogical/ancillary materials) are likely to affect the development and marketing of your project.

B. THE COMPETITION

• What are the major competitors?
• What are their strongest markets?

C. THE CONTENT

• How will your project's coverage be similar to and different from that of other major competitors?
• How many class hours will your project "cover"?
• What approaches to topic coverage will your project have?
• What characteristics will your project share with current market leaders?
• Compare your proposed project with three market leaders in scope/sequence, pedagogy, page count, trim size, topics and coverage.
• Why is your project better?

D. THE FORMAT

• What is the projected length:
  • in printed pages?
  • in manuscript pages?
• What do you suggest for the art program (photographs, line drawings, cartoons, maps)?
• Are there special design considerations?
• What front matter do you envision (alternative table of contents) and back matter (glossary, special indices, bibliography, appendices)?
• What hardware and software will you use to prepare your manuscript?
• What type of art programs do the market leaders have?

E. THE PEDAGOGY

• What specific teaching strategy or pedagogical approach will you implement?
• What innovations and competitive advantages does it offer over the three market leaders?

F. THE SUPPLEMENTS

• What ancillary material for instructors (instructor's manual, test bank(s), audio, and/or video) and for students (workbook, study guide, software, etc.) do you anticipate?
• Will the ancillary package, in quality and elements, differ from those offered by key competitors? How?
• Which elements of the package do you propose to develop yourself?

G. THE COMPETITIVE EDGE & DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

• Given the targeted market, review of major competitors, and your project plan, what special advantages will your project offer to potential adopters?
• Specifically, what will it do better than current offerings?
• How will it address needs not successfully met by competitors, yet be what the market requires?
• What will your project have that will convince teachers to make a change from the materials they are currently using?

H. THE SCHEDULE

• What is your schedule plan for completion of an initial draft manuscript?
• How much time can you realistically devote to writing over the course of the next year?

II. ANNOTATED TABLE OF CONTENTS-Preparation of an annotated table of contents will help you to refine plans for overall structure and special features, and it will enable publisher and reviewers to evaluate the organizational logic and pedagogic strategy.

• Describe the coverage of each chapter.
• Cite topics that will be your project.
• Describe what is innovative about the organization.
• Explain how your approach is superior to that of the most successful competitors.
• Prepare a brief rationale for coverage, with objectives, reason for distinctive approach and Ç if appropriate Ç queries on specific topic issues.

III. SAMPLE CHAPTERS-Sample chapters are the heart of the complete proposal. Although the prospectus and annotated table of contents reveal the thinking behind your conception of the project, it is the draft chapters that demonstrate whether its potential will be realized. Include:

• Samples of pedagogical features
• Samples of draft art
• Samples of the supplements.

IV. CURRICULUM VITAE

• Please include your CV

V. COVER LETTER

• Summarize the project
• Mention contact with McGraw-Hill sales rep, consultant, or editor
• List enclosures in package
• Recommend reviewers and reasons they would qualify as reviewers for your project.