The series aims to publish in the Italian Studies field, covering diverse areas such as literature, cinema, history and politics.

Information for Authors

Manuscript proposals

Proposals for books should be made in writing to the Publisher. The Series Editor is happy to discuss any proposal prior to a formal submission (contact details are given below). Formal proposals should include as much detail as possible, including a preliminary contents list, summary of the book's contents, a sample chapter if possible, and details of the author(s) and the book's potential significance to the Italian Studies field.

It is assumed that a proposal for a book is being made exclusively to Troubador Publishing and not simultaneously to any other publisher. If the proposal has been submitted elsewhere and is either awaiting a decision or has been rejected, please inform us before submitting a formal proposal. If a proposal has been rejected by another publisher, we may still consider the book for publication, as it may have been rejected elsewhere because it does not fit into that publisher's list. In any case, please supply us with any publisher's reports that you may have.

A formal proposal will be considered carefully by the Series Editor and Publisher. Should a third party 'specialist' be consulted, this will be done anonymously for both parties (ie. we will not disclose the author's identity to the specialist, nor will we inform the author of the specialist consulted). If we are interested in a book proposal, we will contact you to discuss the project.


Publishing Agreement

If we accept a book proposal and agree terms and conditions with the author(s), we will issue a Publishing Agreement. This sets out the terms and conditions under which we will publish the book, the financial arrangements, and the timescale agreed for publication.


Manuscript preparation

Manuscripts are typeset in house by Troubador to our house style, so we must have a soft copy of your book on disk. For this reason, we ask that manuscripts are prepared as simply as possible in a word processing format like Word (if you use any other format, please contact the Publisher). Do not use a DTP program or present your manuscript in an uneditable format like PDF. We do not wish you to spend time on typesetting your own book, but we do ask that you follow certain conventions that make it easier for us when the time comes for typesetting.

1. Chapters may either be numbered or have a title, or both.

2. If you separate up your text using headings, please ensure that the different levels of headings are clear (eg. number headings 1.1, 1.2, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, etc, or use a distinctive system of showing different headings: bold capitals, italics, underlined).

3. Use the same font throughout.

4. Quotations longer than a few lines should be separated out from the main text with a line above and below.

4. Use single quote marks for emphasis, not double. Only use double quote marks for speech.

5. UK or US spelling is acceptable, as long as it is consistent.

6. Notes should be presented at the end of each chapter, not as footnotes on each page. Refer to notes with a superscript number in the text.

7. Cover design will remain the responsibility of the Publisher, though we welcome suggestions or artwork.

Copyright

Responsibility for obtaining permission to quote from other works rests with the author, not the publisher. Material remains in copyright for 70 years after the death of that author, and in some cases it will remain in copyright after that date through the estate of the author. As a general guide, you may quote 'a few lines' from another work, but anything more will need to be cleared by the publisher of the original work. When quoting poetry, just quoting one or two lines may also constitute an infringement of copyright.

To obtain permission to quote more than a few lines from another work, you must write to the publishing house, which will hold copyright. Publishers are notoriously slow in responding to copyright requests, so you should obtain clearance sooner rather than later. Many books are delayed for months because copyright has not been cleared by a publisher. We will not publish a book if we are not convinced that copyright permission has been obtained.

Some publishers will ask that a small fee be paid for quoting from another's work. Troubador does not cover the cost of copyright fees; this is the responsibility of the author.

Beware of translating from one language into another. This is also an infringement of copyright, and again, if you are intending to quote longer passages in your own translation, you will need to obtain permission from the relevant publisher to undertake your translation. This may then have to be approved by the original publisher, so again, this should be undertaken sooner rather than later.

Troubador can supply the addresses of many publishers in Italy and the UK, along with a sample letter requesting permission to quote from a copyrighted work.

Author's copyright

You will retain copyright over your own work, including the right to be identified as the author of the work in all publicity.


Author Payments and Royalties

No payment from authors towards the cost of publication is required. All costs of publication are borne by the Publishers. Authors are paid an agreed royalty on copies sold at an agreed percentage of the cover price.

The Author is expected to cover the costs of acquiring any translation rights, copyright clearance for text or images, or other fees pertaining to the reproduction of other work in their book.


Gratis copies and Author sales

On publication, we send you five gratis copies of your book. More copies can be bought from us at a 25% discount on the cover price (not for resale).


Review copies

Troubador will arrange for your book to be reviewed by relevant journals and other publications. Please feel free to make suggestions as to relevant publications. On publication of any reviews, we will forward copies to you.


Contact

To make a proposal for a book or to discuss an idea, however tentatively, please contact the Series Editor, George Ferzoco (University of Bristol) or Publisher Jeremy Thompson (Tel: 0116 279 2299).