3 Consult the Western Open Books team

If your proposal meets the ^[1], your ^[2] will invite you to ^[3]

Once submitted, the Western Open Books team will schedule a consultation with the ^[4], who oversees Western Open Books projects.

During this session, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions about the publishing process. The team will work with you to confirm whether Western Open Books is the right fit for your publishing goals.

Timeline

Publishing an open textbook typically takes 12 to 24 months from project initiation to release. When planning your publication date, allow at least four months for the Library to process your manuscript after submission.

The chart below outlines the key stages of publishing leading up to publication. These include:

• Copyright checks

• Turnitin report review

• Peer review coordination

• Copyediting

• Cataloguing and indexing

• Layout and design for the Western Open Books platform

• Book cover design

• Library quality assurance checks

• Promotional planning, including internal and external communications and an online book launch

Careful scheduling of these stages will help ensure a smooth and timely publication process.

Design and media support

The Digital Publishing Librarian is available to assist you with any questions related to book cover design, content layout, and the integration of media or multimedia.

As you draft your manuscript in Word format, we recommend that you:

• Cite all sources and include a reference list.

• Use placemarkers (callouts) to indicate where media or multimedia elements (e.g. images, videos, audio) should be inserted.

This will help streamline the publishing process and ensure your content is well-structured for the Western Open Books platform.

Next steps after your proposal is approved

If your proposal is confirmed as a good fit, the Scholarly Publishing Consultant will send you an official email invitation to publish with Western Open Books.

You will also be asked to complete and return the following documents within two weeks of your consultation:

• Author Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
  Outlines the terms and conditions of the Service. All collaborators must review, complete, and co-sign this document.

• Student Agreement to Publish Coursework
  Required for all student collaborators. This agreement confirms that student work will be published under a Creative Commons licence.

Optional resources and templates

You are encouraged to download and use the following forms and checklists to support your publishing journey:

• ^[5]
  Use this tool to assess the suitability of openly licensed content for inclusion in your project.

• ^[6]
  A manuscript template designed for open textbooks. Format your headings using Microsoft Word Styles.

• ^[7]
  Helps you plan and draft the structure and content of each chapter.

• ^[8]
  Designed to facilitate collaboration with other academics. You may wish to include a link to this resource in the back matter of your textbook.

• ^[9]
  Use these tools to document permission for the use of third-party content. All permissions should be arranged in consultation with the ^[10]https://wsu.service-now.com/staff?id=wsu_cat_item&sys_id=fd77e6f6dbab7c509dd2bc56f396195d&sysparm_category=6a28837bdba374109dd2bc56f39619ed.

• ^[11]
  Assess your textbook content against key IDEA criteria to ensure it reflects best practice in inclusive and accessible publishing.

* Note: These resources are strongly recommended. For guidance or assistance, please contact the ^[12].