Creating a new edition of your previously published book requires a few special considerations. In particular, extra care may need to be taken with any permissions-based content.
This guide walks you through the various aspects of working on a new edition of a book that you previously self-published or completed with a publisher other than Cognella. The details are intended to help you best prepare for and develop your new edition, whether it involves minor revisions or more substantive rework.
To get started, the most important piece of documentation we will need is the reversion of rights. When you obtain this document, be sure to share it with your signing editor.
If you still have a relationship with your previous editor, you can ask if they’d be willing to share any permissions logs from the previous edition. These spreadsheets or documents will give your team at Cognella a head start on confirming the licensing status of any third-party text or images, and whether or not permissions carry over to your new edition. In many cases, though, this may not be possible, so the Cognella editorial team will help you create a permissions log from scratch.
If you have access to them, please gather and supply Cognella with any permission forms, emails, or other documentation of permission to use contributed or third-party content in your book.
Another important set of files will be the previous edition manuscript files. You will make revisions to your text for the new edition, so it’s best to start with the most up-to-date manuscript files. Word documents are preferred, but we can also take PDF files if they are the only ones available. If you’re unable to obtain or find digital files of your previous edition, please speak to your signing editor to find out other potential means for updating your manuscript.
If possible, you should also gather any ancillary content from the previous edition. This includes PowerPoint presentations, test banks, answer keys, and other instructor resources.
