Valancourt Books is looking for scholars and other qualified individuals to write introductions for forthcoming editions. [Please note, as of March 25, 2008, we have a backlog of books to get to press and many titles under contract, so we are only taking on a small number of additional projects at this time.]
Here's the FAQ.
Q: What does writing an introduction for a Valancourt edition entail?
A: Simply that -- writing a quality introduction, which, depending on the work you're introducing, might run from approximately 7 to 20 printed pages. Most of our introductions are in the 13-15 page range.
Q: Would I be responsible for preparing the novel's text and proofreading? What about notes?
A: No, we will prepare the novel's text following our style guidelines and will handle all formatting and proofreading. The sole exception to this is in the case of extraordinarily rare books to which we might not have access. In those cases, we'll either need you to send us a photocopy, scan, or hard copy of the book to work from, or would need you to prepare the text.
Q: The book I'm interested in introducing would work best as a scholarly edition with notes and appendices. Is that an option?
A: If there is a particular edition you would like to do that you think would benefit from a full critical apparatus (notes, appendices, etc.), feel free to pitch the idea to us. Particularly for more important books or books already available in reprint editions from other presses, we may be open to the idea of a full scholarly edition.
Q: How much money is in it for me? (We receive a lot of great variants on this one, including my favourite, a request for a stipend to put an editor up in Paris for six months.)
A: In most cases, we prefer to work with writers who are willing to do the introduction because they love the text and want to see it back in print (and want the credit on their CV). In general, at least for academics, the greatest monetary benefit you will get from the introduction and resulting CV entry is in the form of jobs, promotions, or tenure. Generally, there is no cash payment for doing an introduction (unless you are known by the appellation Stephen King or some other common household name), although we are happy to give you free copies of the book you introduce, and steep discounts on any of our other books. In cases where an author does an enormous amount of work (i.e., an amazing introduction, a fully proofread text of the novel, notes, appendices, etc.), we generally pay a small percentage in royalties, although this sum is never likely to make you very wealthy.
Q: What kind of qualifications are you looking for?
A: Really, we're mainly looking for people who are passionate about obscure old books, who love reading and writing about them, and who write well, in clear and intelligible English. (No jargon, please.) A Ph.D. or other graduate degree in English is nice, although this can sometimes increase the likelihood of the jargon factor and doesn't always result in better writing. Freelance researchers, authors, editors, collectors, and aficionados often write great introductions as well.
Q: All right -- I'm convinced. I'm ready to start working on an introduction! What do I do?
A: Just send us an email. Introduce yourself, attach a copy of your CV if you have one, and some kind of writing sample in jargon-free prose, and we'll go from there.
