Information for
Authors
The mission of Yashar Books is
to publish quality, popular Orthodox Jewish scholarship that is both
sophisticated and accessible to a general readership. If you have a
book or an idea that you think fits our mission, please contact
us. We are always happy to consider new books and author inquiries.
However, first please consider the guidelines below to ensure
that your submission is appropriate for Yashar.
Submission
Guidelines
We publish books of Jewish
scholarship, both traditional and academic, on any issue of contemporary
or scholarly relevance. Some examples are contemporary halakhah,
biblical studies, philosophy/Jewish thought, history of Jewish
customs and biographies.
We do not consider technical academic
works for publication because they are too specialized for the general
public. We are, however, interested in academic works that can be
understood and embraced by non-specialized readers.
We
only accept books that are written in English. However, English works with
occasional foreign phrases in the text or footnotes are
acceptable.
We only accept submissions that adhere to Orthodox
Jewish beliefs, albeit interpreted in as inclusive a manner as
possible.
We do not accept manuscripts of Holocaust memoirs because
there are already many excellent books on the subject. We also do
not accept submissions of fiction, memoirs or children’s
books.
Authors are encouraged to consult the Chicago Manual of Style
for
guidelines on proper English writing.
Hebrew in English
Books
Using foreign languages in a
primarily English book is acceptable. However, authors should take into
account their intended audience when including foreign languages.
How much Hebrew will readers understand? Will you be excluding
potential readers by using too much Hebrew? Will you be diluting your
message by using too little? Every book and every author is
different.
Our only guideline on the transliteration
of Hebrew in
English is that it be consistent. There are a number of different
systems and the author should use the one most appropriate for his
readers.
A Modern Hebrew transliteration would use "ch" to
represent the letters "chaf" and "chet" and would only represent
a "dagesh" in the letters "bet" and "kaf."
An Ashkenazic Hebrew
transliteration would use the letter "s" to represent a "sav" and might
represent the vowel "kamatz" as an "o."
An Academic Hebrew
transliteration would use "h" for a "het," "kh" for a "khaf" as well as
other details. For more information on such a transliteration
scheme, you can see online the instructions for the Torah u-Mada Journal. However, one would use a "tz" instead of
"dotted z" and a plain "h" instead of a "dotted h".
How to Submit a
Manuscript
If you are interested in having
us consider your book for publication, please send a brief description of
the book to Info@YasharBooks.com. After establishing initial contact and receiving positive feedback, then send two sample chapters and a query form that includes the
following information:
Send this
information and a completed author questionnaire (doc, pdf)
to:
Info@YasharBooks.com
Yashar Books
1548 E. 33rd
St.
Brooklyn, NY 11234
