Publishing Process

Commissioning editors at OUP work with authors while a proposal or manuscript is being assessed, securing feedback and advice from expert independent advisers, before putting a book to the Delegates of the Press for approval. They establish the best publishing strategy for the book at that point, reviewing this plan in consultation with authors once the manuscript has been delivered, and working with the assistant editors during the editing, design, and production processes.

Although our commissioning editors each focus on publishing books for particular sectors of the legal market (academic and scholarly; practitioner; student), they are first and foremost representatives of the Oxford law team as a whole. When visiting law faculties, firms and barristers’ chambers or attending conferences, you will find each is knowledgeable about the whole list and keen to initiate discussions in respect of any type of legal work.

Assistant commissioning editors and Assistant editors are more closely involved once a manuscript has been delivered, although they are often in touch during the writing process to advise on stylistic questions and matters relating to the effective presentation of manuscripts and disks. Once a manuscript is delivered, the assistant editor will work closely with the author to ensure that copy-editing, design, typesetting, and proof-reading move ahead swiftly and that standards are high and maintained.

The marketing manager will be in touch once a manuscript is delivered, detailing the broad marketing plan for the work, with information about catalogues and mailings, conferences and review lists, and inviting comments and suggestions. Many of the books we publish are of interest to practitioners, students, and academics, and it is the job of the marketing manager to ensure that each law title is marketed to these different constituencies appropriately and effectively.

Return to Author Resources Homepage