Why choose custom publishing?

Custom publishing lets you choose the content you want, whether from Bedford Select or through customizing one of our textbooks or readers. With custom, you can also integrate your own syllabi, assignments, questions, and other pedagogical elements so that your students get the learning solutions you need them to have.

How do I request a custom book?

Talk to your sales representative, and he or she will help you figure out what you want. Or, you can submit a request for a member of the custom team to contact you and to help you with your custom request. You ask, we'll consult, and together we will find the solution that's right for you.

What happens after I submit a custom publishing request?

For Bedford Select, once you submit a request, a custom publishing representative will contact you within 2 business days with a cost estimate, a schedule, and all the details you will need to complete your order. For non-database solutions, your local sales representative, working with a member of the custom team, will help you make the custom request that's right for you. Within 10 days after submitting a custom request through your local sales representative, you'll receive a proposal with details for turning over any content you wish to merge into the text and deadlines for making sure the text gets into your bookstore in time. After you commit to the custom project and sign the publishing agreement, we'll assign an ISBN and put your project into production.

Every step of the way, from conception to completion, Bedford/St. Martin's will be with you.

How long will it take to publish a custom book?

Depending on the type of custom project you have chosen, it takes a minimum of 3-6 months (or less for a Bedford Select reader) from custom publishing order placement to bookstore delivery. Your custom consultant can help you make choices that best fit your time frame, the content you have ready to integrate into your custom text, and the goals of your curriculum.

How much will the custom project cost my students?

Costs will vary depending upon your custom publishing needs and choices. The main goal we have in working with you is to create a custom project suited to your students' learning needs. We will help you build a custom product that teachers in your program will use and that students will learn from, so that whatever the cost, the value is there.

How are permissions handled?

Bedford/St. Martin's has a permissions editor to assist you with obtaining permissions. All you need to do is give the editor a copy of the material to be cleared and the original source for the material.

• How do I find the source of a work?
  If you're selecting work from the original source, all the information you need to pass on to the permissions editor will be at hand. If you're drawing work from an anthology, sources for the readings are sometimes credited on the first page of the reading. If not, you will find the original source credits listed in the acknowledgments section of the book.
• What is involved if I want to add student work?
  Students need to give written permission for Bedford/St. Martin's to publish their work; we'll provide a form that we'll ask you to have students complete and sign. The signed permission forms must accompany the manuscript for your project.
• Can I use artwork and photographs?
  Of course. And our permissions editor will help you there, too. If your selection contains artwork, photographs, charts, or diagrams with separate attributions, copyright clearance will need to be obtained for these as well. Please supply a copy of the material and the source(s) for that material, and our permissions editor will help you get the work into your custom book.

Can I customize the cover of the book?

For Bedford Select projects, you can choose from six covers, which you can personalize with course, school, and professor information.

For other custom projects, we can add the name of your school and course to our existing cover. If you'd like a completely unique cover, simply supply permission-clearable art, and we'll work with you to create a cover tailored to your needs.