Wisdom Publications does occasionally accept unsolicited manuscripts for publication, but only on topics directly related to Buddhism and written by people with relevant professional, academic, or Dharma-teaching credentials. You may submit your materials by email or by post.

If you would like to submit by post, use this address:

Acquisitions Editor
Wisdom Publications
199 Elm Street
Somerville MA 02144

Include all of the following with your submission:

1. A 500-2000 word write-up describing the project.
2. A narrative author bio, highlighting any relevant qualifications.
3. A provisional table of contents.
4. An introduction and at least one sample chapter (submitting an entire manuscript is also acceptable).
5. Any endorsements you may have from people of stature in a related field.
6. Your complete contact information.
7. A self-addressed stamped envelope if you would like your material returned.

If you would like to submit by email, please do the following:

Please contact the acquisitions department at editors(at)wisdompubs.org and send digital versions of items 1-6 above.

Classic of Indian Buddhism

Prospective Translator

The Classics of Indian Buddhism series aims to publish widely accessible translations of important texts from the Buddhist traditions of South Asia, with special consideration given to works foundational for the Mahayana. Part of the goal of the series is to present texts that were influential within classical India rather than those that are simply cited widely today. Any significant work from the premodern Indian tradition is suitable for consideration in the series, including philosophical treatises, avadanas, sutras, narratives, poetry, and tantras. Translations will derive primarily from Sanskrit texts, when those are extant. The series generally avoids republishing old translations or retranslating texts from European languages, but such works can be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Each volume will contain a single text, and as such the volumes in the series will range dramatically in size. Volumes will be published in paperback at affordable prices to make them suitable for course adoption and for retail sales in bookstores. Each volume will include a glossary, a bibliography, an index, and an introductory essay that is comparable in length to a journal article. The style allows for use of endnotes, though translators will otherwise present the text free of commentary.

While accuracy is vital, translations should be prepared with an ear to readability. What is needed is a happy median—a middle way that takes into account all of the words of the original text but is free of the archaisms and neologisms used by many translators. The result should be an English text that reads smoothly and also provides the reader with a feel for the original. In order to keep the appeal broad, translations should eschew brackets except as a last resort, translate the majority of technical terms, and avoid notes that are excessively long or tangential. Translators are nevertheless expected to use diacritics and to translate verse in such a way that is distinct from prose.

You need not wait until you have a final submission before contacting the series editors. Even if you have only an idea for a translation you'd like to pursue or have only partially completed a translation, we would be glad to discuss it with you and how your work could be developed to best fit within the series.

Submission Guidelines

Your submission should contain the following:

1. A description of your project (500 to 2000 words). Explain the importance of the text you are translating (i.e., why it should be termed a “classic” of Indian Buddhism) as well as the history of your work on the text (when, where, why, and with whom it began and progressed).
2. A curriculum vitae (or a narrative author biography), highlighting any relevant qualifications.
3. A provisional table of contents.
4. At least one sample chapter, in finished form. (Submitting more than one chapter or a complete translation is also acceptable.)
5. A brief bibliography, to include all editions consulted in the preparation of the translation, as well as all significant previous translations and major projects that focus on the work.

All materials should be submitted by email as attachments. You may submit either word-processing documents in a unicode font or PDFs. Your work will not be distributed except for the purpose of evaluation for the series.

Prospective translators do not need to implement the series style before submitting a manuscript; adoption of the series style will be necessary only when a translation has been accepted for publication. Those who are curious, however, are welcome to download the style manual for the series here.

Please address your submissions to Andy Rotman <arotman(at)smith.edu>, the chair of the editorial board, and copy the email to Wisdom Publications <cib (at) wisdompubs.org>.

Thank you for your interest.

Editorial Department
Wisdom Publications