For Authors

This page answers the questions authors and editors most often ask before proposing a book to Aloka Publications. If yours is not answered here, write to info@alokapublications.com.

Is there a fee to publish?

No. Aloka Publications pays all the costs of reviewing, editing, typesetting, cover design, ISBN registration, printing and distribution. We never charge authors or editors a publication fee, and we never require authors to buy copies of their own book.

Note: we do charge for publishing services we provide on contract, such as conference abstract books and proceedings. These are separate from our book list, and the charges are agreed in writing in advance.

What do we publish?

Authored textbooks, practical handbooks and laboratory manuals, monographs, edited volumes and reference works in pharmacy and the pharmaceutical sciences, medicine and allied health, and science and engineering. Textbooks are planned around the current syllabus of the relevant regulator (for example PCI, NMC, UGC or AICTE).

How do I propose a book?

1. Download and complete the Book Proposal Form.
2. Email it to info@alokapublications.com with a short CV for each author or editor and, if you have one, a sample chapter.
3. You will receive a decision on the proposal within two weeks.

How are books reviewed?

Every proposal is screened by an editor and every manuscript is reviewed by independent subject experts before acceptance. See our Peer Review Policy for the details.

The publishing agreement

• Accepted books receive a written publishing agreement, signed by the authors and by Aloka Publications before production begins.
• Under the agreement the authors assign copyright in the book to Aloka Publications, which allows us to publish, sell, license and protect the book in print and digital form. Authors are always named as the authors, and keep the right to be identified as such.
• The agreement states the royalty, the territory, the term and each party's responsibilities. Please read it fully before signing; we are happy to explain any clause.

Royalties and author copies

• Authored books earn a royalty on net receipts from print and eBook sales and on rights licensed to others. The rates and conditions are set out in the agreement. For edited volumes, the royalty is shared by the volume editors.
• Each author receives complimentary copies of the printed book and may buy further copies at an author discount.
• Royalty statements are provided annually.

From acceptance to publication

1. Manuscript preparation: you write to our author guidelines and template, and supply permissions for any third-party material.
2. Copy-editing and typesetting: our editorial team edits the text for consistency and style, and typesets the book.
3. Proofs: you check and correct the proofs online.
4. Publication: the book receives its ISBN, a DOI where applicable, a permanent catalogue page with a free sample, and is released as an eBook and paperback.

Production normally takes 8 to 12 weeks from the final accepted manuscript, depending on the length of the book.

How are the books sold?

• eBooks and paperbacks are sold through this website, with secure payment by Razorpay.
• eBooks are read online in the browser or in our Android Aloka Reader app, and are protected against copying.
• Paperbacks are delivered across India; institutional and bulk orders are invoiced directly.

Ethics

All authors must follow our Publication Ethics policy, including the rules on authorship, plagiarism, use of AI tools and permissions.