Music Submission Guidelines

Augsburg Fortress Publishers is committed to the publication and distribution of worship and music resources representing high musical and liturgical quality in a variety of styles and genres, sound theological substance, pastoral sensitivity, Lutheran heritages, and ecumenical usefulness.

Areas of Concentration

Augsburg Fortress concentrates on three principal areas of music development:

Congregational Song includes all music in which the principal participant is the liturgical assembly, such as hymnody, psalmody, and service music. We strive to acquire, publish, and widely distribute new texts, translations, tunes, hymn settings, instrumental accompaniments, and other related materials. Hymnody that supports the three-year lectionary, psalm settings and paraphrases, and liturgical music for cantor/choir and congregation are of particular interest.

Music based in cultural diversity is another highly important area for Augsburg Fortress. Libro de Liturgia y Cántico, a Spanish language hymnal, and This Far by Faith, an African American resource, are signals of the publisher’s commitment to ongoing development of ethnic resources and world music, through vehicles such as the WorldSong choral series. Multicultural hymnody based upon the lectionary is also of high importance.

Choral Music includes newly composed music for all parish choirs (SATB and especially SAB, SB, and unison), musicologically-informed editions of historical music related to the lectionary, choral settings incorporating the congregation in song, new canticles and liturgical music, music for children and youth, choral music especially for Advent, Lent, and Easter seasons, and multicultural choral music.

Instrumental Music includes the intentional development of a significant keyboard/piano line for liturgical churches. Keyboard (piano and organ) music based upon hymn tunes will continue to be accepted, but freely composed music is also a high priority for publication.

All publications should show a concern for inclusive language. While classic texts are normally honored and retained for their poetic value, new texts for hymnody, psalmody, and liturgical rites should include generally accepted inclusive language for humanity. Various and diverse language for God, including both feminine and masculine images that are rooted in scripture, is also desired.

Imprints

Augsburg Fortress publishes music under two imprints.

Augsburg Fortress Music is rooted in the rich tradition of American Lutheran choral music dating back to our 1919 publication of F. Melius Christiansen's arrangement of Beautiful Savior. The Augsburg Fortress catalog has grown to include hundreds of composers of organ, choral, and instrumental music. This imprint will continue to stress congregational song, choral music, music for organ and keyboard/piano, as well as musical material to accompany the official worship resources of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Included in Augsburg Fortress Music are the following lines: Augsburg Choral Library, ChildrenSing, GladSong, WorldSong, and the St. Olaf Choral Series.

Chantry Press began under the directorship of Frederick Otto during the late 1940s in Fremont, Ohio. Otto, a student of Karl Straube and a colleague of Hugo Distler, Ernst Pepping, and Jan Bender, brought to the USA many of the works representative of the German church music revival of the 1930s, including Schütz, Distler, Buxtehude, Praetorius, Bender, and others. Works under this imprint represent musicologically-informed editions of historic sacred music, published in beautiful performing editions.

What to Submit

All music may be submitted in legible manuscript or computer-generated engravings (such as Finale®, Sibelius). Headings must state authors and translators of texts, original source of pre-existent music, composers, and/or arrangers. Please double check original sources of texts and hymn tunes; these are necessary for permissions if the music is chosen for publication. The publication process is expedited if addresses for owners of obscure sources are included.

Texts that employ inclusive language for humanity are given priority. Also highly desirable is language for God that reflects diverse biblical images, attempts to expand the vocabulary for the triune God, and minimizes gender-specific usages.

Music submitted is referred to music reviewers for study and evaluation. All manuscripts are reviewed with the goal of a definite decision within no more than three months. If manuscripts are not selected for inclusion in the catalog, you will be promptly notified.

Criteria for review include:

1. musical evaluation for quality, style, difficulty, and genre;
2. evaluation of texts for Christian theology and liturgical suitability;
3. customer and market needs;
4. relationships with composers and authors; and
5. catalog balance.

Please send only photocopies of original manuscripts. Augsburg Fortress cannot take responsibility for original manuscripts which are lost or damaged in mailing. Only manuscripts accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope will be returned. A second option for submission of a manuscript notated in Finale is via e-mail. Attach the music files to an e-mail to musicsub@augsburgfortress.org with "music submission" in the address line. Either way, you will receive acknowledgment that the manuscript has arrived.

It is not necessary to register a copyright on material prior to submission; Augsburg Fortress would prefer to handle that task. The new copyright laws of the USA contain an implied copyright provision that protects your work.

Contracts are issued generally about six months prior to publication, not upon acceptance of the work. At present and in the future, acceptance for publication by Augsburg Fortress staff creates a firm commitment to prompt publication.

When to Submit

Two annual publication dates are scheduled:

March 1 Music for Fall, Reformation, All Saints, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and Transfiguration.

October 1 Music for Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and Summer.

These publication dates allow for usage at seasonal clinics and workshops, promotions and catalogs, and timely trade with our stores and other music dealers. For prompt review and publication, it is helpful to receive all manuscripts at least 9-12 months before seasonal publication dates.

Marketing Commitments

All Augsburg Fortress publications will be promoted in at least the following ways:

1. retail and trade proprietary catalogs;
2. seasonal mailings to Lutheran and selected three-year lectionary congregations;
3. annual displays at Augsburg Fortress Music Clinics
4. as well as numerous reading sessions, conferences, workshops, and conventions, reaching over 3000 parish musicians annually.

Royalty Policy

A standard 10% royalty is paid on all music published by Augsburg Fortress Publishers. This policy is shared industry wide among publishers of church music. If ownership of copyrighted material is shared between author, composers, and/or arrangers, the royalty is generally pro-rated based upon number of owners. For example, an anthem with new music but a copyrighted text often splits the royalty between composer and author (5% each).

Materials included in collections earn either one-time payments or royalties based on a pro-rata division of the 10% payment. That is, the amount of royalty earned is dependent upon the number of copyrighted items included in the collection.

An important reminder: when both text and tune are administered by copyright holder(s) other than Augsburg Fortress, the entire standard royalty may be required to be paid to such copyright holder(s). Similarly, when the same party owns both text and tune, the holder may require ownership of the copyright to the arrangement.

Royalties are paid twice yearly after the close of the royalty period ending on March 31 and September 30. Checks are generally mailed early in May and November.

Contact Information

E-mail: musicsub@augsburgfortress.org

Source Suggestions for Texts

General Sources

Bible Praying. Michael Perry. London: HarperCollins, 1992.

Chapter into Verse: Poetry in English Inspired by the Bible. 2 vols. New York: Oxford , 1993.

New Oxford Book of Christian Verse. New York: Oxford, 1981.

Oxford Book of Prayer. New York: Oxford, 1985

Sourcebook Series. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications.

• Advent, ed. Thomas J. O'Gorman. 1988.
• Christmas, ed. Mary Ann Simcoe. 1984.
• Lent, ed. J. Robert Baker, et al. 2 vol. 1990.
• Triduum, ed. Gabe Huck and Mary Ann Simcoe. 1988.
• Easter, ed. Gabe Huck, et al. 1988.
• Baptism, ed. J. Robert Baker, et al. 1993.
• Death, ed. Virginia Sloyan. 1990.
• Marriage, ed. J. Robert Baker, et al. 1994.
• Liturgy, ed. Gabe Huck. 1994.

Current Liturgical Texts

Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Assembly and Leaders Editions. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2006.

Book of Common Worship. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993.

Common Worship. London: Church House Publishing, 2000.

Enriching Our Worship. New York: Church Publishing, 1998. –

• Morning and Evening Prayer, The Great Litany, The Holy Eucharist. 1998.
• Ministry with the Sick or Dying, Burial of a Child. 2000.

New Zealand Prayer Book, A. London: Collins, 1989.

Praying Together (English Language Liturgical Commission). Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1988.

Supplemental Liturgical Materials. New York: Church Publishing, 1991.

Inclusive Language Psalm Texts

See the new version of the psalms in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, above.

Psalms, The: A New Translation for Prayer and Worship. Gary Chamberlain. Nashville: The Upper Room, 1984.

Psalms Anew. Nancy Schreck, OSF and Maureen Leach, OSF. Winona: Saint Mary's Press, 1986.

Psalter for the Christian People. Book of Common Prayer (LBW) amended by Gail Ramshaw and Gordon Lathrop. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1993.

Psalter (ICEL), The. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1995.

Additional Liturgical Texts and Books

Book of Blessings. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1989.

Enriching the Christian Year (Lent through Michaelmas). Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1993.

Order for Christian Funerals. Chicago: LTP, 1989.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Chicago: LTP, 1988.

Sundays and Seasons. Augsburg Fortress, annual.

The Promise of His Glory: Services for the Season from All Saints to Candlemas. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1991.

Lectionaries

Lectionary for Worship: The Revised Common Lectionary (NRSV). 3 volumes. Augsburg Fortress, 2006-2008.

Readings for the Assembly: The Revised Common Lectionary (NRSV, emended by Gail Ramshaw and Gordon Lathrop). 3 volumes. Augsburg Fortress, 1995.

Readings and Prayers (RCL/LBW). Augsburg Fortress, 1995.

Book of Common Prayer. New York: Church Hymnal Corporation, 1979.

Lectionary for Mass (Roman Catholic). Various publishers, 1970.