Good morning wise fora.
My first book was published last year (whew!) and I've put together a synopsis/proposal for the second book and sent it to the University Press that published my first one. My contract for my first book has 1stUP having the rights to look at my next book.
They'd like, I think, a few chapters in hand before granting the contract. I'm wondering if/when I can show the synopsis/proposal to a different university press? 1stUP is a great press in my discipline, but I can imagine a better publishing process (and it'd be great to have a contract in hand before submitting a tenure bid in the next 18 months).
You'll have to have someone look at the contract, but what I believe is that they intend to have right of first refusal. You present it to them first, and they can take it or leave it.
Probably having it out to other presses while they review is a breach of the original contract.
You can also talk to the acquisitions editor you worked with to ask permission to submit elsewhere. I've never had an editor say no.
Or do what I did with my last book -- submit a proposal you know they'll turn down! My plan wasn't quite as devious as that (the proposal was genuine, just a bad fit for the press, and I'll be publishing the book elsewhere as of next spring), but I fulfilled my obligation to give the press the first crack at turning me down.
Yeah, call your editor and ask.