Information and Submissions

Your proposal should give Press staff and the series editors a clear idea of what your intended book is about, how you came to write this book at this point in your career, and where the work fits within your field. It may be helpful to consider the following questions:

  • What problems are you setting out to solve?
  • What confusions do you wish to clarify?
  • What previously unknown or neglected story are you planning to tell?
  • Why is this book important?

We are also interested in knowing what potential audiences you foresee. What comparable titles have been published? Is your book for specialists in your field, or will it appeal to a broader audience? Is this book intended for use by students? Is there potential for classroom adoption? If so, please list specific classes it could be used in or commonly used books you believe it would replace.

Proposals should include the following:

  • A brief narrative description of the manuscript, including its themes, arguments, goals, and place in the literature. Please highlight the significant contribution of the work.
  • A description of the projected audience and closely related or competing titles. Include information on other books’ page lengths, publishers, and prices where possible.
  • A brief statement on how the manuscript fits into the UNC Press list and the editorial rationale for the Critical Indigeneities series.
  • An estimate of the probable length of the book (both a page count and a word count are helpful), numbers of possible illustrations and tables, and a note on any potential permissions issues (reproduction of illustrations or excerpts of poetry or musical lyrics, for example).
  • A chapter outline or annotated table of contents with thorough descriptions of each chapter, including key arguments and sources used.
  • The introduction and another sample chapter (about 50–60 pages altogether) may be helpful.
  • A current vita for the author(s) or editor(s) summarizing professional experience, past publications, and relevant research.
  • For multi-authored or edited works, please identify which authors have committed themselves to contributing to the book and which are still negotiating. Also note whether any of the material has been previously published, and where.
  • If the manuscript is not complete, please provide a projected completion date.

We prefer that authors do not submit complete manuscripts unless invited to do so by an editor. We also ask authors to notify us if the proposal is under consideration with another publisher.

For further information or to submit a proposal, contact:

Mark Simpson-Vos
Wyndham Robertson Editorial Director
UNC Press
116 South Boundary St.
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Email: simpsonv(at)email.unc.edu