At a period of extraordinary political undermining of the value of the humanities to public life it is more than ever imperative that arts and humanities scholars reaffirm the value of the discipline in scholarly and accessible terms. The HRC has two book series showcasing the best current work in the faculty.

Warwick Series in the Humanities (with Routledge)

This series publishes the varied and multidisciplinary outcomes of projects funded by the HRC. By definition, all conferences and seminars sponsored by the HRC are interdisciplinary, and by design such events draw from the full range of the Faculty’s strengths, whether literary, historical, linguistic, visual, or philosophical; ancient or modern; British, European, or global. Events typically highlight the work of both established and early career scholars. The work itself is inflected by modes and models of thinking that show the humanities as alive, well, and intimately and intricately embedded in the wider culture.

We hope those receiving funding from the HRC (including doctoral fellowship conferences) will consider publication in this series. In addition, the Series will accept proposals from the Faculty community in general, with the proviso that any such proposals are interdisciplinary.

Seventeen volumes have appeared in the series so far. The most recent volume is New Interdisciplinary Perspectives On and Beyond Autonomy, edited by Christopher Watkin (Monash) and Oliver Davis (French Studies, SMLC). Other volumes are currently in preparation.

Warwick Studies (with Anthem Press)

This is a new series that partners the HRC with Anthem Press, a small independent publisher offering a high quality list aimed at the academic community. Unlike the Warwick Series in the Humanities, which published edited volumes, Anthem Press are looking to publish high quality monographs, both standard length (c.80K) and short (c.25-30K).

Guidelines for Submitting a Proposal to the HRC

All proposals will be read by the Director and two members of the HRC Committee. The proposal should be detailed and informative while avoiding specialized language and disciplinary jargon.

Proposals should be submitted by email to hrc at warwick dot ac dot uk

Any questions can be addressed to the Director, Professor Alison Cooley, at a dot cooley at warwick dot ac dot uk

The guidelines on 'How to write a book proposal' below were created at the HRC 'Working with Publishers' workshop in June 2024

Monograph

How to change a thesis into a book

• A strong introduction that lays foundation for the arguments
• Highlight the author’s contribution (author’s voice) rather than the scholarly apparatus – reduce the footnote referencing
• Strong arguments in accessible language.
• Avoid using too many quotes (editors/readers want to ‘see’ author’s voice)
• Avoid heavy academic jargon
• Theoretical framework must be present throughout the book/chapters
• No literature review (but strong historiographical analysis may be required in some disciplines/fields)
• Streamline the number of case studies/examples
• Thesis covers one small area in lots of detail, whereas a book might have a wider scope with a lower density of examples/case studies)
• Supervisors and viva examiners a good source of advice
• Avoid epigraphs! (or you will need to secure permissions)
• Make sure to obtain permission for images: apply for funding early on.
• Have the courage to submit the manuscript-there is no perfect book!

Contents of a book proposal

• Introduction
• Identify what makes your book unique, what is your original contribution to knowledge and why it would be a good fit for the publisher/series
• Scope/aim of the project
• Methodology/theoretical context
• Breakdown of chapters and possibly a chapter outline
• Sample of one chapter (if required)
• Estimated length of the monograph, and word-count for each chapter
• Identify the readership (primary and secondary readership)
• Identify the geographical regions where the monograph may be more relevant (if applicable)
• Keywords (5 to 10)
• Consider adding a cover letter outlining relevant experience and core idea
• A sense of other books published on similar areas/themes
• Proposed timetable for completion

NB monograph can be standard length (c.80,000-100,000 words) or a short monograph (eg 25,000-50,000) [see Palgrave Pivot]

Edited Volume

Contents of a book proposal

The proposal should be detailed and informative while avoiding specialized language and disciplinary jargon. All proposals should contain the following information:

• Approximately 1500 words describing the volume’s main aims and points of interest, what makes it distinctive, what it adds to the field of study
• A detailed chapter plan, including descriptions of chapter content of approximately 300 words each. Recommend having both an introductory chapter and a conclusion. Note that a book might be accepted on the basis of these chapter summaries alone, so these need to be representative of the final product.
• Be clear about the key themes to be considered by contributors
• Number of illustrations
• Comparable books already published
• Potential market/readership (what disciplines might it speak to?)
• List of authors + affiliations + job titles
• Timetable for completion
• Projected length
• Curriculum vitae of editor(s)
• Possible that a workshop structure will add cohesion and so chapters speak to each other. Consider pairing up chapters in draft form to facilitate dialogue.
• Suggestions of peer-reviewers (some publishers)

What makes a good proposal?

• Cohesion of the book - are the chapters in dialogue with one another? Are there clear thematic groupings or argumentative threads running across subsections?
• Identifying a clear gap in current scholarship that this collection will fill
• Rationale for the choice of essays
• Enough detail in the chapter summaries to be convincing: you might get a contract just on this basis
• An identification of a target and possible additional audience
• Have a range of contributors (career stage, gender, geographical spread, discipline)
• Clear sense of how this edited collection contributes to the series you’re pitching it to
• Also, a sense of how the proposed volume relates to your own field of research especially if you are a doctoral/post-doc candidate
• A realistic timeline

Key things to think about

• How will this monograph/edited collection situate you as a scholar in your field? How will people who read this book remember you?
• Who is your audience, and which publisher(s) and series best suit that audience?
• What makes your idea/intervention memorable and important? (Communicate this in the proposal!)
• Where do you want to see yourself in the next 5-10 years? What does it imply in terms of publishing your work and, therefore, your choice of a publisher?
• Have a contingency plan in place in case of contributors in an edited volume drop out.
• If you are considering submitting the proposal as part of a series, consider how it fits in with the other titles.
• Whether you practically have the time to carry out the project such that it does not overtake your other research work (esp for an edited vol.)
• Which referencing style works best for this collection/your field generally? How are you going to ensure that contributors follow the stylistic guidelines?
• If working with others, set clear deadlines + guidelines. Send out regular updates to all on progress with the volume (both before and after acceptance). This will help contributors plan their time.

Privacy Statement

The University of Warwick will process your personal data which you have provided within your book proposal attached to the email you submit to us for the purpose(s) of considering your book proposal.

The legal basis for processing this personal data is consent.

Your personal data will not be shared or disclosed to any third parties external to the University of Warwick except Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) .

Your personal data will not be transferred outside of the EEA, and will be kept securely by the University of Warwick and will be retained for a period of up to the current academic year + 6 months from submission of your proposal at which point it will be deleted. If your book proposal is forwarded for submission to Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) then your personal data will be shared outside of the EEA and your personal data will be retained for the current academic year + 3 years.

The University of Warwick is the Data Controller of this information and is committed to protecting the rights of individuals in line with Data Protection Legislation. Please visit the Information Commissioner’s Office’s webpages for further information in relation to your rights and the University’s Data Protection webpages for further information about how the University processes your personal data. The University’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted through infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk and any requests or complaints should be made in writing to the University’s Data Protection Officer.

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