Book Proposals

Are you pitching a book to an editor and you need to send a book proposal? Humanities First reviews book proposals for grammar, content and context to ensure you submit your absolute best work. You want to make sure that the press editors take notice of your project and that it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

Proposals That Get an Editor’s Attention

A successful book proposal must be clear and well-argued to prove to a book editor that your manuscript is appropriate for their press and would make a valuable addition to their catalogue.  Editors are responsible for reviewing an inordinate amount of submissions, so an uneven proposal can nullify one’s chances of publishing and delay (or derail) one’s career. Rejection at this first stage can squander countless hours of research. Having a well-crafted, organized book proposal is no less important than the cover letter and CV that led to your first faculty position.

Unfortunately, many submissions consist of a point-by-point summation of one’s work, and lack the eloquence and flow of the actual manuscript. After living with one’s ideas for years, it is tempting to include details that are exclusive to one particular field. We forget that most editors are generalists and are not always fluent in our topics, so the challenge becomes making the book proposal both thorough and gratifying to read.

Establishing distance between the specifics of a manuscript and the requirements of a proposal is not always possible, especially when deadlines loom. Humanities First resolves this dilemma by reviewing each proposal to ensure readability and focus.

We assess each proposal to ensure that it addresses the most important areas of concern for the editor, including but not limited to: 

• • Contributions to the field
  • Throughlines connecting chapters and major theoretical arguments
  • The book’s market and existing competition

Pricing

The 2024 rate for book proposal review is $350.00.

For more on the work we’ve done, please read our testimonials.