Thank you for your interest in submitting a proposal to Northwestern University Press. Please review these guidelines and familiarize yourself with our list to see whether your work might be an apt fit for our catalog. Please do not propose more than one project at a time.
Submissions should be sent via email to the relevant acquiring editor. Please do not send your proposal to multiple NUP editors. If you are unsure which editor is the appropriate contact for your project, you may send your proposal to our general submissions inbox at nup-submissions@northwestern.edu.
The Acquisitions Department reviews all material received, and submissions will be shared and redistributed among editors when appropriate. Previously declined submissions and resubmissions to other members of the press will not be considered. Future submissions of new work are always welcome.
Northwestern University Press does not accept submissions via phone or post, nor can we provide updates on the status of proposal submissions via phone.
Scholarly book proposal
Your proposal should be sent as a Word doc or a PDF and include the following:
- A short abstract outlining the project’s core thesis;
- a detailed description of the manuscript’s key arguments and significance to the field;
- an annotated table of contents that summarizes the content and structure of each chapter;
- an assessment of the work’s fit with recent publications in the relevant field and on Northwestern University Press’s list;
- a brief comment on the manuscript’s intended audience;
- a statement of the anticipated total word count of the full manuscript, inclusive of notes and references, and any illustrative material, as well as the estimated completion date and a note of any previously published material included in the manuscript.
If you are proposing an edited collection, please include in the proposal a brief bio for each of the contributors, as well as a note of any chapters that have been previously published.
If the manuscript is based on a doctoral thesis, please include in your proposal a brief description of how the research and analysis have been developed, reshaped, or otherwise updated in the current work. Do note that Northwestern University Press does not publish unrevised dissertations.
If you are proposing a work in translation, please include in the proposal a statement outlining the relevance of the author and text for an Anglophone readership and the intended audience, as well as noting the rights status of the original publication.
Please also send, as separate documents, a current CV and 1-2 sample chapters, if available.
Please do not submit a full manuscript unless requested by the acquiring editor.
Trade book proposal (fiction and creative nonfiction)
Please send the following as Word or PDF files:
- A cover letter that provides a description of the work, a summary of any previously published material included in the manuscript (if applicable), a total word count, a short list of comparable books in print, and whether you are agented (with contact information for an agent when applicable);
- a third-person author bio, full contact information, and a current CV or résumé, if available;
- a manuscript excerpt of 10-30 pages.
If you are proposing a work in translation, please include a statement outlining the relevance of the author and work for an Anglophone readership and the intended audience, as well as noting the rights status of the original publication.
Please do not submit a full manuscript unless requested by the acquiring editor.
Trade poetry book proposal
Please send the following as Word or PDF files:
- A cover letter that provides a description of the work, a summary of any previously published material included in the manuscript (if applicable), a total word count, and whether you are agented (with contact information for an agent when applicable);
- a table of contents;
- a current CV or résumé with full contact information;
- the full manuscript.
If you are proposing a work in translation, please include a statement outlining the relevance of the author and work for an Anglophone readership and the intended audience, as well as noting the rights status of the original publication.
Trade play or performance work proposal
Your proposal should be sent as a Word doc and include the following:
- A brief synopsis of the play or performance work;
- production history and reviews, with a note of forthcoming productions, if applicable;
- an annotated table of contents, including any additional material, such as a foreword or afterword;
- a note of any previously published material included in the manuscript;
- the anticipated total word count of the full manuscript;
- any proposed illustrative material, if applicable;
- a paragraph-long third-person bio.
Please also send, as a separate document, the full text of the play or performance work.