Overview
University and scholarly presses publish their own proposal guidelines, and although the headings vary, they ask the same questions: what is the book's argument, who will buy and assign it, what already exists, and can the author deliver? A proposal that answers these clearly, with a strong sample chapter, earns a serious read; one that summarizes a dissertation chapter by chapter usually does not.
We help you write or strengthen each component, plan the revision of a dissertation into a book where that is the starting point, and target presses and series whose lists fit your work. For edited volumes, we support contributors writing chapters and editors assembling a volume proposal.
Books are long projects, so support is often staged: first the proposal and target list, then developmental feedback on sample chapters, then editing of the full manuscript through our book editing service once a contract is in place.
Who it’s for and the problems it solves
This is for you if you are…
- Early-career researchers turning a doctoral dissertation into a first monograph
- Faculty proposing a second book, trade-crossover title or course textbook
- Scholars invited to contribute a chapter to an edited volume or handbook
- Volume editors preparing a proposal and contributor guidelines
- Authors writing in English as an additional language who want a proposal that reads naturally to an English-language press
Common problems we help with
- Your proposal reads like a dissertation abstract and does not state an argument a general scholarly reader would care about
- You cannot find comparable titles, or you list books you criticize rather than books a buyer would recognize
- You are unsure how much of the dissertation's literature review and methods belong in the book
- Two presses have asked for different materials and page lengths
- Your edited-volume chapter must fit a word limit and a volume-wide argument you did not shape
- Several chapters were already published as articles and you do not know how presses view this
What’s included — and what isn’t
Included
- Project framing: the book's argument, contribution and title, tested for clarity to non-specialists
- Drafting support or editing of the full proposal: overview, chapter summaries, specifications, readership, comparable titles and author bio
- Comparable and competing titles research, with a short, fair statement of how your book differs
- Dissertation-to-monograph revision plan: what to cut, restructure, expand and re-voice
- Developmental feedback on the introduction and sample chapter
- Press and series targeting based on recent lists, series editors' descriptions and submission guidelines
- Cover letter or query email to an acquisitions editor
- Edited-volume support: chapter abstracts, chapters to a brief, and volume proposals for editors
- Guidance on prior publication, permissions and illustrations in the proposal
Not included
- Writing the scholarly content of a book or chapter on a student's behalf
- Negotiating contracts, royalties or rights; we can explain common terms but do not provide legal advice
- Contacting presses or editors for you
- Any promise that a press will offer a contract
What you receive
- Proposal package
- A drafted or edited proposal organized to the target press's guidelines, with a short and long description, chapter outline and specifications.
- Comparable titles analysis
- A list of recent, relevant books with a sentence each on overlap and difference, ready to adapt into the proposal.
- Monograph revision plan
- For dissertation-based books, a chapter-by-chapter plan of changes with priorities and an estimated scale of work.
- Sample chapter feedback
- Developmental comments on argument, structure, voice and audience, plus line-level examples.
- Press and series shortlist
- Presses and series that publish comparable work, with their submission requirements and any preference for exclusive review noted.
How it works
Understand the project
You share the dissertation, draft or idea, and any target presses. We discuss the argument, audience and your timeline.
Frame the book
We agree a working title, core argument and readership, and research comparable titles.
Build the proposal
We draft or edit each section to the target press's format, returning versions for your review.
Strengthen the sample
We give developmental feedback on the introduction or sample chapter you will submit.
Prepare submission
We review the final package and cover email against the press's current guidelines.
Proposal components presses typically ask for
- Brief and full description
- A one-paragraph pitch for a busy editor and a longer statement of argument, contribution and approach, usually one to two pages.
- Chapter outline
- A paragraph or two per chapter that shows how the argument develops, noting any material previously published as articles.
- Specifications
- Estimated word count, number and type of illustrations or tables, permissions needed and a realistic completion date.
- Readership and market
- Who will read, cite, buy or assign the book: specialist scholars, adjacent fields, graduate or undergraduate courses, practitioners or general readers.
- Comparable titles
- Recent books from reputable presses that share readers with yours, with a fair account of how yours differs. Presses use these to judge fit and sales potential.
- Author information and sample
- A short bio and CV, and writing samples such as the introduction or a representative chapter, when the press asks for them.
A dissertation is not yet a book
Dissertations are written to prove competence to a committee; books are written to persuade readers who chose to pick them up. That usually means a shorter literature review woven through the text rather than a standalone chapter, methods moved to an appendix or a brief note, a stronger authorial voice, and an introduction that states the book's argument and stakes early.
Editors often ask what has changed since the dissertation. A clear revision plan in the proposal answers that question and shows you understand the difference.
Comparable titles that help rather than hurt
Comparable titles show the editor where your book would sit in a catalog and who its readers are. Good comparisons are recent, published by respected presses, and similar in audience or approach, not necessarily in topic. The aim is not to dismiss them but to show that there is a readership and that your book offers something distinct.
We search publisher catalogs, library records and recent reviews to build this list with you, and flag titles that are too old, too niche or from presses an editor may not see as comparable.
Chapters in edited volumes
A chapter in an edited volume answers to two briefs: your own argument and the editors' vision for the book. Successful chapters signal clearly how they connect to the volume's theme, respect the word limit and style sheet, and avoid lengthy background that other chapters will cover. Before investing time, check the publisher, whether the volume is peer reviewed, and how chapters are indexed in your field, as their weight in evaluations varies.
- Chapter abstract aligned to the call for chapters
- Draft chapter structured around the volume's shared questions
- Revision after editors' feedback, including cross-references to other chapters
Submitting to more than one press
Many presses accept simultaneous proposal submissions if you tell them, but most expect exclusivity once a full manuscript goes out for peer review. Practices differ, so we note each press's stated policy on your shortlist and help you word the disclosure honestly.
What the work can look like
Illustrative example — fictional data
Sample proposal excerpts: brief description and comparable title
A historian is revising a dissertation on port cities and cholera in the nineteenth-century Mediterranean into a first monograph. The excerpts are fictional and shown only to illustrate the register.
Brief description
Quarantine Cities argues that cholera did not simply expose the weakness of Mediterranean port administrations; it created them. Following merchants, doctors and harbor officials across four ports, the book shows how emergency measures became the everyday machinery of the modern state.
Comparable title entry
[Invented title], [University Press, 2021] examines quarantine in the Atlantic world through medical debate. Quarantine Cities shares its readership in the history of medicine but centers administrators and merchants, and extends the story into Ottoman and Italian archives.
Revision note
The dissertation's two literature chapters will be reduced to a 6,000-word introduction; a new chapter on labor in the lazarettos will draw on material gathered after the defense.
Illustrative, invented example. Titles, presses and details are placeholders to show structure, not real works or real clients.
What you’ll need to provide
- Your dissertation, manuscript draft or a description of the planned book
- Any existing proposal, table of contents or sample chapters
- Your CV and a list of your relevant publications
- Presses or series you are considering, and the guidelines of any that have invited a proposal
- For edited volumes: the call for chapters, volume brief, style sheet and word limit
You don’t need everything ready to ask for a quote — tell us what you have and we’ll say what’s missing.
What affects price and turnaround
Price depends on
- Starting point: an idea, a dissertation, a partial draft or an existing proposal
- Number of proposal components you want drafted versus edited
- Length of sample chapters for developmental feedback
- Whether press targeting and comparable-titles research are included
- Number of presses whose different formats you need
Turnaround depends on
- Whether a press has requested the proposal with a deadline
- Readiness of the sample chapter
- Time you need to decide on scope and structure after the framing stage
Every project is quoted individually. How we price our work.
Questions people ask before starting
Do I need a finished manuscript before approaching a press?
For most scholarly monographs, no. Presses usually decide whether to take a project forward from a proposal and sample chapters, and then send a full manuscript for peer review later. First-time authors are sometimes asked for more complete material, so check each press.
Can I include chapters already published as journal articles?
Often yes, if they are substantially revised and you have the rights to reuse them. Presses usually want to know which material has appeared before and how much will change. Check your article agreements for reuse terms.
Will you write my book proposal?
For faculty and professional authors, we can draft proposal sections from your material and conversations, with you revising and approving everything. The scholarship and argument are yours. For students, we work as coaches and editors.
Which press should I choose?
Look for presses and series that have published books your readers already use, and read the series editors' descriptions. We help you build and check a shortlist, but your advisor and colleagues' experience with particular editors is also valuable.
Do you help with book contracts?
We can explain common terms such as delivery dates, word counts and permissions responsibilities in plain language, but we do not give legal advice. For contract negotiation, consult your institution, a society or an appropriate professional.
Is an edited-volume chapter worth my time?
It depends on your field and career stage. In the humanities, chapters in well-regarded volumes are valued; in many sciences, they carry less weight than journal articles. We can help you weigh the invitation, but the decision is yours.