To have your project considered for publication by SUNY Press, please submit a book proposal as a Word or PDF document attached to an email. Please do not send an entire manuscript. Our editors will invite you to send your entire manuscript based on their reaction to your initial samples. Your proposal should include the following:
A brief cover letter
Your cover letter should describe why you feel SUNY Press would be a good publisher for your work. Please note in your cover letter if there is a series for which you would like your project considered, as well as any other information you think we should know (e.g., if you met one of our editors at a conference, etc.).
Your proposal
A strong proposal will include the following components:
- Brief abstract (about 150 words)
- Your current curriculum vitae
- Description of the project: Please discuss the book’s purpose and how it will be achieved, the book’s specific contribution, and any distinctive or unique features that bear highlighting.
- Table of contents/chapter outline with a paragraph-length description of each chapter
- Format: Please provide the estimated word count of the completed manuscript (including notes, references, and appendices) and descriptions of any illustrations (figures, tables, photos, etc.).
- Market: Questions to consider include: Is your book intended for scholars/specialists? In what fields and at what levels (e.g., undergraduate majors or non-majors, graduate students, etc.)? Are there specific courses in which it might be used? Will it appeal to general readers? Please also include any information about your author platform (e.g., social media presence, public engagement) and ways you might promote the book.
- List of recent comparable and competing titles: Include a brief description of each one, noting how it relates to and/or differs from your own book. You might think of these as books alongside which yours would belong on a bookshelf.
- Status of the Work: Please indicate your timeline for completion, whether any of the chapters have been previously published, and whether you anticipate needing to obtain any permissions, as well as how you plan to do so.
- A list of contributors and their affiliations (if the book is an edited volume)
- A sample chapter: Please send an introduction and/or other sample chapter if one is ready and available. Please do not send a full manuscript unless requested to do so by an editor.
Direct your proposal to one of the acquisitions editors listed here, or send it to the attention of James Peltz, Editor-in-Chief.
Policy on Dissertations
SUNY Press does not publish unrevised dissertations. We do, however, consider proposals for books that have their origins in dissertation research and are suitably revised. For guidance on transforming your dissertation into a book, we recommend The Thesis and the Book: A Guide for First-Time Academic Authors, 2nd edition, edited by Eleanor Harman et al., From Dissertation to Book, Second Edition, by William Germano, and Revising Your Dissertation: Advice from Leading Editors, 2nd edition, edited by Beth Luey.
