Submission Guidelines
  |
General guidelines
Proposal must be for a first book. Proposed projects must be single-authored,
nonfiction books based on folklore research. Edited volumes, photography
collections with minimal text, and memoirs will not be considered. Applicants
may indicate in their proposal whether they have a preference of publisher.
Proposals should
include a 5- to 10-page description of the project that addresses the questions
below. The first page of your proposal should include your name, a preliminary
title for your book, and your complete contact information (name, address,
telephone number, e-mail, and fax if any). Please also include an annotated
table of contents, one sample chapter (revised, if from a dissertation), and
your curriculum vitae or resume. Although the initial proposal should
include only one sample chapter, if your proposal is accepted we will expect
you to provide us with at least two chapters.
Proposals should be submitted via e-mail between January 1, 2012 and April 15, 2012 (*extended deadline*), to fsmw@uillinois.edu. Please type "FSMW Workshop Proposal [your surname]" in the subject field of your email. For example, "FSMW Workshop Proposal Bergen" or "FSMW Workshop Proposal Zavada."
Email submissions are strongly preferred. If unable to
submit via email, please send complete materials by mail to:
FSMW Workshop Proposal
University of Illinois Press
1325 South Oak Street
Champaign, IL 61820
All applications will be considered together after the April 15 (*extended deadline*) submission
deadline. Editors at the participating presses will select up to six authors to
participate in the workshop. Applicants will be informed no later than June 1
whether or not their project has been selected for the workshop and for further
consideration for publication in the book series. Because of the volume of
submissions, it is not possible for the participating presses to offer detailed
responses to each proposal submitted. Only those candidates selected for the
workshop will receive a detailed response.
Basic description
Explain the essence of your project. What is the main point you want to make?
What questions do you seek to answer? How will your book add new knowledge, new
breadth, a new perspective, or a new approach to the topic? How will the book
contribute to existing work in the field, and how does it advance the goals of
the series? Does your project intersect with public debates or issues in any
way?
Audience and market
Indicate the primary and secondary audiences for the book. Who, principally,
will buy and read it? What other readers might it attract? Does it include
insights of interest to people outside your own specific field—scholars
in intersecting areas or interested readers beyond academe? Would your book
lend itself well to use in college-level courses? If so, in what specific
courses and at what level(s) of instruction? What books already exist on the
topic, and what will set your book apart from these competing or complementary
titles?
Format
What is the expected length of the manuscript (in words), including notes, bibliography, appendixes, and any other textual matter? Do you
anticipate including illustrations, maps, or tables? If so, please indicate how
many, what kind, and why they would add significantly to the book.
Background
If the manuscript began as a dissertation, please describe revisions you have
made or plan to make so that it will attract the much larger audience required
to merit publication in the form of a book. If not a dissertation, please
describe the genesis of the project.
Timeline
Please indicate when you expect to have a complete manuscript ready for review.
Further Information
Additional information about the series is available at www.folklorestudies.org. Please note
that by participating in the workshop authors grant the Presses right of first
refusal on the manuscript.