Book Proposal Submissions

NAEA has partnered with Routledge for the publication of books to advance visual arts education perspectives for the education community.

The proposal submission link is located at the bottom of this page. Before submitting your proposal, please review the following information carefully.

What we’re currently looking for:

Under the co-publishing partnership, NAEA and Routledge welcomes proposals from both new and previously published authors. To be considered for publication, your manuscript or proposal must possess a strong connection to the field of arts education. We encourage topics focused on arts education research, methods or lessons applicable in the classroom, or topics supporting the professional development of arts educators. Topics pertaining to K–12 arts education are of particular interest at this time.

When drafting your proposal, we strongly recommend reviewing the 2021–2025 NAEA Strategic Vision Goals and Objectives. All books accepted for publication must align to at least one of the five Strategic Pillars outlined in these goals. The five pillars are:

• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion;
• Learning;
• Research & Knowledge;
• Advocacy & Policy; and
• Community Vibrancy

Please refer to the link above for more detailed descriptions of each pillar.

What to consider before submitting your book proposal:

• Does your book idea have a unique selling point or an angle on the topic that is new, interesting, innovative, and/or compelling?
• Is there a clear demand for your book from an art academic or art education professional audience, and what is it about your book idea that specific readers might want and/or need to read?
• Is the scope of your book’s concept broad enough to be of interest to readers on a global scale?
• What makes you the best person to write this book? What is it about your experience, research, and background that makes you an expert?

The proposal you submit will be the basis on which we judge your book’s suitability for publication. We strongly encourage using the following guidelines for organizing the required content before submitting your proposal.

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Your cooperation in following these recommendations will ease our task of evaluation and aid YOU in reaching your publishing objectives.

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Book Proposal Submission Guidelines

PLEASE NOTE: Your written proposal should be approximately 8–10 pages in length, and a downloadable version of this information can be found in the “Helpful Downloads” box at the bottom of this page.

Along with your written proposal, you must also supply the following:

• At least three sample chapters
• Curriculum Viteas (CV) for all lead authors or editors (CVs are not required for contributing or single chapter authors)
• A list of brief biographies and affiliations for any/all contributing authors

You may number each component of your proposal as follows:

1. Summary

Please write a brief summary (approx. 150-200 words) that effectively describes your book to potential interested readers who may not have a background on this topic. This is a useful tool for evaluating a book proposal as it demonstrates the ease at which you are able to present your ideas to a non-specialist audience.

2. Statement of Aims

Briefly explain what your book is about. What are its main themes and objectives? What are you doing differently, or in a more innovative way, or better than existing books?

3. Annotated Table of Contents/Chapter Synopses

Please list working chapter headings and provide a short paragraph of explanation on what you (or your contributors) intend to cover in each chapter. This may be all a reviewer of your proposal has to go on, so please provide a clear indication of the proposed content—a list of chapter headings alone is not enough.

4. Length and Schedule

• What is the estimated length (number of words) of your book at this stage? Does this include references and endnotes? (Note: The reference list for each chapter should be placed at the end of each chapter.)
• Approximately how many tables, diagrams, or illustrations do you plan to include in the book?
• Do you plan to include any material from published, copyrighted sources for which permission to reprint will be needed (e.g., text that exceeds “fair use” limits, graphic images, tables and figures, poetry or song lyrics)? About how much of this material do you plan to use?
• Will the book include material that is not published/copyrighted but for which releases will be required (e.g., interview data, transcripts, case studies, and the like, in which research participants are quoted verbatim and/or identified; artwork or poetry that is not created by the author(s)/editor(s), etc)?

5. Definition of the Market

• To which subject areas do you think this book would principally appeal? At whom is your book primarily aimed? Who will buy it? Who will read it? Are there any secondary audiences who might be interested in this book?
• Is it aimed at a professional, undergraduate, or postgraduate student audience? Does the book assume a fair amount of prior (specialist) knowledge, or does it introduce the topic?
• Please list a few courses where this book might be used or adopted, if applicable.
• Is the subject area of the book widely taught or researched? Is it a new or trending area?
• Would this subject have international appeal? If so, where, and why?
• What keywords would you use to describe your book? Please list 5–10 keywords, terms, or buzzwords that are associated with the subject of your book.

6. Competition

It is important that you are aware of your book’s place within existing literature, and that you are familiar with the competition of your proposed book. Please list any books that are either directly in competition with your book or could be related in some way. (Please include the following details: author, publication date, title, publisher, and price, along with a brief explanation of how your proposed book could improve upon or be different to the competing/related title.)

7. Related Titles

Which, if any, books are related and/or competitive? How is your book similar to or different from each of these books?

8. Your Qualifications

Why are you the right author(s)/editor(s) for this project?

9. Product Category

• Do you anticipate the book being required, recommended, or supplementary reading on any academic courses? If so, at what level?
• Is it a relatively specialist/high-level scholarly volume?
• Are there any stipulations by your funding body or institution that require any of this material to be published Open Access?

10. Marketing Leads

In academic publishing, it can be vital to begin publicizing and marketing a book at an early stage—we would appreciate your input in the following areas, which may be helpful in evaluating the commercial viability of your proposed book:

• Key selling points: Please list at least three brief selling points that would make your book appealing to its intended audience.
• Societies and organizations: Do you belong to any societies, associations, or organizations that could be used for promotional purposes? Please provide a list. Would any of these societies or organizations be interested in purchasing a bulk number of copies of the book at a discount? Is the work reported in the book the outcome of any funded project? Can you suggest any institutional support for discounted bulk purchases of the book or for assisting in marketing the book?
• Journals: One key promotional tactic is to send review copies to relevant journals. Please list in order of importance the top five journals whose readership you think would find your book most interesting.
• Conferences: Routledge is represented at many academic conferences. Please give details of conferences or professional meetings where it could be useful to advertise your book.

11. Reviewers

We will select appropriate reviewers of our own choice, but we will consider inviting reviews from individuals whose opinion you feel will be particularly valuable. Please feel free to make suggestions. If the book has several distinct markets, try to recommend at least one reviewer for each. We aim to reflect cultural diversity and an even gender balance in our reviewers and commission reviews that truly represent the communities we reach—please consider this when making reviewer suggestions.

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Ready to Get Started?

Please use the following tips when preparing your files for submission:

• Please put all files into one folder and zip (if necessary). Use your last name, underscore, and book title as the folder name. Example: klinger-krebs_awesome-book-title.
• You may also provide a link to your files from a reputable file hosting or transfer service such as Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.

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What to expect after you submit your proposal:

• Upon submitting your proposal there will be a waiting period of approximately 12–14 weeks or more between the time your book proposal is submitted, to the time you are notified of formal acceptance for publication. There may be times when this waiting period is longer. If you choose to withdraw your proposal from the review process, you may do so at any time by contacting Jamie Klinger-Krebs, NAEA Director of Publications, at jklingerkrebs@arteducators.org.
  
• Upon receiving your proposal package, we will check to ensure all required submission materials are present and correct. Please be prepared to answer questions or submit additional information during this time, if needed.
• Please keep in mind that anything you provide to NAEA and Routledge will be sent to reviewers as part of the review process (including your CV).

Questions? Contact Jamie Klinger-Krebs, NAEA Director of Publications, at jklingerkrebs@arteducators.org