NCTE Book Submission Guidelines

Click here to download a printable PDF of the guidelines.

At NCTE, we believe that investing in teacher knowledge is one of the most effective ways to improve professional practice and that you—the education professional—are our most valuable asset. We’re looking for manuscripts that represent the rich diversity of our profession, provide practical solutions, offer effective teaching strategies, and demonstrate NCTE’s long-standing commitment to sound theory and research.

We welcome proposals from teachers, theorists, researchers, and administrators in English language arts, literacy, English education, and English studies. We are always looking for new voices in the field, and we encourage proposals from classroom teachers and first-time authors as well as established authors.

While we publish books for teachers at all levels on a wide variety of topics, we don’t typically produce anthologies or single-authored works of creative writing, personal journals, student writing, or dissertations not revised for book publication. Please use the following guidelines to help us make the most informed decision possible for your project.

Submitting a Proposal

Please submit a proposal rather than a full manuscript, consisting of the items listed below. Your acquisitions editor may later request that you send additional materials.
     We welcome your initial queries via e-mail but ask that you limit electronically transmitted texts to no more than 50 printed pages. When submitting the full proposal, please send hard copy.

Cover Letter

Include a brief letter that tells us something about you as the author.

Project Rationale

Much like the preface or introduction to a text, the rationale should offer specific details about your project, including these:

• an abstract or synopsis of the book
• objectives and reasons for writing the book
• how the book will stand out among its competition
• anticipated readership and size of market

In short, this is your opportunity to tell us what makes this book valuable and to position it relative to others in the field.

Tentative Table of Contents and Chapter Summaries

List all chapter titles and important headings, with short (three- to four-sentence) descriptions of what will be included in each.

Status of Manuscript

Consider these questions:

• How much is now written and how long do you expect it will
take you to complete the project?
• What is the anticipated length of your final manuscript? (Try to
limit your manuscript to no more than 300 double-spaced pages.)

Permissions and Consents

All publishers require authors to obtain permission to reproduce published work as well as permission from anyone who has contributed in any significant way to the book. Begin the process early by checking your manuscript for materials requiring permissions and identifying the copyright holders. These steps will save you time later in the process. There are two kinds of permissions:

• Permission to reproduce published work. For previously published work—writing, artwork, photography—authors are responsible for fees charged for reprinting copyrighted material and must obtain written permission. NCTE staff will be happy to advise you.
• Permission from contributors to your book. Research involving human subjects, samples of student writing, artwork, photographs, observations of teachers and their classrooms—all require consent to publish before they can be used in your published work.

Sample Chapters

Send two or three sample chapters to give us a clear idea of the manuscript as a whole; include the introduction if possible. Doublespace all text, and include samples of illustrative materials that you might use: tables, charts, and photocopies (not originals) of photographs or artwork.

Bibliography

If possible, include a working bibliography. In an edited collection, if you don’t plan to have a bibliography, include works cited lists with individual essays. Use a consistent bibliographic style throughout your document.
If you’re submitting an edited collection, ask your contributors to conform to a specified bibliographic style. We suggest CMS (Chicago), MLA, or APA.

Citations

Please double-check any text that includes citations, making sure that they are accurate and complete.

Résumé or Vita

Include a résumé or vita to give us more insight into your work.

About the Process and the Timeline

All proposals are evaluated initially by the acquisitions staff. Those selected for development are sent to expert readers. These volunteer reviewers will provide written responses to the material. Because we have a strict policy of anonymous review, we disclose reviewers’ names to authors only when reviewers ask that we do so. Please keep in mind that it may take several weeks to receive responses. Our rigorous review process ensures the high quality of our books.

When you submit your project, the acquisitions editor in charge will give you details about the process and timeline specific to your project. Your acquisitions editor will also stay in touch with you throughout review and development.

Ultimately, our focus is not on the process but on you, the author, and your contribution to the profession. We will work to make sure that your NCTE publishing experience is personally and professionally rewarding.

Please send materials to:

Acquisitions Editor
The Books Program
National Council of Teachers of English
1111 W. Kenyon Road
Urbana, IL 61801-1096
800-369-6283 or 217-328-3870
Fax 217-328-0977

www.ncte.org/pubs/books