Monograph Proposal Guidelines

The West Point Press encourages intellectual exploration and academic excellence through the publication of scholarly books. The Press invites the submission of proposals in the disciplines of STEM, the humanities, and the social sciences. The Press also publishes works focusing on or featuring the United States Military Academy. The Press does not publish children’s books, cookbooks, guidebooks, art and photography books, or unrevised dissertations.

Proposals should contain the following:

 

  • What is the subject area? How is this adding value to the field? Authors should include details on the expected length of the manuscript (in total words, including notes, or in double-spaced pages) and an estimated schedule for completing the manuscript. Authors should also let the Press also know if the book has been submitted to other presses.

  • Provide a list of planned chapters, including proposed chapter titles and a brief paragraph describing the contents of each chapter. Authors should indicate whether any of the material has been published previously.

  • Is this meant for researchers? Policymakers? Students? If students, what course(s) will this be used for? What is the estimated annual enrollment?

    Authors should also list a few of the books with which the proposed book is comparable, including title, author, publisher, and year of publication. Include a brief statement outlining how the proposed book differs / add value.

  • Authors should provide a brief biography, including their current title and affiliation, previous books, and any other publications or experience relevant to demonstrating their qualifications for writing the proposed book. Proposals should include info for all planned authors.

  • Authors should recommend 3-4 potential peer reviewers (along with emails if known). Note, these reviewers should not have seen earlier versions of the manuscript and should not be mentors, close friends, or current co-workers of the author. Authors can also include names of those the Press should NOT include as reviewers. In these instances, authors should include a sentence or two explaining “why”.

 
 

Authors can use the Press’ Proposal Guidelines form. Authors should email proposals to proposals-westpointpress@westpoint.edu. Those submitting proposals should receive a response within three to four weeks. Authors should not call the Press to inquire about the status of their proposal or manuscript, or to submit one. The Press staff will review all material received and contact authors when a decision has been made.