Editorial

Who to Contact?

Marjorie Mather
Editor, English Studies
Acquiring in: English Studies; Communications
Email

Brett McLenithan
Editor, Composition and Rhetoric
Acquiring in: Composition and Rhetoric; History
Email

Stephen Latta
Editor, Philosophy
Acquiring in: Philosophy; Politics
Email

Guidelines for Submitting Proposals

Broadview Press welcomes editorial submissions, including queries about projects that have not yet been written as well as complete or partially-complete manuscripts. Please read the following guidelines carefully.

Before sending a proposal or manuscript, please send a query to the editor responsible for the area in which you hope to publish (see below). Please do not send a complete proposal or manuscript without sending a query first, as the project may be redundant or unsuitable for our list. We accept completed manuscripts but ask that a 3- to 8-page overview be included as well.

Our books are primarily used for undergraduate college and university courses in the humanities. We strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with our books before proposing a project. Please check that we publish in your area of interest. For Broadview Editions, please check that we are not about to publish, and have not already published, the title you are interested in editing.

Proposal Format

Proposals are usually between 3 and 8 pages long and should include the following:

  • description of and rationale for the proposed project
  • Table of Contents
  • discussion of the ways in which the project speaks to current teaching practices and scholarly interests
  • discussion of the project’s potential market (please be as specific as possible)
  • if primary sources are included, discussion of relevant textual and translation issues
  • overview of competing or complementary books (in the case of Broadview Editions, please note that any competing text you are aware of should be mentioned, even if it does not include any apparatus comparable to that found in Broadview Editions)
  • proposed date of completion
  • tentative title
  • estimated total length of the manuscript (an approximate word count is required)
  • list of non-textual items (charts, graphs, illustrations)
  • if supplemental online resources for instructors or students are to be created alongside the project, description of their content (please note: in our experience, textbooks that include supplemental resources are often more successful than those that do not, though this varies by subject matter and discipline)
  • proposer’s CV

Queries should be sent by email rather than post, and proposals should be sent as email attachments (in Word format).

Broadview Editions

The Broadview Editions series is an effort to represent an ever-evolving canon of primary sources. The series includes titles long regarded as classics, and also valuable lesser-known works. Each edition is newly edited and annotated, and includes an introduction, chronology, and bibliography. But what especially distinguishes the series is the addition of primary source documents contemporaneous with the work. These materials help demonstrate the context out of which the work emerged. Broadview Editions are newly typeset, and each volume is printed on high-quality paper. Our aim is to produce the finest editions for the student and the general reader; they are often highly valued by scholars as well. A complete list of our editions is provided here, and a more detailed description of the goals of the series is here.

If you wish to propose an entry in the Broadview Editions series, please contact the editor responsible for the discipline in which you think your title will be most heavily used:

  • British / Canadian / World / Comparative Literature: Marjorie Mather (Email)
  • American Literature; History: Brett McLenithan (Email)
  • Philosophy; Politics: Stephen Latta (Email)

Editing Works by Writers from Historically Marginalized Groups

Broadview has long had a reputation for its strong commitment to publishing work by women writers from earlier eras, whose work has often been underrepresented in academia and in the literary canon. We are also committed to publishing works by writers from historically marginalized groups—including writers of color, disabled writers, Indigenous writers, working-class writers, LGBTQ+ writers, and writers from minority religious backgrounds.  Our aim is to do what we can to redress issues of systemic underrepresentation in academia while maintaining and deepening our commitment to highlighting literary and scholarly voices, in the present as well as the past, that have too often been overlooked, marginalized, or silenced.

Our strong preference in publishing works by such writers is that the editor be of a similar background to that of the writer—or, in the case of anthologies, the writers. If we are bringing back into print an important but neglected early work by a gay or lesbian writer, we prefer that it be edited by a gay or lesbian academic (or by a team including at least one gay or lesbian person); if we are publishing a new edition of a nineteenth-century work by a Black writer, our strong preference is that it be edited by a Black academic (or by a team, at least one of the members of which is Black).

There are three fundamental reasons for this policy. The first is simply that a member of the relevant marginalized group will in many cases have greater cultural knowledge and sensitivity than a non-member.

The second reason has to do with setting an example. If, again and again, works by writers of color are seen to be edited by white academics, the cumulative effect is to send an undesirable message to students and other readers—a message that, in today’s world, white people are the leading authorities on the literature of the past, including on literary works by Black and Indigenous writers.

The third reason has to do with the situation faced by scholars from marginalized groups in academia and related fields today. Many groups remain woefully underrepresented, and their members often face unequal demands and systemic obstacles. We hope that actively encouraging participation in editorial projects may have some positive effect on this underrepresentation and marginalization.

We would like to make clear that our goal in articulating this policy is not to create a situation in which scholars from Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized backgrounds are steered into editing works primarily or exclusively by writers of the same backgrounds, while white-authored works are edited by white scholars. We strongly encourage Black and Indigenous academics and other academics of color to propose editions of works by white writers, regardless of time period or subject matter.

And we do not have an outright prohibition on publishing works by writers from marginalized groups that are edited by academics who are not members of those groups. In some cases these issues of representation may be largely irrelevant to the editing of a work (it would seem inappropriate, for example, to insist that a work so little concerned with issues of sexual orientation as Wittgenstein’s Tractatus should be edited by a gay scholar). We would particularly encourage academics who do not come from historically marginalized backgrounds but are interested in editing works by writers of such backgrounds to consider co-authoring or co-editing projects. If, for example, established white scholars specializing in nineteenth-century literature by Black writers propose new editions, they can collaborate with Black colleagues—including graduate students. It may be that in some cases it is not possible, for example, for a white academic making a strong proposal for a new edition of a work by a Black writer to bring in as a co-editor a Black scholar. But we do ask that a strong effort be made and, where possible, Broadview will assist in making that effort.

Why Publish with Broadview?

Srivinas Aravamudan, Jeannette Armstrong, Richard D. Altick, Julius Dion Bailey, Janet Beer, David Bevington, Toni Bowers, Linda Bree, Allen Carlson, Russ Castronovo, Mary Chapman, Amanda Claybaugh, Michael Colacurcio, Brian Corman, Jeffrey N. Cox, Shannon Dea, Michael Drexler, Barbara C. Ewell, Kate Flint, Margery Fee, Michael Gamer, Pamela K. Gilbert, Janet Giltrow, Hsuan L. Hsu, Thomas Hurka, Will Kymlicka, Elizabeth Langland, Roy Liuzza, Isobel Grundy, Gary Kelly, Rodrigo Lazo, Wendy Lee, Christopher Looby, Jerome J. McGann, A.P. Martinich, Anne K. Mellor, Laura L. Mielke, Koritha Mitchell, Anahid Nersessian, Anne Lake Prescott, Joe Rezek, John Richetti, Tilottama Rajan, Jason Rudy, Armand Garnet Ruffo, Peter Sabor, Laurie J. Shrage, Geoffery Sill, Derek R. Spires, David Starkey, Alan Stewart, Marjorie Stone, John Sutherland, Daniel Vickers, Laura Walls, Kerry S. Walters, Claire Waters, Germaine Warkentin, Susan Wolfson, Paul Yachnin…

Which press numbers these outstanding authors on their lists of published or forthcoming titles? Oxford University Press would be a reasonable guess—as would Princeton, or Penguin, or Cambridge. But in this case “Broadview” is the answer. In the more than thirty-five years since Broadview was founded, we have built not only an outstanding list of books but also an outstanding list of highly respected authors. Why have they come to Broadview? Because they like who we are and what we have done and they want to be a part of it, is perhaps the best answer. But there is more to it than that. At Broadview we strive to provide consistently high levels of editorial and market research; of substantive editing and of proofreading; of design; and of marketing. We are sufficiently small that it feels natural for us to provide personal attention to our authors—but we are large enough to capably market our books to a wide academic audience. Our books are represented by an experienced team of in-house university and college sales reps, we attend the leading humanities conferences, and we actively engage with new technologies and digital methods of distribution. We almost never put books out of print; most Broadview books remain available even two or three decades after they were published. And one other thing: we are not compartmentalized in the way that so many larger publishers are, treating particular books as appropriate only to one particular market. Our primary focus is the publication of books suitable for course use in universities and colleges, but we also look to find other markets wherever possible. So if you are wondering who to approach with your next manuscript or book proposal, we hope you will think of Broadview. You’ll be in good company if you do!

“My experience publishing with Broadview exceeded all my hopes and expectations.” — Irene Papoulis, Trinity College (author, The Essays Only You Can Write)

“The people at Broadview Press are, without exception, terrific. The editorial team are engaging and collaborative, and the entire process was enjoyable. My co-editors and I are very happy with the anthology and look forward to a long partnership.” — Shari Collins, Arizona State University (editor, Being Ethical)

“Broadview’s process offers welcome support for volume editors, beginning with the careful feedback provided by reviewers of the prospectus and of the draft manuscript and ending with their team of book reps who know their product thoroughly and work to create teaching packages supporting instructors. But perhaps my favourite thing about working with Broadview is the scope provided to create the teaching text of your dreams, allowing you to make available a wealth of contextual material that engages students and brings alive the cultural moment of the text’s initial entry into the literary world.” — Shelly King, Queen’s University (editor, The Romance of the Forest, The Princess and the Goblin, The Father and Daughter with Dangers of Coquetry)

“Broadview has been an utter model of rigor, creativity and encouragement in the publication process!” — K. Aaron Smith, Illinois State University, co-author, This Language, A River)

“I’ve been entirely happy with the copy editing and the compositional work at Broadview Press on my 2018 edition of Hamlet. My admiration is based on some fifty years of publishing in the United States and Britain and indeed around the world. My enthusiasm is part of my overall admiration for Canada and its intellectual world. Remarkable. Thanks.”  — David Bevington, University of Chicago, editor, Hamlet)

“Throughout the submission, acceptance, and publication process of my book, A Writing Studies Primer, the Broadview staff exhibited an ethic of care that was truly extraordinary. Every single interaction displayed warmth, generosity, and attention to detail and accuracy.” – Joyce Kinkead, Utah State University (author, A Writing Studies Primer)

“During my career I have authored or edited over 20 books and I can definitely state that no publisher I have worked with was as particular to get things accurate as you and your staff—and believe me that is intended as a compliment. I appreciate your attention, and that of your Broadview colleagues, to every slight detail and anything that might not be completely clear in the text, references, or meaning. I appreciated very much working with such a diligent group.” – James Pula, (editor, United States Immigration, 1800-1965)

Broadview values Indigenous content. From start to finish, my experience was supportive and encouraging. They were there to help navigate the whole process and were so respectful of my vision.”—Andrea Sullivan-Clarke, University of Windsor (editor, Ways of Being in the World: An Introduction to Indigenous Philosophies of Turtle Island)

More information about Broadview’s goals, practices, and ethical commitments can be found on our About Us page.