Now seeking proposals for book manuscripts

October 19, 2021

Campus Compact is pleased to announce a call for proposals for book manuscripts to be published through our relationship with Stylus Publishing. For decades, Campus Compact has produced field-leading publications meant to benefit practitioners working in the field of higher education community engagement. Our publications move beyond theoretical inquiry to offer practitioners novel frameworks, concepts, models, and tools to reflect on and deepen their knowledge, skills, and critical commitments in order to yield better outcomes for students, institutions, and communities.

We welcome single- or multiple-author manuscript proposals that combine theory and practice in order to guide practitioners to address pressing issues in higher education community engagement. We are particularly interested in submissions that center or emphasize one or more of the following critical equity approaches:

    • Anti-oppression frameworks and tools that allow practitioners to look at and name barriers as well as opportunities to engage in more ethical, equity-driven community engagement;
    • Engagement in deeper conversation about equity and harm as it relates to higher institutions’ history and practice of community engagement, including how institutions and their agents might acknowledge, think through, and remediate harm or oppressive practices. (Note: This could include, for example, attention to practices of critical reflexivity, dynamics of coloniality, or critical analyses of institutional power that might reproduce social, cultural, political or economic inequalities in partnerships).
    • Consideration of the particular roles and responsibilities of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and non-BIPOC in advancing equity-focused community-higher education partnerships, relationships, and practices (Note: This could include, for example, analyses and tools that examine and scrutinize issues related to power, privilege, whiteness, or the colonial gaze that are often underemphasized or left undiscussed in higher education community engagement).
    • Collaborations between scholar-practitioners working within higher education and those operating from community contexts (i.e., where community partners are co-authors and co-producers of knowledge rather than simply “voices” in the work);

As part of a broader commitment to encourage and support diversity in authorship of Campus Compact publications, Campus Compact and its editorial advisory board are available to offer consultation, feedback, and potential mentorship connections to interested scholars as they develop their book proposals.

To submit a book proposal for consideration, please create a prospectus following the guidelines below and email the completed form to churd@compact.org. If you have questions, please reach out to Clayton Hurd, director of professional learning and engaged scholarship, at churd@compact.org.

I. Overview

Describe your book in three to four paragraphs (750 words or less). What is the proposed title and subtitle? What makes your book unique and valuable? How does it differ from (or build upon) related published works?

Note: Please keep in mind that Campus Compact’s book series is designed to help community engagement practitioners do better work. Manuscripts should be focused on the practical application of theories, frameworks, and knowledges rather than on theoretical inquiry, alone or primarily.

In your description, please include an explanation of how the book incorporates one or more of the following critical equity approaches:

    • Anti-oppression frameworks and tools that allow practitioners to look at and name barriers as well as opportunities to engage in more ethical, equity-driven community engagement;
    • Engagement in deeper conversation about equity and harm as it relates to higher institutions’ history and practice of community engagement, including how institutions and their agents might acknowledge, think through, and remediate harm or oppressive practices. (Note: This could include, for example, attention to practices of critical reflexivity, dynamics of coloniality, or critical analyses of institutional power that might reproduce social, cultural, political, or economic inequalities in partnerships).
    • Consideration of the particular roles and responsibilities of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and non-BIPOC in advancing equity-focused community-higher education partnerships, relationships, and practices (Note: This could include, for example, analyses and tools that examine and scrutinize issues related to power, privilege, whiteness, or the colonial gaze that are often underemphasized or left undiscussed in higher education community engagement).
    • Collaborations between scholar-practitioners working within higher education and those operating from community contexts (i.e., where community partners are co-authors and co-producers of knowledge rather than simply “voices” in the work);

II. Target Audience

Who is your core audience, the most likely readers and purchasers of this book? How big is that market? What other groups and types of readers also will be interested? Are there particular conferences where your work will be of special interest?

III. About the Author(s)

Please describe your experience(s) related to the subject material of the proposed book. What makes you uniquely qualified to write and/or edit and promote this book? If you are proposing to edit a collection, please list potential contributors, describe their experiences related to the content material, and indicate whether or not you have already secured their commitment to participate.

IV. Marketing and Promotion

Campus Compact works to actively promote all of our publications. Where do you believe publicity should be focused? What are the magazines, journals, blogs, and other media outlets that your target audience pays attention to? Where should we work especially hard to get the book reviewed?

    • Blurbs: What respected scholar-practitioners in the field might be willing to contribute a blurb for the book cover and marketing materials? Can you get their commitment before the manuscript is completed?
    • Conference and Speaking Appearances: What types of groups and organizations would be interested in having you speak to them about your work? Are there particular conferences where you anticipate presenting about the work?
    • Additional promotion: Campus Compact will publicize your book through its social media outlets. We encourage our authors to help contribute to the publicity effort. What mailing lists, outlets, etc. will you use to help inform possible readers about your work.

V. Detailed Table of Contents

Include a full Table of Contents, with detailed summaries of each chapter. This section could be anywhere from three to 20 pages – it should give a comprehensive, detailed map of what the book will contain.

VI. Sample Chapters

Include one or two chapters – not the introduction, but sample chapters that offer an accurate sense of the style, substance and structure of the book.

  • update-img-new

    Get updates on what's new in the Campus Compact Network