Call for Book Proposals

2026-02-10

Call for Book Proposals

VoyGull Press | Emerging Voices Collection, Edited Volumes, Handbook Collection

Diamond Open Access Publisher in Social Sciences & Humanities

About VoyGull Press

VoyGull Press is the free Open Access publishing initiative of VoyGull Publishing Centre UK. As a young publisher, we are building a new model for academic publishing that is grounded in equity, accessibility, and intellectual rigour.

We believe that transformative scholarship should not be locked behind paywalls or reserved for researchers at well-funded institutions. Our mission is to amplify voices from the Global South, support emerging scholars, and foster truly global academic conversations. We operate on a Diamond Open Access model: all our books are freely available online, with no fees for authors and no barriers for readers.

VoyGull Press specializes in communications, media studies, film studies, and theatre studies/practice, publishing work that bridges theory and practice, and speaks to diverse international audiences.

What We Are Looking For

We are currently seeking proposals for our inaugural book series across three distinct strands:

1. Emerging Voices Collection

We invite early-career scholars to transform their doctoral research into accessible, rigorously argued monographs. This series is designed to give visibility to exceptional emerging scholarship that might otherwise struggle to find a home in traditional publishing venues. We seek:

  • Monographs based on completed or near-completion PhD dissertations
  • Original research in communications, media studies, film, or theatre studies/practice
  • Work that demonstrates theoretical sophistication and empirical depth
  • Scholarship from underrepresented regions and perspectives

2. Edited Volumes

We welcome proposals for thematically coherent edited collections that bring together diverse voices around pressing questions in our fields. Collections emerging from conference panels, symposia, or collaborative research projects are especially encouraged. We seek:

  • Collections of 8–15 chapters by multiple contributors
  • Clear thematic focus with strong editorial framing
  • International and interdisciplinary perspectives
  • Work that advances debates or opens new lines of inquiry

3. Handbook Collection

We are particularly interested in handbooks that serve scholars, students, and practitioners, especially those working in resource-constrained environments across the Global South. We seek:

  • Accessible guides to research methods, production techniques, or pedagogical approaches
  • Handbooks tailored to low-resource contexts
  • Works that bridge academic theory and professional practice
  • Volumes that can serve as course texts or practitioner references

Our Publishing Model

  • Diamond Open Access (OA): 100% free to read online and no fees for authors (no APCs/BPCs).
  • Quality and integrity: Rigorous, unbiased review and editorial standards.
  • Print options: We offer printed copies for readers who want physical books. Authors may obtain 20 paperbacks covering printing & delivery only. Additional print copies are sold at an agreed, reasonable price, keeping access affordable while ensuring sustainability.
  • Global accessibility: We actively support work that broadens participation in scholarly communication and addresses structural inequities in knowledge circulation.

Scope and Fit

We are keen on projects that:

  • Make a clear conceptual contribution to communications/media/film/theatre fields or adjacent areas;
  • Offer original empirical material, theory-building, or methodological innovation;
  • Engage global debates and/or provide regionally grounded perspectives often underrepresented in mainstream publishing;
  • Are written with a defined readership.

We will consider interdisciplinary proposals that connect to: digital society, digital cultures, platform studies, creative industries, performance and politics, screen/visual cultures, journalism studies, audience research, media histories, decolonial and postcolonial approaches, diaspora studies, ethnography, practice research, and arts-based methods.

What to Submit

Please email a single PDF (or Word document) containing:

  • Working title, subtitle, and book type (monograph / edited volume / handbook)
  • Author/editor details (affiliation, short bio, ORCID of all authors/editors)
  • Brief description of project's scope and content
  • Audience and market: who will read it and why
  • Proposed table of contents
  • Chapter summaries/abstracts (150-250 words each)
  • Schedule (current status and realistic delivery timeline)
  • Estimated length (word count) and figures/tables/media requirements
  • Licensing preference (we typically use Creative Commons licensing for OA; we can discuss the most suitable option for your book and any third-party materials)
  • If applicable: sample material (one or two sample chapters)
  • If the books have been submitted and peer reviewed elsewhere, please provide relevant reviews

Additional requirements by book type

For Emerging Voices Collection:

  • Dissertation title, awarding institution, year (or expected submission date)
  • A short plan on how you will revise the thesis into a book

For Edited Volumes:

  • Editor(s) overview of the volume's unifying intervention and editorial logic
  • Provisional contributors list with affiliations
  • Abstracts for each chapter and confirmation of contributor commitment
  • A plan for consistency and quality control (style guidance, peer review, revision process)

For Handbook Collection:

  • Intended use (self-study, classroom, workshop, production context)
  • Pedagogical features (e.g., learning outcomes, exercises, templates, case studies)
  • Notes on accessibility for low-resource contexts (tools, workflows, bandwidth/tech assumptions)

Review and decision process VoyGull Press is committed to rigorous, fair evaluation. Typical process:

  • Initial editorial assessment
  • Preliminary Memorandum of Understanding signing
  • External peer review (1–2 reviewers; edited volumes may involve chapter-level review where appropriate)
  • Revision and final decision
  • Contracting, production and publication planning
  • We aim to provide an initial response after submission (timelines vary by project complexity and reviewer availability).

How to send your proposal Email your proposal to: info@voygull.com Subject line: Book Proposal — [Author/Editor surname] — [Working title]

If you are unsure about fit, you are welcome to send a short preliminary enquiry (150-300 words) outlining the project, book type, and intended audience. We will reply to these within 3 working days.