Call for Proposals

Call for Proposals

Call for Proposals for Special Issue, Winter 2025

Studies in the Novel welcomes proposals for its Winter 2025 special issue on any topic pertaining to the novel, from its origins to the present. Previous special issues have focused on a particular subgenre, author, or theme, though we also welcome proposals that take a more innovative approach to the subject of novel studies and the genre of the special issue. Recent special issues we’ve published include “The Postcolonial Novel, Post-9/11” edited by Gaurav Desai (2021); “Indigenous Young Adult Novels,” edited by Eric Gary Anderson, Angela Calcaterra, and Christopher Pexa (2022); “Strange Temporalities: Gender, Time, and the Novel,” edited by Angela Yang Du and Tara MacDonald (2023); and “Nobody Cares, but Everybody Should: Toward a Smarter History of the Novel,” edited by Sarah Allison and Megan Ward (2024). Our special issues appear in the fall or winter and typically contain 6-8 articles.

Proposal Guidelines

Prospective guest editors should submit a proposal that provides:

  1. A brief description of the proposed special issue and the rationale: What makes this topic urgent? How is this special issue timely and a contribution to the field? If possible, provide a list of potential contributors.
  2. A sample “call for papers” for the special issue, specifying the focus and range of possible essays.
  3. A short cv or bio, detailing the guest editor’s qualifications for vetting submissions and editing the special issue.

Guest Editor Responsibilities

  • Determine the content for the special issue and write an introduction.
  • Assist with securing a high-quality pool of submissions for the special issue.
  • Assure quality control and maintain the journal’s standards for publication.
  • Communicate with managing editor and/or contributors regarding deadlines, content queries, and recommended changes.
  • Meet deadlines in accordance with our publisher, Johns Hopkins University Press, in order to assure timely publication of the special issue.
  • Edit the articles for content, clarity, and flow. (The journal’s managing editor will then copyedit the entire issue, and the guest editor will have the option to review and correct the page proofs.)

For fullest consideration, please send a proposal to Nora Gilbert, editor, at studiesinthenovel@unt.edu by April 15, 2024.