Book Proposals
Submit a book proposal to the modernist
At the modernist we love bringing great ideas to life in print. We specialise in limited‑edition publications about 20th‑century architecture and design, and we’re always interested in hearing from people who want to turn their research or creative work into a beautifully made artefact.
What sort of work do we publish?
Our main focus is twentieth‑century architecture and design — especially modernist architecture, graphics, typography, transport, furniture and product design.
All of our books have a strong visual element. They’re carefully designed and highly illustrated: photographs, archival material, drawings, plans — we love it all. If your project is mostly text‑based, we may not be the best fit, but if visuals are integral to your work, we’d like to see what you’re doing.
You can browse some of our recent books here.
How to submit a book proposal
If you’d like to pitch an idea, please email us a short proposal (no more than two A4 pages) that includes:
- Working title
- A brief overview of the project
- Outline of structure/chapters
- An indication of length – estimated word count and/or how many images you expect to include
- A short biography
- A few comparable publications – examples of other publications you feel your work sits alongside
- Sample images
If you already have sample chapters or content, feel free to include them as an appendix, though this isn’t essential.
If your book will contain any third-party content, such as images or illustrations, it is your responsibility to ensure copyright permissions are in place.
Please send your proposal to editor@modernist-society.org. We review submissions throughout the year and will get back to you as soon as we can.
What are we looking for?
When we look at a proposal, we consider whether it falls within our areas of interest, the audience the book is likely to appeal to, and the level of input required from us across editorial, design, advertising and sales. We also factor in financial viability, as specialist titles with typically small print runs are costly to produce, meaning we must judge carefully whether publication is feasible. We also take into account our wider publication schedule and determine where the project might fit within it.
We ask anyone submitting a proposal to bear in mind that we are a not‑for‑profit social enterprise that runs on a shoestring budget. We rely on the generosity and enthusiasm of like‑minded people who want to share ideas, words and images with us and our readers. We invite authors to work with us in a spirit of community, curiosity and friendly collaboration.
