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CRIS Faculty Book Proposal Studio – June 2026
Session Description
June 2 2026 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
To support faculty researchers writing scholarly books, The Centre for Research Innovation & Support (CRIS), is offering a cohort-based program: CRIS Faculty Book Proposal Studio. The cohort will meet online, twice weekly for two hours. The first hour features activities from the The Book Proposal Book (Portwood-Stacer, 2021) and short ‘Spark Talks’ from University Acquisition Editors. The second hour is dedicated co-working time to propel your book proposal dossier to submission ready status. This interdisciplinary, cohort-based program will provide facilitated group activities and discussions to move from a book project to a submission worthy book proposal packet.
By the end of the program, participants will have:
- Identified target academic press for proposal submission
- Completed draft of a book proposal submission packet that includes:
- A Letter of Inquiry to acquiring editor
- Chapter summaries and titles
- Project description (one sentence + short description)
- Draft book title
- Established regular and consistent writing habits
Faculty researchers writing their first or fourth book proposal are welcome to submit expressions of interest. All faculty researchers with a continuing appointment at U of T who are working on an academic book project are eligible to apply. All accepted participants will receive a hardcopy of The Book Proposal Book to be picked up at the CRIS offices inside Gerstein Library.
Who Should Attend:
Faculty currently working on a book-length manuscript. The planned book manuscript can be single or co-authored. Co-authors are welcome to participate together or individually
Key Benefits:
- Produce a submission-ready book proposal packet
- Build and sustain writing as a process over time
- Hone and clarify book proposal components
- Gain supportive group accountability to counteract the isolation of writing
- Develop strategies for giving engaged, constructive feedback to others
Expectations and Commitments:
Faculty participants will spend two hours weekly in synchronous sessions with the entire group with additional asynchronous writing, editing, and reading time presumed. Collegiality and confidentiality are fundamental to creating a space where participants can share their in-progress writing and thinking. Participants commit to attending all six sessions.
Dates, Time, Location:
All sessions run on Zoom from 10:00am-12:00pm EST on these dates:
- Tuesday June 2nd
- Thursday June 4th
- Tuesday June 9th
- Thursday June 11th
- Tuesday June 16th
- Thursday June 18th
Learning Objectives
At the end of the CRIS Faculty Book Proposal Studio participants will be able to:
- Evaluate and select an appropriate academic press for their book proposal
- Articulate their book project concisely for different audiences
- Compose effective Letters of Inquiry to acquiring editors
- Formulate clear and structured chapter summaries and titles for a book proposal
- Provide constructive feedback on scholarly writing to peers
- Apply strategies for sustaining regular writing practices
Additional Information
Deadline to Apply:
April 20th, 2026, 12:00pm
Requirements for Participation:
Participants must hold a
continuing faculty appointment at the University of Toronto. To optimize
program impact, participation will be capped at 20 participants.
Facilitator:
Elizabeth Parke, Faculty Programming Development Officer at CRIS
Communicating Results:
We thank all faculty who apply, all applicants will be notified of the results by email by April 29th, 2026.