We are excited to announce the fourth cycle of PUP’s Supporting Diverse Voices: Book Proposal Development Grants, which will open June 1, and in support of non-fiction works by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the sciences. We are seeking applications for projects in the following subject areas: in physics, earth science, biology, nature, neuroscience, computer science, and the mathematical sciences.
Prospective grantees are welcome to submit applications for book proposals that will engage a wide range of subjects—from within any of the above disciplines—and a diversity of audiences, including books for a general readership, research monographs, and textbooks. We are not currently considering proposals for edited volumes or manuscripts requiring translation. Both previously published and first-time authors alike are encouraged to apply.
Selected grantees work in close collaboration with a book coach, receiving direct support and coaching on the preparation of a book proposal. The grant covers all costs associated with the process, with grantees able to work with the participating coach of their choice. The Press will also pair grantees with a sponsoring PUP editor who will work with authors and coaches throughout the process. Following coaching, grantees agree to give PUP the right of first refusal on proposals. For any projects PUP does not pursue, Press editors will mentor grantees on alternative possible publishing paths.
PUP launched the biannual grant program in February 2021, with the inaugural cycle open to women, transgender, and gender-expansive authors in science and mathematics; subsequent cycles have been open to BIPOC scholars in the social sciences (cycle two) and humanities (cycle three). The grant’s cycle four focus on BIPOC scholars is responsive to demographic data from relevant professional organizations indicating majority white representation at professional and/or graduate levels across the sciences.
Across all academic specialties, the investment in these grants aligns with PUP’s commitment to a publications program that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive—a goal we acknowledge requires direct and meaningful intervention. The program will expand this autumn with the addition of a sixth coach, Leslie Wang, creator of Your Words Unleashed, and a certified life coach and former tenured professor.
Applications for the fourth cycle of the Supporting Diverse Voices grants will be open June 1–July 5, 12 EDT, and available through our website. Applicants will be asked to specify the area of project focus, from among those listed above. Grant recipients will be notified in mid to late September. The winter 2022 cycle will focus on the social sciences, with more information to be announced on our website in early January.
Read more about the grants and writing coaches here.