Call for Proposals:
Nonfiction Books about Speculative Film

Between July 1 and August 15, From Beyond Press will accept proposals for nonfiction books about fantasy, horror, or science fiction films. We want fun, informative books written by people who genuinely love and know a lot about their subjects. Books will take the form of guides to a particular subgenre or theme, such as essential post-apocalyptic movies, movies about time travel, horror films directed by queer directors, sci-fi films that feature disabled characters, etc. They can be written as individual reviews or as thematic chapters.

We are especially interested in proposals that cover a long period of time. The movies have been around for almost 130 years, and we’d love to see proposals that deal with more than the last 15-20 years unless there’s a good reason—obviously, some themes lend themselves to shorter time periods.

We are absolutely not interested in “so bad it’s good” dunking. It’s fine to write about films that are generally disparaged, but you need to show us that there’s value in them. We are not interested in topics that have been done to death (like slashers, unless you have a unique take on them)—do some googling before you get started. We’re also not interested in collections of reviews that are 90% plot summary and 10% vague comments about acting. You’ll need to engage with the craft of filmmaking and the production history of the films you’re discussing.

Our editor Michael W. Phillips Jr. worked in film for 20 years and has a Master’s degree in history, and he’ll expect a level of research that goes beyond what you can read on Wikipedia. Please don’t let that scare you away—he’s happy to help with that aspect by sharing advice and resources, such as academic access to research tools including JSTOR and Proquest. He’ll have edits. Lots of edits.

We expect to choose one or two projects to move forward with, for publication in summer 2025 and early 2026. 

 

Some examples of similar books:

What to include in your proposal:

  • A one-page synopsis explaining the concept of your book. Think of this as similar to a back cover blurb but with a bit more detail.
  • A list of 7-10 films you will be discussing. This shouldn’t be a complete list of films you’ll cover in the book, just a little proof that there’s enough films out there to justify a book.
  • A 1000 word film-related writing sample. It can be about one of the films you’ll be covering, or about a particular theme that occurs in the films, or something you wrote previously about a different film or films. Example: 1000 words on Richard Stanley’s brilliant but unfairly ignored 1990 film Hardware, or 1000 words on killer robots in film, or a 1000-word review you wrote about Four Weddings and a Funeral. This is to show that you can write about film in a way that pleases our editor.
  • A short bio including any previous publications, your connection to the topic (like if you’re a disabled writer who wants to write about disability), and any film-related experience. These aren’t going to be the determining factors in our decisions; it’s just nice to know where you’re coming from.

Important details:

  • We will prioritize proposals from LGBTQIA+, disabled, and/or BIPOC writers. We welcome you to self-identify if you feel comfortable doing so.
  • Final manuscripts should be 20,000-60,000 words.
  • Payment is a flat payment of $250 plus royalties of 50% of net sales.

How to submit a proposal:

  • Between July 1 and August 15, send your proposal to frombeyondpress@gmail.com.
  • You can attach a .docx or .rtf file containing your materials, or you can include everything in the body of your email. NO PDFs.
  • The subject line of your email should be “Film book proposal – [your last name]”
  • If you send your proposal before July 1 or after August 15, we will delete it unread.
  • However, you can email any questions you might have before July 1.
  • We hope to have our final decisions made by October 15. We’ll let you know either way.