To pitch an article to us (or to submit a drafted article along the lines below) please write to editor[at]chinabooksreview.com with:
- your brief bio (if a new contributor) and links to similar work
- which section you want to write for (as below), at what word count
- title (linked to publisher or Douban page), author, publisher and pub year of any book(s) to cover
- paragraph pitch (don’t just tell us what you want to write about, tell us what you want to say)
- roughly when you’d be able to finish it (we have long lead times, no need to rush) and whether you already have a copy of the book or would like us to request it for you
Below are the sections we accept contributions for:
Reviews — Punchy, argument-driven reviews of recent (<1yr) single titles (~1600 words), and longer review-essays that engage with multiple titles and deeper themes (~3200 words). We like our reviewers to synthesize what’s in the book(s), but to also say something of their own about its topic, using the reading as a springboard to draw out an original argument, rather than just summarizing a work and rotating their thumb.
Essays — Lively essays (either short ~1600 words; or long ~3200 words) that engage with broader ideas and trends relating to China and the Sinophone world, with a soft focus on literature and culture but also including society, politics and history. Your essay should engaging with existing literature and thought on the topic, but add an original argument or perspective of your own, which will surprise readers or tell them something new.
Excerpts — If you are an author or publisher, feel free to propose a stand-alone passage for excerpt (2000-4000 words) from your recently published (<1yr) book, that tells an engaging story or reveals something new about China or the Sinophone world. Please send the full digital copy of the book as well as flagging excerpt potential, and indicate if other excerpts have or will be appearing elsewhere. If we don’t excerpt, we will still consider reviewing.
Profiles — Literary profiles (~3200 words) of prominent Chinese or China-focused authors (or thinkers, film-makers, artists), written up as a narrative that engages deeply with their work. Ideally, there would be recent publication by the subject to peg it on, but we also accept historical profiles. The profile should survey the subject’s whole oeuvre, and tell their story simply, but also focus on a specific angle so as to make a particular point.
We pay a competitive flat rate for all original articles (equivalent to 25c/word). Long articles (~3200 words) run as our cover story, paired with original artwork and featured at the top of our biweekly newsletter.
When pitching, consider why your idea is new and relevant. Why should the general reader care about this topic? What does it say more broadly about China or the Sinophone world? Will it surprise us, or tell us something we already know? What key question does it answer? You should draw out an original argument about the topic, not just survey a subject neutrally. Please keep your pitch short, to demonstrate that your idea has a clear focus. A proposed title and outline can help clarify what you want to say.
Please review our editorial standards before pitching and/or writing for us, for our expectations of contributor diligence and impartiality, and further details.
Principal books under review should have been published in the last year. Additional books that are paired or mentioned need not be recent, and can draw on the archive. Our working definition of “China” is broad, including Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Chinese diaspora. We also accept pitches for reviews of Chinese titles, whether translated or not.
We read all pitches and endeavor to reply in a timely fashion, but we get a lot of mail. If you have not heard back from us after ten days, please accept our apologies for not replying and assume that we are not accepting the idea.
If you are an author, publisher, illustrator or reader, please see how to contact us instead. ∎