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), including links to similar work.
• Which section you want to write for (as below), at what length.
• Title, author and pub date of any book(s) you want to write on, with the publisher link.
• Paragraph pitch (don’t just tell us what topic/book you want to write about, tell us what you want to say – ie an argument of your own about the topic, based off the reading).
• Whether you already have a copy of a book or would like us to request it for you.

Below are the sections we currently accept contributions for:

Reviews — Punchy, argument-driven reviews of recent (<1yr) single titles (1600-2000 words, $400), or longer review-essays that engage with multiple titles and deeper themes (3200-4000 words, $1k). We like our reviewers to synthesize what’s in the book(s), but also to say something of their own about the topic, using the reading as a springboard to draw out an original argument, rather than just summarizing a book and rotating their thumb.

Essays — Lively essays (either 1600-2000 words or 3200-4000 words, same rates as above) 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 engage with existing literature 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, second serial fee possible) from your upcoming or 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 appeared, or will be appearing, elsewhere.

Profiles — Literary profiles (3200-4000 words, $1k) of prominent Chinese or China-focused authors (or film-makers, musicians, thinkers, 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 general profiles. The profile should survey the subject’s oeuvre, and tell their story simply, but also focus on a specific angle or new work so as to make a particular point.

We pay a competitive flat rate for all original articles, as above. All articles are featured in our biweekly newsletter and promoted on our social media, and long articles (3200-4000 words) run as our cover story on the website, often paired with original artwork (which we also pay for; illustrators please contact us with your portfolio).

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, whether it’s of current or historical interest? Will it surprise us, or tell us something we already know? What key question will you answer?

Please keep your pitch short, to demonstrate that your idea has a clear focus. A proposed title and subtitle can help clarify what you want to say, but is optional. Also optional, but helpful, is a proposed outline of the piece, giving a suggested structure.

Please read our contributor guidelines before pitching and/or writing for us, for our expectations of diligence and impartiality, and further details such as kill fees.

Principal books under review should have been published in the last year. Additional books that are paired or mentioned need not be recent, and you can draw on the archive.

Our working definition of “China” is broad, including Hong Kong, Taiwan and the 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. ∎