Between the Lines publishes non-fiction books in the following subject areas: politics and public policy issues, social issues, activism and social movements, development studies, critical race studies, First Nations issues, history, sociology, popular education, the environment, health, gender and sexuality, social work, labour, globalization, criminology, technology, media, and culture. For examples of the kinds of books we publish, please browse through our catalogue. Please note that we do not publish fiction, poetry, or children’s books.

Our books are widely adopted for post-secondary course use and some have won prestigious academic awards; however, BTL books remain accessible to a broad audience of engaged readers and our titles span both the academic and trade market. BTL is proudly left-wing and the books we publish reflect our activist roots and our commitment to social justice struggles. BTL authors are academics, journalists, artists, and activists – all our authors hope their books will spark political and social change.

Please do not send a proposal that does not fit our publishing mandate – we will not reply. Due to the large volume of proposals we receive, we will not respond to proposals that do not follow our guidelines. If we like your proposal we’ll try to get back to you within two months but please note that it may take up to six months for us to review and respond.

We prefer to receive proposals rather than entire manuscripts for consideration. An initial package should contain the following:

• a cover letter stating your primary intent in writing the work, its main themes and objectives, your sense of its potential market including courses for which it might be appropriate, an explanation of what makes this a BTL book, a timeline for completion of the manuscript, and an estimate of its length;
• a 2-page outline of the whole manuscript—either its table of contents, if sufficiently detailed, or a schematic summary;
• a sample of your writing, ideally the introductory chapter and one other representative chapter;
• a brief list of the existing literature on the topic and an indication of how your book would be different;
• your resume.

We prefer that you submit your proposal as a single PDF file by email to submissions@btlbooks.com.

Are you just embarking on your writing career? Contact the Ontario Arts Council Literature office for information on Ontario book publishers and the Ontario Writers Reserve Fund or the Association of Canadian Publishers for information on Canadian book publishers and advice on how to get published.