New book series on the theme of this blog – Just sustainabilities: Policy, planning and practice

Zed Books, an independent academic U.K. publisher with a reputation for cutting-edge international publishing, is commissioning an exciting series on key themes within the framework of just sustainabilities. I am the Series Editor.

The Just Sustainabilities Series will produce solutions-oriented books that contribute to understanding, theorizing and ultimately developing strategies toward the development of more just and sustainable communities in both the global North and South.

Pursuant to this, key themes of the series will be those themes that contribute toward ‘just sustainabilities’ at multiple spatial scales, from the local (neighborhood or community and city) through regional, national and global levels. More specifically, they are policy and planning themes that:

  • Improve people’s quality of life and well-being, both now (intra-generational equity) and into the future (inter-generational equity);
  • Are carried out with an intentional focus on just and equitable processes, outputs and outcomes in terms of people’s access to environmental, social, political and economic space(s);
  • Aim to achieve a high quality of life and well-being within the notion of environmental limits (that is they are focused on achieving ‘one planet’ lifestyles).

Readership

The series targets the growing number of students of environmental and urban studies, and those who take environment or sustainability modules while studying anthropology, planning, geography, politics, development and sociology.

The books offer up to date accounts of key issues in the relatively young field of just sustainabilities, making them concise background reading for researchers and postgraduates. They also act as clear introductions to key issues and thinking for those working in the policy sector. The latter is particularly catered for through the use of practical case study material.

Series titles

The series editor and Zed Books are interested in future books in the following areas:

  • Just sustainabilities and food justice/sovereignty
  • Community, place and spatial justice
  • Democratizing streets and public spaces
  • Creating culturally inclusive spaces
  • Climate-just communities
  • Intercultural cities, social inclusion and just sustainabilities
  • Green collar jobs and the just transition
  • Urban agriculture/just food
  • Health issues and just sustainabilities
  • Communicating just sustainabilities

Length and Format

The books in this series are conceived of mid-length single-authored books, each between 70,000 and 80,000 words long. The format of the books should include a short introduction explaining the importance of the topic and the key debates and themes it will address.

The series aims to group themes and issues in ways which are challenging, as well as reflect the ways themes and issues are addressed in undergraduate and postgraduate courses and among policy makers. They will each include:

  • Case studies
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index

Zed manuscript guidelines documents provide authors with further information on presentation.

Timing

The aim of the series is to publish two books per year. Generally, we envisage the first draft of a manuscript to be submitted nine to twelve months before publication date.

As a first step, authors need to submit a full book proposal according to Zed’s proposal submission guidelines which are available on Zed’s website under ‘information for authors’. This will be thoroughly peer-reviewed by Zed, the series editor and at least one external reviewer.

Marketing

Just Sustainabilities is a key series for Zed Books and thus can command a great deal of marketing attention.  Zed’s marketing team is preparing a marketing plan for the series, including mailings to institutions around the UK and US, placing adverts in key journals, sending review copies to journals. Inspection copies will be available.

Distribution

In addition to solid distribution networks in the UK and Europe for both print and digital formats, Zed is distributed by Palgrave Macmillan in the US.  This means that the series is ideally placed to ensure that the books reach the North American academic audience.

Moreover, as an international publisher, Zed has always placed a great deal of emphasis on ensuring that books are distributed throughout the world, particularly in the South.  Zed Books has an excellent rights and distribution networks in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and is well-placed to ensure that these books are made available and, where possible, are translated in the regions where they are most relevant.

Proposal Guidelines

Authors are invited to put together short proposals (approximately 1000-1500 words) including the following points:

  • Discussion of key themes
  • An outline of the approach to be taken and any specific problematics
  • A provisional contents list and chapter headings with short descriptions
  • A list of competing texts (if any) and how this book would relate to these
  • The market for which this book would be intended (which courses/modules it would be relevant to)
  • The author’s CV
  • Samples of previous writing (where appropriate)

Proposals should be emailed to julian.agyeman@tufts.edu and kim.walker@zedbooks.net

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