Call for Editors or Book Proposals: Monograph or Edited Volume Proposals on Autofiction and Autotheory

Vernon Press invites monograph or edited volume proposals for a new series dedicated to Autofiction and Autotheory.

In recent decades, literary criticism has increasingly turned its attention to the rise of first-person narratives and the blurring of boundaries between fiction and lived experience. Autofiction, as a hybrid mode, challenges traditional distinctions between autobiography and the novel, while autotheory combines personal narrative with critical reflection, creating forms that are at once intimate and analytical. Contemporary criticism often reads first-person narratives as implicitly autobiographical, raising questions about authorship, subjectivity, and the limits of representation. This tendency has been particularly notable in the reception of works by women writers, whose narratives of the self are frequently framed through biographical lenses, prompting debates about gendered expectations in literary interpretation and the politics of self-representation.

Scope of the Call

This call is open to proposals that address all aspects of Autofiction and Autotheory across literary traditions, critical frameworks, and cultural contexts. 

The scope of the present call is broad. Possible topics include (non-comprehensive list):

• Theories and definitions of autofiction and autotheory

• Intersection of life and theory

• The relationship between autobiography and fiction

• Gendered readings of first-person narratives

• Women’s writing and the politics of self-representation

• Autotheory as feminist practice

• Memory, trauma, and personal narrative

• The role of the author in contemporary literary criticism

• Blurred boundaries between criticism and creative writing

• Experimental and hybrid literary forms

• Ethics of writing the self and others

• Reception and marketing of autofiction

• Cross-cultural perspectives on life writing

• Digital and social media as spaces of autotheoretical production

• The body, identity, and subjectivity in self-narratives

• Confession, intimacy, and exposure in contemporary literature

• The influence of autofiction on contemporary literary canons

• Feminist and queer roots

How to submit your proposal

Please submit monograph proposals (approx. two pages) to submissions@vernonpress.com including a summary, a short biographical note and (if applicable) a list of similar titles using this form: Proposal form. More information on what we look for in a proposal is available on our website.

Deadline: December 18th 2026

About the publisher

Vernon Press is an independent publisher of scholarly books in the social sciences and humanities. We work closely with authors, academic associations, distributors, and library information specialists to identify and develop high quality, high impact titles.