Call for chapter proposals: The Next Five Years –  The Unfolding Future of Work

In a fast-changing world, what are the different possible futures of work?

• Inevitable surprises – Things we thought were a long way off, but which could happen much faster and challenge everything
• The mind of a leader – Building a futurist mindset and letting go of history to embrace the future
• The future of business – Future organizational strategies, business models, and structures – different ways in which business might get done that will drive the future of work and the workplace
• Where might we be going? – Blue-sky pieces on possible longer term scenarios.

People management

• Leading the future – Big societal issues for leaders to consider in designing business strategies, the future of work, and workplaces – e.g. the balance between human and machine, robot taxes, and guaranteed basic incomes
• Inclusivity – Women, diversity, and the culture of tomorrow’s workplaces
• Sustainability – Ecological, social, and leadership
• New thinking on organizational design – If hierarchies are out, and in some cases even human managers may be out, then what’s coming? What could the structure of an organization look like in the not too distant future?
• The new HR – Learning and talent management, social responsibility, evolution of the employer-employee relationship
• Your robot manager – How will we take instructions from robots?
• Human augmentation / Insert chip here – There is research to suggest that employees would be prepared to have chips inserted for (for example) entry into secure buildings – so what is this saying about the future augmented human?
• Keeping human contact – Implications of going too far towards automation, protecting our mental health
• Your remote workforce – How to manage a workforce you can’t actually see.

Technology

• The Exponentials – What are the critical disruptive technologies we have on the radar – will AI and blockchain change everything?
• Bot evolution – How AI is evolving beyond the simple transactions and getting closer to human capabilities.
• Connecting the messages – Unifying your communications.

We seek a balance of contributions across these sections, covering these and related topics across the time frame of the next five years.  We also looking for  a diversity of contributors encompassing race, age, gender, sector, profession, and geography. Proposals should be self-contained within 500 words and usable in their own right. So, you can either submit:

• A thought piece of up to 500 words directly, or
• A proposal of up to 500 words for a chapter of up to 2,000 words.

Contributions can look at any element of the workplace or the future of work. These could be in the form of scenarios, stories from the future, development timelines, or predictions of how particular domains might play out.

Structure

As the nature of chapters might vary considerably, we are not being too prescriptive; however, the following guidelines do apply:

• Keep the description of the current situation and context to a maximum of 20% of the total chapter content – the majority of the piece should focus on the future
• Be clear about the time frame you are considering e.g. next three five, or ten years
• Write for a generalist audience – assume no prior knowledge of the topic
• Make it clear if you are basing your chapter on research, emerging thinking, or presenting a more speculative vision of the future – all are equally acceptable. 

Guidelines for Contributors

Please use this link below to make your 500-word submission.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/69Z35JD

The authors whose proposals are accepted must commit to playing a very active and regular role in promoting the book to their networks and contact base before and after publication.

• We seek original content and won’t use anything that has been published elsewhere
• The book is aimed at a general non-futurist audience
• This is not an academic publication – we will not include case studies or full research reports
• Contributions cannot promote companies, products, or services
• Authors can re-publish their contributions three months after publication
• Submission of a proposal is no guarantee of inclusion

Contributor Benefits

Participation in the book gives new and established authors the opportunity to be profiled to a global audience who may not already know you or be familiar with your work. The following is a summary of the benefits of being involved:

1. The book will be marketed directly by Fast Future to over one million contacts around the world via social media, our regular newsletters, and the contact bases of the contributors
2. Each individual contributor will also be promoting the book to their own networks
3. Contributor profiles will be shared on the Fast Future website
4. Our PR campaign will focus on highlighting topics and contributors in the book, driving the potential for media coverage for individual authors
5. Each contributor will be invited to submit a comment about their topic and the book which will form part of the launch press release and be captured on the Fast Future website
6. Contributors have the opportunity to create a short video on their chapter which will be carried on the Fast Future YouTube Channel
7. Each chapter and contributor will be highlighted individually in our social media marketing campaign
8. Contributors will receive ten free copies of the book in print form and one electronic copy
9. Contributors will be able to nominate five individuals who will receive a free electronic copy of the book and be invited to supply a testimonial and / or review the book
10. Contributors will receive a personal discount code giving their contacts a discount of 10% on the list price of the book
11. Contributors will receive a commission of 20% of revenue for any purchases made using their discount code
12. Contributors can buy additional copies of this book and any other Fast Future publications at a discount of 50% on list price (plus shipping for print books) for two years after publication
13. Contributors may be invited to speak at events organised by Fast Future
14. Fast Future may generate speaking opportunities for individual contributors
15. Fast Future is happy to write supporting testimonials for all contributors.

Contributor Commitments

The effective development and publication of this book relies in the commitment of the contributing authors and we ask that:

1. The Contributor hereby grants and assigns to Fast Future Publishing Ltd (Publisher), the sole and exclusive right to print, publish, and sell the Contributor’s submitted chapter in full or shortened versions in any language, in printed and digital form in any country or territory
2. The Contributor is the sole originator and proprietor of the chapter; that the content has not heretofore been published in any form before
3. Copyright of the content, if not heretofore registered, shall be held and retained by the Contributor
4. The Contributor warrants to the Publisher that the work does not violate the right of privacy of any person; that it contains no unlawful matter; and that it does not infringe upon the copyright or violate any other right of any person or party
5. The Contributor agrees to deliver draft and final versions of their chapter, in digital format (Word 2013 or earlier versions) to Fast Future, on or before the agreed due dates
6. The Contributor commits to making a wholehearted effort to promoting the book
7. The Publisher reserves the right to make reasonable editorial changes or deletions to the submitted chapter to ensure quality and consistency in the final consolidated work
8. The Publisher shall have the right to use, and to license others to use, the Contributor’s name, image, likeness, and biographical material for advertising, promotion, and marketing of the work.

Contributor Agreement

Please note that submission of a chapter for inclusion in the book shall be taken as the Contributor’s agreement to all of the Contributor Commitments as listed above.

Submitting Your Proposal

To help ensure the success of the book, we would like all the contributing authors to play a full role in promoting the book. The proposal submission form includes compulsory questions on the following:

• Your personal details, social media links, your full profile as you want it to appear on the book website (250 words), and a short profile to appear in the book (25 words)
• Chapter title (up to 10 words) and chapter (500 words)
• The size of your personal networks
• Which publications, other networks, channels, and bloggers do you think we should approach to help raise awareness of the book?
• 3 additional specific actions you will take to help promote the book
• Additional actions you think we should be taking to raise awareness and promote the book.

Book title:  The Next Five Years – The Unfolding Future of Work
Target publication date: January 2019 (e-book) and February 2019 (paperback)
Timeline:  35 weeks to publication

Publishing Timeline

• Call closing:  Oct 30, 2018
• Notification of acceptance:  Nov 30, 2018
• Publication date: Sep , 2019

Please use this link to submit your 500-word chapter proposal for The Next Five Years – The Unfolding Future of Work:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/69Z35JD

Your responses can be edited after you have exited the proposal form. Using the same device on which you began the proposal, simply click the above link to reopen and edit your previous responses.
We look forward to hearing from you.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Editor – Guy Clapperton – , or
FutureScapes Series Curator and Co-Editor – Rohit Talwa 

About the Editors: 

Guy Clapperton: 

Guy Clapperton has been writing about and commentating on technology since the late 1980s. You might have seen his work in the Guardian, Times, or Sunday Telegraph; you may read the magazine he’s edited for almost half a decade, Intelligent Sourcing, and you may have heard him deployed as a technology commentator on BBC radio. He was the author of one of the first books on social media for business in the UK in 2009, after realising its importance and that people needed a guide; he is an experienced keynote speaker and has spoken and MC’d across 14 countries spanning four continents.

Rohit Talwar: 

Rohit Talwar is a global futurist, award-winning keynote speaker, author, and the CEO of Fast Future. His prime focus is on helping clients understand the emerging future and shape strategic responses that put people at the center of the agenda. Rohit is the co-author of Designing Your Future, lead editor and a contributing author for The Future of Business, and editor of Technology vs. Humanity. He is a co-editor and contributor for the recently published Beyond Genuine Stupidity – Ensuring AI Serves Humanity and The Future Reinvented – Reimagining Life, Society, and Business, and two forthcoming books – Unleashing Human Potential – The Future of AI in Business, and 50:50 – Scenarios for the Next 50 Years.