Prospective Authors

Information on this page is intended for authors who are initially approaching University of Michigan Press. Their works have not yet passed through peer review, and do not have signed publishing contracts with us.

If you are the author of a manuscript that has a signed publishing contract, please see the Author's Guide.

Queries and proposals by prospective authors should be formatted according to our guidelines and sent via email to the appropriate editor; please see our staff directory for a list of editors and their areas.

Why Publish with Michigan?

 

 

The University of Michigan Press’s academic and regional publishing programs boast all the virtues of traditional not-for-profit scholarly publishing: commitment to selectivity, integrity of vetting processes, and a rigorous approach to sustainability. The Press is known for its high standards in all the areas in which it publishes – scholarly monographs, textbooks, and titles of special regional interest. And when it comes to metrics for success in the digital world of scholarly communication, we are setting the standards.

The Press’s integral position within the University of Michigan Library enhances our dedication to the preservation, accessibility, and discoverability of the works we publish. We pioneered the development of robust and intuitive digital platforms. We continue to develop the technological and intellectual property infrastructure our authors need to commit their work to the durable scholarly record. A passion for accessibility and discoverability guides our approach to producing easily readable and searchable materials; our search for pragmatic open access solutions aims to address the challenges of the market. By leveraging technology, we enable our authors’ work to reach readers around the world, including those outside the academy. In the digital arena, Michigan excels, and indeed, is leader and best in the field.

The integrity of our publishing program at Michigan rests on our rigorous peer review process, guided by the informed judgement of our acquisitions editors. We never make decisions to publish or offer a contract based on purely market-driven factors or the availability of subvention funds. We are particularly wary of contributing to the inequalities that divide well-resourced institutions of higher education from those with fewer resources. It is the goal of our publishing programs to serve the needs of talented scholars wherever they do their research and teaching.

To make it possible for these titles to fulfill their scholarly potential, and sustain our publishing enterprise, we do accept subventions for individual titles after a contract has been offered and accepted. As with our platinum open access goal, our ideal is to seek third-party subventions that are not the responsibility of an individual author to obtain. By lessening the overall financial risk that the press takes on for each title, we are better positioned to innovate, grow, and serve our authors.

 

Open Access

University of Michigan Press is a leader in publishing open access books. We employ various business models to maximize access to scholarship. Our aim is to avoid direct publishing charges to authors wherever possible; our preference is to help authors find supporting subventions from their parent institution or third-party funders. If your project’s contents are appropriate for open access treatment, and you are interested in making your project available via open access, your editor will work with you and your funder to determine an appropriate level of support based on the project’s individual needs. Every project is different and we are committed to making sure that open access projects get the same high quality editorial, production, and marketing treatment as any other University of Michigan Press title.

 

Our Publishing Program

The University of Michigan Press publishes both scholarly works and books of more general interest in the following areas:

  • American History
  • Applied Linguistics
  • Classical Studies and Classical Archaeology
  • American Studies
  • Class Studies
  • Communications
  • Cultural Studies
  • Disability Studies
  • English as a Second Language
  • Gender and Sexuality Studies
  • African Studies
  • German Studies
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • Literary Criticism and Theory
  • Medieval and Early Modern Studies
  • Michigan and the Great Lakes
  • Music
  • Asian Studies
  • Media Studies
  • Poetics
  • Political and Social Sciences
  • Theater and Performance Studies
  • Dance Studies
  • Writing Craft

In addition to publishing individual titles in the areas above, we also offer a number of book series intended to explore particular topics, disciplines, and themes. To learn more about series in which we are actively acquiring, visit our browse series page.

 

Submission Guidelines for Prospective Authors

If you are submitting to a specific series, please check the series description on the relevant series page to see if there are particular requirements.

For all other areas, to ensure that your work receives proper attention, we ask that you submit the following materials:

  • a statement addressing the following points

    • the purpose or rationale of your book (for projects in social sciences, please include references to your sources and methodology);


    • similar or competing books in the field;


    • the audiences you envision for your book and the contributions your work offers;


    • why you think your manuscript is suited to the University of Michigan Press's list;


    • the length of the manuscript and the number of illustrations incorporated;


    • and your timetable for completion of the project (if it is already finished, please let us know that, too);


  • a table of contents;


  • an outline of your chapters (this should be no more than a paragraph or two describing the content of each chapter);


  • a curriculum vitae or resume for all authors or volume editors; for edited volumes, a list of your contributors along with their professional affiliationss along with their professional affiliations

Queries and proposals should be sent via email to the appropriate editor; please see our staff directory for a list of editors and their areas.