For Prospective Authors  

We welcome your written proposal and will respond to your inquiry as quickly as possible.

Please address your proposal to the appropriate acquisitions editor. Please include with the proposal a cover letter and a CV or resume. To learn more about submitting proposals—and the rest of the publishing process at UNC Press—read our online resource, The Publishing Process: A Guide for Authors. Within the guide, the Author Guide to Acquisitions page gives step-by-step details about the process. 

The Press welcomes submissions from literary agents representing authors in our subjects and fields of interest.  

A proposal should give the editors and other Press staff a clear idea of what your intended book is about, how you came to write this book at this point in your career, and where the work fits within your field. It may be helpful to consider the following questions: 

• What problems are you setting out to solve? 
• What confusions do you wish to clarify? 
• What previously unknown or neglected story are you planning to tell? 
• Why is this book important? 

Editors are also interested in knowing what potential audiences you foresee. What comparable titles have been published? Is this a scholarly book, and, if so, is your book for specialists in your field, or will it appeal to a broader audience? Is this book intended for use by students? Is there potential for classroom adoption? (If so, please list specific classes it could be used in or books you believe it would replace.) Is this a trade book, intended for general readers? 

Proposals should include the following: 

• A brief narrative description of the manuscript, including its themes, arguments, goals, and place in the literature. Please highlight the significant contribution of the work. 
• A description of the projected audience and closely related or competing titles. Include information on other books’ page lengths, publishers, and prices where possible. 
• A brief statement on how the manuscript fits into a particular area or series in which the press acquires. 
• An estimate of the probable length of the book (both a page count and a word count are helpful), numbers of possible illustrations and tables, and a note on any potential permissions issues (reproduction of illustrations or excerpts of poetry or musical lyrics, for example). 
• A chapter outline or annotated table of contents with thorough descriptions of each chapter, including key arguments and sources used. 
• The introduction and another sample chapter (about 50-60 pages altogether) may be helpful. 
• A current vita for the author(s) or editor(s) summarizing professional experience, past publications, and relevant research. 
• For multi-authored or edited works, please identify which authors have committed themselves to contributing to the book and which are still negotiating. Also note whether any of the material has been previously published, and where. 
• If the manuscript is not complete, please provide a projected completion date. 

We prefer that authors do not submit complete manuscripts unless invited to do so by an editor. 

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If you would like to suggest a book that might be reprinted in a paperback edition, send your proposal to the appropriate acquisitions editor. 

UNC Press publishes nonfiction books for academic and general audiences in a range of genres and subject fields. The Press does not, however, publish original fiction, poetry, drama, or festschriften. 

For information about subject/discipline areas we are currently acquiring in, visit Meet Our Editorial Staff. 

For information regarding our recent frontlist publications, view our seasonal catalogs.

The Press does not consider AI-generated writing, such as text from large language models, to meet the standard of authorship and does not accept it for publication. The use of some tools that check spelling, grammar, and punctuation of original writing may be acceptable. We also generally do not accept images, maps, or other AI-generated visual elements for a work unless they are generated responsibly and clearly cited. The best practice is to carefully document, disclose, and cite any AI-assisted aspects of your work.

For more information, consult our General Guidelines About Artificial Intelligence

If you are a Press author and need more specific information about the preparation and submission of a manuscript, consult our online resource, The Publishing Process: A Guide for Authors. 
 
Manuscripts invited for review will receive our careful attention. The first evaluation all manuscripts undergo is a preliminary in-house review, which determines the general suitability of a project for our list. This process may take several weeks. Thereafter, should the Press wish to pursue the book for publication, the acquiring editor will offer any preliminary guidance about the materials and be prepared to discuss plans for peer review by outside readers. 
 
We prefer to be the only press to consider your manuscript, at least until we have received the first reader’s report. We do understand time and tenure pressures, however, and we are willing to consider simultaneous submissions on a case-by-case basis.

If invited to submit a complete manuscript, your editor may ask you to complete an Author and Manuscript Inquiry Form (doc) which provides us with pertinent information about yourself and your work. Please take the time to fill out this form carefully and completely as it plays an important role in our review process.

The following is a brief annotated bibliography of useful sources for authors transforming a dissertation into a book manuscript.  

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Association of University Presses Directory (published annually by the AUP) 

This annual directory lists information on scholarly presses in the US, Canada, and overseas. Entries on each press include names and contact information for acquisitions editors, plus a handy subject grid that shows which presses publish in particular fields. 

Robin Derricourt, An Author’s Guide to Scholarly Publishing (Princeton, 1996) 

Derricourt, former publishing director of Cambridge University Press and a published scholar himself, brings a tremendous amount of knowledge to the subject. 

William Germano, From Dissertation to Book, Second Edition (Chicago, 2013) 

Here the focus is on revision and “revisioning” process. Excellent tips on how to approach the problem of turning the dissertation into a publishable work. 

William Germano, Getting It Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Serious Books, Third Edition (Chicago, 2016) 

Addresses such questions as: Why does an editor choose some books and decline others? How does a writer decide where to submit a project? How does the peer review process work? And what can an author expect from a publisher–before, during, and after publication? 

Peter Ginna, ed., What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing (Chicago, 2017) 

Featuring chapters by experienced publishing professionals, this book addresses what authors can expect from editors, how their work is situated in the broader publishing industry, and how authors and editors work together productively.  

Katelyn E. Knox and Allison Van Deventer, The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook (Chicago, 2023) 

A new and highly practical guide from the creators of the Dissertation-to-Book Boot Camp.