Book Proposals

The Ohio State University Press
Guidelines for Book Proposals

As academic book publishers, we concentrate in literary studies of all types, including narrative theory, Victorian studies, medieval studies, and classics. In addition, we publish winning manuscripts of our poetry and our short fiction prizes. We do not accept unsolicited email attachments of any kind.

Scholars proposing manuscripts for publication should submit whatever materials they feel are necessary for the acquisitions department at Ohio State University Press to make an informed decision about the project.

A typical book inquiry might include the following:

a general description, or overview of the proposed book
a table of contents, including a brief precis for each chapter
a word count of the project (including bibliography, notes, etc.)
an analysis of the expected audience, or market, for the book
a round-up of competing books (if any exist), and a brief explanation of the uniqueness of the proposed book
a curriculum vitae

Unsolicited materials will not be returned unless accompanied by an SASE.

Materials should be sent to:

Attn: (Click here to determine the appropriate acquisitions editor)
The Ohio State University Press
180 Pressey Hall
1070 Carmack Road
Columbus, OH 43210-1002

Occasionally, The Ohio State University Press issues a book contract on the basis of a prospectus, but more generally the practice is to write a contract based on a finished manuscript. Manuscripts that have been invited in based on the prospectus are reviewed internally by the press editor. If the editor determines that the work is a potential candidate for publication, the manuscript will be sent out for at least two peer evaluations. Positive recommendations to publish are presented to the Press's Editorial Board, which must approve all publishing contracts. Once a final book manuscript is delivered to the Press for publication, it takes about ten months to complete the production process, including copyediting, typesetting, printing, and binding.