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View Our New Seasonal Catalog (pdf)
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The University of Nebraska Press has a long and distinguished history of publishing scholarly and trade publications. Founded in 1943, we serve the University of Nebraska campuses as well as the larger international scholarly and intellectual community. We publish scholarly monographs, literary works, and general interest books in select areas.
We accept and consider manuscript proposals year round for all of the areas in which we publish. Before submitting a manuscript proposal, please consider the list below or browse our books to determine whether your project fits with our publishing program.
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Your submission should include an introductory cover letter addressed to the appropriate editor, a complete table of contents, and a sample chapter (please see further explanations below for more information). If you are unsure whether your project is a good fit for our list, please query an editor before sending your proposal.
UNP will consider simultaneous submissions, but please notify the editor that your work is under consideration for publication by another publisher and keep us informed of its status. We may decline to consider your work if it is being considered elsewhere.
Because of the large number of submissions we receive, we do not return submission materials. Please do not send originals, as we cannot be responsible for any original artwork or other content.
UNP does not accept unsolicited proposals by email or telephone.
Please do not send an entire manuscript unless you are directed to do so by an editor.
Please send your proposal, in hard copy form, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope to the relevant editor, or to Heather Lundine, editor-in-chief, University of Nebraska Press, 1111 Lincoln Mall, Lincoln, NE 68508.
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Overview/Summary of the project: What is the work about? Briefly summarize the content, focus, organization, and significance of the work. Why are you writing the book? What are the book's main selling points?
Audience and Market: Indicate the primary audience for the book. What are the comparable or competing books in the field? What sets your book apart from those other titles? How do you plan to promote your book, and what do you expect from your publisher in promoting your book?
Production Details: Describe the projected length of the work (assuming double-spaced manuscript pages in 12 pt. Courier New font) and the number and type of illustrations, photos, maps, or tables. What is the timetable for the project? If the work has not yet been written, when will the manuscript be completed? If the writing is finished, how soon could the manuscript be sent to the Press for review? Are you aware of possible funding sources to support publication?
Table of Contents: Summarize each chapter in some detail, giving at least a paragraph for each chapter. Explain the scope and depth of the material; describe what will be covered and how it will be handled. The table of contents should provide a clear view of how the book will unfold from start to finish.
Sample Chapters: Provide sample chapters (1 or 2 chapters) that are representative of the work as a whole, if such are available. Please note that sample chapters do not have to be chapters that appear in sequence in the final book. Rather, they should be the best chapter(s) to represent the work and show your writing abilities. Note: A sample chapter is greatly preferred, but if none are available, the project overview and descriptive table of contents must provide a broader (and longer) overview of the proposed project.
Sample bibliography (for scholarly works): Provide a sample of the bibliography that lists complete references for all works cited in your proposal. Providing a preliminary bibliography for the larger work is also recommended.
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Given the large number of submissions we receive, an initial screening process can take from six to eight weeks for an unsolicited proposal. If your project is taken under consideration after this initial screening, you will be notified via email.
If an editor decides to consider your project further, he or she will request the entire manuscript, if it is available. Please send an unbound, double-spaced (including notes and bibliographic sections), continuously paginated printed copy to the requesting editor. If your manuscript has illustrations or images that you would like to include, please send photocopies of the illustrations with the manuscript. Do not send original illustrations and remember to keep a copy of your manuscript.
If an editor decides to consider your proposal for publication, he or she will then send your work to at least two peer readers for review. The review process can take anywhere from three to six months. If the reviewers recommend publication, the project will be taken before our press advisory board to seek formal approval to offer a publishing contract. Books are generally published one year from delivery of the final complete manuscript.
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Food and wine
French colonial history
Great Plains and regional studies
Native peoples of North America and global indigenous studies
Histories and literatures of the American West
History of anthropology and archaeology, and comparative anthropology
History of space flight
Jewish studies
Modern Mexico
Literature in translation
Literary nonfiction and memoir
Literary and cultural theory and criticism
Military history
Reprints of classic science fiction and fantasy
Sports history and culture
Sustainability and agriculture
Fiction (in the following series only: Flyover Fiction, Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Fiction, Native Storiers)
We generally do not publish nonfiction in categories other than these. With few exceptions, we cannot consider poetry or original fiction (what we do publish in those areas is limited to the above series, works in translation, reissues of classic works, or books chosen by third parties, as in the Prairie Schooner prizes).
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UNP does not consider unrevised dissertations. Even the best dissertation will need to be revised before being accepted for publication. Most commonly, scholars seeking to publish their revised dissertations will need to do the following:
Eliminate or drastically reduce the dissertation apparatus or “review of scholarly literature” section. While such a review is a standard feature of dissertations, in a book this section is superfluous. You are no longer writing for your committee in fulfillment of degree requirements; you are writing as an authority on your chosen subject matter. Cite to appropriate authorities in the notes, not in the text.
Pare down the notes, and eliminate discursive notes. Most dissertations have roughly twice as many notes as necessary. The fruits of research should reside predominantly in the main text and be eliminated from the footnotes. As the authority on your given topic, such exhaustive notation is not necessary for participation in the scholarly discourse in your given field and appears overly defensive, not proof of sound scholarship.
Likewise, pare down and streamline your bibliography.
Weed out “scaffolding.” Many dissertations are highly structured: authors might begin each chapter with a statement of what is going to be argued and conclude with a statement of what has been argued, or they might divide each chapter into excessive headings and subheadings. Recast your manuscript to improve its narrative flow.
Cut, cut, cut. At every possible turn, tighten your work, sharpen your argument, and write in crisp, concise, and clear prose. Trust your readers to remember what has appeared earlier in the text. Repetition and wordiness only weaken a manuscript.
Eliminate irrelevant detail.
Prospective authors may find the following books helpful in the manuscript revision process:
Derricourt, Robin. An Author’s Guide to Scholarly Publishing. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996.
Germano, William. From Dissertation to Book. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005.
____ . Getting It Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Serious Books. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.
Harman, Eleanor, et al., eds. The Thesis and the Book: A Guide for First-Time Academic Authors, 2nd ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003.
Luey, Beth. Handbook for Academic Authors, 4th ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
____ , ed. Revising Your Dissertation: Advice from Leading Editors. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004.
Zinsser, William. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, 25th Anniversary edition. New York: Quill/HarperCollins, 2001.
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Heather Lundine, editor-in-chief: history; food studies
Matt Bokovoy: Indigenous Studies; history of the American West
Kristen Elias Rowley: literary studies; literary nonfiction; fiction
Tom Swanson and Alicia Christensen: Bison Books (reprints)
Rob Taylor: sports; history of spaceflight; politics and government
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