The Oregon State University Press publishes compelling, well-written, well-researched books of integrity.
Our audience and authors come from the academy and beyond, in Oregon and around the world. OSU Press publishes books on the Pacific Northwest, American West, and Pacific world, with a focus on history, environmental studies, natural resource management, and Indigenous studies. We also publish general interest books on topics relevant to the Pacific Northwest, including memoir, creative nonfiction, food and wine, and politics. All books published by the OSU Press are peer reviewed and approved by the press’s faculty advisory board (see below).
Oregon State University Press Proposal Guidelines
To help us evaluate your project, we need to know more about you and your book. To propose a book project for consideration, please submit a book prospectus that includes:
- Overview of the content and purpose of the book, including subject, argument, and research. If a revised dissertation, describe the nature and extent of the revisions.
- Comparison to other works on the topic, intended audience, and importance/unique contribution of the book.
- Length (in words) of manuscript and number and type of illustrations and any ancillary materials.
- Project status and timeline for completion.
- Potential for course adoption or special sales.
- Possible sources of outside funding to support publication.
- Any other presses to which the project has been submitted.
- Annotated table of contents with chapter descriptions.
- Bio or CV, including contact information, previous publications (if any), and platform.
- 1 or 2 sample chapters, if available. DO NOT send the complete manuscript unless requested.
OSU Press is not accepting unsolicited fiction proposals or manuscripts at this time.
Please submit your proposal via email to press.submissions@oregonstate.edu. Please do not send the entire manuscript or any hard copy materials unless requested.
We make every effort to respond to inquiries promptly; please expect an average response time of 10–12 weeks. We reserve the right to decline any project, and do not offer advice or comments on projects we decline.
OSU Press supports the work of the Coalition for Diversity and Inclusion in Scholarly Communications and recommends authors consider their Guidelines on Inclusive Language and Images in Scholarly Communication.
Our Decision-Making Process
Each manuscript we consider seriously for publication must receive positive external peer review and be approved by the OSU Press faculty advisory Editorial Board before it is published. This is standard practice at university presses.
If we review a proposal or manuscript and think it has solid potential as an OSU Press book, we will send it to two appropriate peer reviewers for evaluation. These are usually individuals who are published authors themselves, who are knowledgeable about the subject matter of the manuscript, and who are experienced in evaluating a project’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as its sales potential. The Press solicits and pays these individuals, who remain anonymous unless they choose to be identified to the author. The peer review process helps Press staff ensure the integrity of each title we publish.
Thank you for considering Oregon State University Press as your publisher.