Submission Information 

University of Alberta Press is a contemporary, award-winning publisher of scholarly and creative books distinguished by their editorial care, exceptional design, and global reach. We publish scholarly work by established and emerging authors in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Education, and Health, as well as works of poetry and literary nonfiction. We welcome submissions by authors from diverse and marginalized backgrounds.

Scholarly Submissions

Our scholarly publishing program focuses on material for scholars, citizens, students, and policy makers in areas including (but not limited to):

• Anthropology
• Cinema and Media Studies
• Criminology and Legal Studies
• Critical Race, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• Cultural Studies
• Environmental Studies
• Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit Studies
• Labour Studies
• Literary Studies
• Northern and Circumpolar Studies
• Petrocultures
• Political Science
• Prairie and Mountain History
• History
• Research-Creation
• Sociology
• Urban Studies

Our editors welcome proposals for both projects in development and completed manuscripts. Please follow these guidelines when submitting to the Press:

Proposal should be 10-12 pages long, and should include the following (with the understanding that each project may require additional or different information):

1. The working title and a brief description of the work.
2. A more detailed overview of the manuscript that describes:
   • The central argument;
   • The rationale for writing this manuscript;
   • If the manuscript is based on a dissertation, please tell us when it was defended and the revisions you have made or propose to make;
   • If the manuscript is an edited collection or a multi-authored work, please describe the thematic, theoretical, or other structures that will help create consistency across chapters.
3. Table of contents with a brief synopsis of each chapter.
   • If the manuscript is an edited collection, please also include information about the institutional affiliation and citizenship of each chapter’s contributing author(s).
4. Information about intended audience (Specialist? General? Students? Practitioners?). Please be as specific as possible.
   • If the book is intended for course adoption, please list relevant course titles and departments/institutions.
5. A list of closely related and competing books. Please describe how each book is similar to or different from the book you are proposing.
6. Proposed date of completion.
7. Approximate manuscript length (in words).
8. Description of illustrations (number of images, figures, maps, etc. and how they are used in the work).
9. A description of any part of the proposed manuscript that has been previously published, along with any other permissions issues that might need to be addressed before publication.
10. Have you proposed this project to any other publishers?

In addition to the proposal, please include each author’s / editor’s curriculum vitae, and a sample chapter or two (if available).

If the project you are proposing is based on your thesis, please consult our tips on revising your thesis for a book manuscript.

University of Alberta Press welcomes submissions for Open Access (OA) projects. The Press invites authors to discuss funding options to support making their work OA.

To submit a proposal for a scholarly manuscript, please email the appropriate Acquisitions Editor:

Michelle Lobkowicz
Acquisitions Editor, Humanities and Literature
mlobkowi@ualberta.ca

Mat Buntin
Acquisitions Editor, Social Sciences
buntin@ualberta.ca

Due to the volume of submissions we receive it can take some time for us to respond to each submission. If you have not heard back from us within three weeks, please contact us again to make sure we have received your submission.

University of Alberta Press does not accept submissions in hard copy. Please follow the submission guidelines above to have your work considered.

Unsolicited submissions will not be returned. In all cases, keep a backup for your records; the Press cannot be responsible for any losses.

Review Process for Scholarly Work

If the editorial team determines that your manuscript might be a good fit for our publishing program, you will be asked to submit your manuscript for a single-blind peer review. All University of Alberta Press manuscripts are reviewed by at least two experts in the field. Depending on the genre of your work and your intended audience, the reviewers may consist of some combination of university- or college-affiliated faculty, expert practitioners, Indigenous Elders or community members, or published authors of creative work. We ask reviewers to evaluate the quality and objectivity of the scholarship as well as the writing and the structure of the manuscript. Your editor will discuss the details of the review process and reviewer selection with you. We follow the Association of University Presses guidelines for reviewer selection to ensure no conflict of interest exists between author and reviewer. If the reports are positive, the manuscript will be brought to the Press’s management team for consideration. Manuscripts that are approved by this team are then submitted for further approval by our Press Committee, a diverse group of faculty members from the University of Alberta.

Funding Considerations for Scholarly Books

Most scholarly books in Canada require financial assistance. University of Alberta Press books are regularly supported by a number of established granting agencies, and we encourage authors to identify additional sources, such as specialized foundations, programs within their home institutions, and government departments with a special interest in the area of their research. Open Access projects require additional financial support.

We have strong relationships with a number of granting agencies and a positive record of securing funding to support our books. Depending on the source of funding we may apply on behalf of the author/editor, and in other cases the author/editor may be required to seek funding themselves. Please discuss funding with your editor.

Literary Submissions

University of Alberta Press publishes poetry and creative nonfiction by Canadian citizens and landed immigrants. It is important for us to know if authors are Canadian citizens or landed immigrants because our literary publishing program is supported by grants from federal and provincial funding agencies. We do not publish novels. Our submission process for each of these areas is unique, so please review the following:

Poetry: University of Alberta Press accepts poetry manuscripts between September 1 and 30 each year. At the end of the submission period, the Press, working with members of our external jury for poetry, will select up to three manuscripts per year for publication. 

Poetry manuscripts are accepted during the submission window via our submission portal on Submittable here. 

The complete manuscript should be accompanied by:

1. A cover letter of no more than one page that includes a synopsis of the book, any relevant background information about the work, and thoughts on why you are bringing the project to University of Alberta Press.
2. A brief author bio, noting previous publication history and any academic or professional affiliations; please specify that you are a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant.
3. Please mention if you are submitting this work simultaneously to other publishers.
4. Manuscripts should be a minimum of 50 pages. 

Creative nonfiction: University of Alberta Press accepts creative nonfiction manuscripts throughout the year, including books of travel/adventure literature for our Wayfarer series. 

Submissions should be accompanied by:

1. A cover letter of no more than one page that includes a synopsis of the book, any relevant background information about the work, and thoughts on why you are bringing the project to University of Alberta Press.
2. Table of contents.
3. A sample of two chapters from the manuscript. 
4. A brief author bio, noting previous publication history and any academic or professional affiliations; please specify that you are a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant.
5. Please mention if you are submitting this work simultaneously to other publishers. 

To submit a creative nonfiction manuscript on Submittable, click here.

We do not publish novels.

University of Alberta Press does not accept submissions in hard copy. Please follow the submission guidelines above to have your work considered.

Unsolicited submissions will not be returned. In all cases, keep a backup for your records; the Press cannot be responsible for any losses.

Review Process for Literary Work

If the editorial team determines that your manuscript might be a good fit for our publishing program, you will be asked to submit your manuscript for a single-blind peer review. All University of Alberta Press manuscripts are reviewed by at least two experts in the field. Depending on the genre of your work and your intended audience, the reviewers may consist of some combination of university- or college-affiliated faculty, expert practitioners, Indigenous Elders or community members, or published authors of creative work. We ask reviewers to evaluate the quality of the writing and the structure of the work, the use of literary techniques, and to place the manuscript within a broader literary context. Your editor will discuss the details of the review process with you. We follow the Association of University Presses guidelines for reviewer selection to ensure no conflict of interest exists between author and reviewer. If the reports are positive, the manuscript will be brought to the Press’s management team for consideration. Manuscripts that are approved by this team are then submitted for the approval of our Press Committee, a diverse group of faculty members from the University of Alberta.