For Authors

Clemson University Press publishes approximately twenty-five books per year and several journals, with emerging or established scholarly niches in modernism, literature from the 18th century to the present, musicology, Irish studies, rhetoric, and the arts. We also publish scholarly editions and general-interest books with particular emphasis on regional history, regional culture, and field guides.

Our team of experienced editorial, production, and marketing staff is committed to excellence in academic publishing and to connecting our books with a global audience, working closely with our authors to do so.

Authors are not required to have a subvention from their university in order to publish with the Press. However,  a subvention can help to make feasible the inclusion of color plates or other special features to enhance your book’s production. A subvention can also defray considerable editorial costs or enhance marketing initiatives, which we appreciate as a non-profit publisher. If you have such funds available, please mention the prospect either in an initial query or in your book proposal.

Submission Guidelines

Clemson University Press is pleased to evaluate book proposals for scholarly monographs and edited collections that align with the publication lists that we are actively developing. We prefer to review only a book proposal and sample chapter in the first instance for all scholarly monographs and edited collections.

Preparation and Submission of Book Proposals

The explanatory list below is intended to serve as a set of guidelines for book proposal submissions. You are invited to complete the Book Proposal Form (link below) and submit it as a Word document via email to Andrew Dorkin at adorkin@nullclemson.edu or Alison Mero at amero@nullclemson.edu. Provided that all of the information listed below is included on your proposal, you are welcome to use an alternate format.

Download the Clemson University Press Book Proposal Form

Book Title

A strong title is essential to marketing your book. The main title should be concise and clearly indicate your primary focus.

Author/Editor Details

You should include your name, academic affiliation if applicable, mailing address, email address, telephone number, and a brief biography outlining any previous publications that establish your expertise in your field. You may in addition, or instead, include a current CV with your proposal. For edited collections, please include the names, affiliations, and email addresses of all contributors at the end of the proposal.

Book Synopsis

The general abstract of your proposed book should clearly articulate the full scope and implications of your argument, explain how it contributes to current scholarly debate or will likely stimulate the same, and elaborate the themes and concepts central to the work. (Approximately 500 words)

Contents List with a Detailed Synopsis of Each Chapter

Your tentative table of contents should demonstrate the depth of coverage offered by your book and map out its structure. If the book is an edited collection, please indicate the authorship of each chapter. (Approximately 300–400 words per chapter)

Readership

Define your primary readership(s). Is there an established scholarly audience? Would the book translate to an undergraduate or graduate course? Does the book have appeal outside of academic libraries? Please do not simply state that “scholars and students” as your target audience; instead, specify literary societies, organizations, and other groups of readers who might provide a built-in audience for your research. (Approximately 300–400 words)

Market and Competition

You should list any published works in direct competition with your proposed book and explain what distinguishes yours from them. Please include publication details for each competing book (author, title, publisher, date of publication).

Key Features

Highlight any key selling points and/or offerings of your proposed book. Does your book offer the first critical account of your subject? Why would your book be timely?

Length

Please indicate the projected length of your book (in words), including contents, acknowledgments, references, and bibliography. If it is an edited collection, please specify the length of each essay. In general, scholarly monographs and edited collections should be approximately 80,000 words, excluding bibliographic information.

Illustrations and Figures

Please specify the number, type (photos, paintings, maps, charts, etc.), and color (black-and-white or no) of illustrations and figures in your proposed book. Please keep in mind that high-resolution files (300 dpi+) will be required for all published images and that the intellectual property and all reproduction rights for images online remain with the author/publisher regardless of prior electronic or print distribution.

Permissions

Please indicate whether or not you will need to seek permissions to reproduce text or images under copyright. How much of the projected book has been previously published elsewhere?

Proposed Timeline

What is your projected submission date for the completed typescript? Do you require the book to be published by a particular date?

Sample Material

Please provide a sample chapter if you are a first-time author. If you have previously published a book, you may likewise choose to submit a chapter or introduction to further support your proposal.

Review and Publication Procedure

We trade on quality, so your proposal will be subject to rigorous peer review and to the approval of our Editorial Advisory Board. If approved, you will be offered a prepublication contract. The review process typically takes several months, though we are conscious of the expediency to publish and make every effort to expedite our consideration. In return, we ask that you do not submit proposals or manuscripts under consideration elsewhere.

Information for Contracted Authors

Production

If your contract allows for illustrations, then all image files all (at least 300 pixels per inch and saved as a tiff or jpeg) must be included with your manuscript submission along with any permission letters.

Your manuscript will be assessed by our managing editor, copyedited, and typeset. You will review the copyedited manuscript and at least one set of proofs.

For further information, please see our Author/Editor Guide.

Marketing

The marketing and publicity of your book begins when your book goes into production. You will be asked to complete a marketing and publicity questionnaire, which helps us to plan the individually tailored marketing strategy for your book.

Clemson University Press Marketing and Publicity Questionnaire

Clemson University Press authors are entitled to a discount on all our books. Please order directly by emailing Alison Mero at amero@nullclemson.edu.