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Does the Status of the Press Matter?

By Karen Kelsky | September 21, 2012

Today’s post is in response to a reader who wrote in asking, “does the status of the press matter when seeking to publish your book?”

Sometimes I am surprised by what people ask me, and this is one of those times.

Does anyone not know the answer to this question?

The answer is:  yes, the status of the press matters.  It matters a LOT.  It matters like—choose right and you get a great tenure track job and a career and a retirement plan, choose wrong and you live forever in adjunct hell.

If you are in a book field, you need a book for tenure, certainly, but increasingly you need a book just to get a job at all.  I am not saying that the book has to be OUT to get the first job.  But you need to be well into the process of book publication to get that job. By which I mean, be able to talk knowledgably about the book plan and timeline, perhaps have chatted the book up with an editor at a conference, or been invited to submit a proposal, and beyond that, have a proposal ready to send, or in submission.

Whether or not you’re finished with your dissertation, if you are in a book field, you need to be looking ahead to the book, and thinking about where, when, and how it will be published.

In these circumstances, naturally, you will be excited if you find your work being solicited by an editor at a press.  But if you’ve been invited to submit a proposal by an editor, you must not instantly leap at the invitation!  You must make sure that the press is of a caliber that will advance your career.

Presses that advance your career are major university presses and Routledge and the like.  Presses like Ashgate, Rowman and Littlefield, and Palgrave and so on are an indeterminate rank and will count at some universities and departments more highly than at others. Other presses must be evaluated very, very carefully.  There may be a small and obscure press that is well known and important in your particular niche—and then it is fine to pursue publication with that press.  But in general, small and obscure presses do not advance your career.

Putting a book out with an obscure press is not much different than having no book out at all, in terms of gaining a tenure track job or tenure.  Yes, you’ll have a book between covers that you can put on your shelf and proudly show your friends and family.  But a book that “counts” for the tenure track job market and tenure?  That book needs to be out with one of the major presses of the academic world.

You may observe that some well known and influential senior scholars sometimes publish with presses that are not of the first rank.  Why?  Because they can. Because their reputations are unassailable, and they can afford to pursue publication that is based on prior personal connections, or that is less rigorous in terms of review, with no impact to their standing.

But for anyone seeking to create a scholarly reputation, the importance of the status of the press of the first book cannot be overstated.  Any press that does not have “University” in its name should be approached with great caution.  Inquire closely with advisors you trust whether or not to consider it.

Similar Posts:

  • The Status of the Press Matters, Still!
  • Pitfalls of the Publication Para
  • How To Write A Book Proposal
  • Should I Do an Edited Collection?
  • In Response to Popular Demand, More on the 5-Year Plan

Filed Under: Book Proposals and Contracts, How To Build Your Tenure File, Publishing Issues, Strategizing Your Success in Academia

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stephanie says

    September 22, 2012 at 5:02 am

    I would go even further and state that a book with a lesser known, less respected press is WORSE than no book. No book means that you might someday have a contract with a reputable press, but a book with a low status press implies that you tried and failed to get your book published by a reputable press. I had the option of publishing my diss from one of those soliciting presses which would have supplemented the many articles I had with little extra effort on my part, but I chose not to over concerns of the stigma from such a press. Also, not all university presses are the same. Some are just a step above the obscure German press no one’s heard of, although it might depend on the field.

    Reply
    • Andrew, France says

      April 20, 2015 at 8:46 am

      I hope that you know (?) that US and the UK are not whole world. The world is not limited only the US and the UK.

      “I would go even further and state that a book with a lesser known, less respected press is WORSE than no book”

      OMG. What a primitive or even vulgar opinion.
      I have many books published in France and Germany and certainly do not think so.

      “No book means that you might someday have a contract with a reputable press, but a book with a low status press implies that you tried and failed to get your book published by a reputable press”

      OMG. Are you serious (normal)? There does not imply because not everyone publishes a book because of tenure.

      “obscure German press”
      Very nasty comment! Is LIT Verlag or Springer Verlag nasty publisher?

      Reply
      • Andrew, Britain says

        March 2, 2018 at 6:53 am

        It’s not vulgar. It’s academic. Herein lies the malaise. Your comment, though I have not read all only many, may well be the sanest of all. As to most, OMG it is. Not their fault though. It is the distorted milieu, values.

        Reply
      • Mary Jane Ryals says

        February 5, 2021 at 8:38 am

        Agreed, Andrew.

        Reply
      • K.E. von Wittelsbach says

        April 6, 2021 at 6:19 pm

        Quite right, Andrew — another sad example of Anglo ignorance / arrogance. EU educational systems surpass by far anything in the United States, but how hard it is to admit this….

        Reply
  2. LB says

    October 11, 2012 at 2:45 pm

    I don’t live in the US but am considering publishing with a US press. Would anyone agree that these are among the top US university presses? Which do you think is the best? I’m thinking specifically about presses that publish cultural studies, history, American Studies, literary criticism, sociology, anthropology and the like. Am I missing any major presses? And again, which are in the very top 3?

    Harvard
    Princeton
    Yale
    University of North Carolina
    Stanford
    Cornell
    Chicago
    NYU
    U of CF
    Duke

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 11, 2012 at 3:04 pm

      It doesn’t work exactly like this, ie, in one grand ranking. Each of these presses is higher ranked in certain fields and subfields than the others. My own book–sort of contemporary Japan cultural studies/anthro with race and gender themes, which came out from Duke– would have been bizarre and inappropriate from at least half of this list. Not to pick on poor old harvard as I’m wont to do…but Harvard U Press is not all that great in a LOT of fields. It was notorious in one of my own subfields for producing dreary hardcover tomes that nobody ever EVER read. The rankings are decided at subfield level, so you must judge for your own field and subfield and find the press that publishes the best of the KIND of work that you do.

      Reply
      • History Prof says

        March 16, 2016 at 8:14 pm

        I agree. In Southern history, UNC is the best. Followed by maybe one or two of the Ivies, and then Duke, Georgia, UVA, and then others. Cornell wouldn’t be on anyone’s radar. Also, for Native American history, Oklahoma is top notch–not so much for other things.

        Reply
  3. Dr. K says

    March 30, 2013 at 1:03 pm

    I’m in a more journal-oriented field, but the rule of thumb I tell my students to follow carries over to book fields.

    Take a piece of paper and make a list of 25 to 40 articles that are really influential in your subfield, and keep a tally of which journals show up most often. Turns out that the big guns are consistently turning to “Journal of Stuff People Spend Too Much Time Thinking About” as an outlet for their best and most exciting results? Then that’s where you want your best research to be published too.

    Reply
  4. Thomas says

    July 24, 2013 at 3:36 am

    Hi Karen, I’m in the process of publishing a book in international relations. I have been approached by Routledge and by Rowman and Littlefield. I was seriously considering the possibility of going with Rowman and Littlefield since they would publish the book both in hardback and in paperback. Routledge on the other hand would publish only in hardback, and yet I had the impression that you feel that Routledge has a better name in today-academia. Would you have any suggestion? Thank you so much for your time and for this great website!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 24, 2013 at 4:05 pm

      t’s good that you’ve been approached but what you now need to do is create a proposal package and send THAT out to the top presses in your field. Don’t just choose among those who express interest in you; be proactive. Routledge is definitely higher rank in the US, but there are other presses higher ranked than Routledge as well.

      Reply
  5. Writing says

    August 5, 2013 at 4:31 pm

    Hi Karen,
    What if you’ve been approached by one of the lesser publishers you mentioned, but for a series being edited by top names in your field (and actually internationally renowned)? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 5, 2013 at 4:50 pm

      Still no. Top names sometimes go slumming later in their careers, and get involved with lower ranked presses because said presses offer them quick and easy routes to publication or vanity-style series. This is fine for them, they are already senior. But for you, the prestige of a series editor will in no way shape or form outweigh the lack of prestige of the press.

      Reply
  6. Writing says

    August 7, 2013 at 11:15 am

    Thank you for the prompt reply, Karen! Got it.

    Reply
  7. Nicholas says

    November 20, 2013 at 12:25 pm

    Hello Karen,
    Thanks for yet another great post. I am at the writing up stage of my dissertation (archaeology) and was contacted by a German publisher called Scholars’ Press. Even though I was very flattered, I was a bit suspicious. Have you heard of them? Also, I wanted to ask you how does one go about finding a publisher? I really appreciate your advice. Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 20, 2013 at 7:58 pm

      Avoid this press. Think about the best presses that have published books relevant to your field. Target those.

      Reply
  8. Michael says

    May 30, 2014 at 8:34 am

    For anthropology, is it a career killer to go with a series in a press that is less anthropology focused? I am specifically referring to Yale and University of Pittsburgh.

    I am at the proposal stage, and have two years of post-doc to finish the manuscript…

    Reply
  9. Julia says

    July 12, 2014 at 9:48 am

    Routledge is one of the presses under the Ashgate umbrella. Too many of the erstwhile excellent university presses are publishing lightweight books – some with no footnotes. Nowadays it is wise to look beyond the name.

    Reply
  10. RT James says

    July 21, 2014 at 10:54 am

    I am very surprised that you would include Palgrave in the list of middle-ranking publishers. Palgrave Macmillan? Part of the big five of publishers in the world? To be honest, it was extremely hard to give this post much credence after that. Also, I think the point you’re making, while understandable, disregards the fact that the larger publishers, like Routledge, Palgrave, OUP etc have a finite amount of books that they have capacity to publish and, given that they are also commercial organisations, they will publish the most scholarly and most commercial in their field. If a book is not commercial enough, even within academic parameters, it won’t make this list. There are plenty of small academic publishers doing fine work and they shouldn’t be dismissed.
    Incidentally, Routledge is not a press under the Ashgate umbrella. It is a far larger publisher than Ashgate, part of the global Taylor & Francis Group. Otherwise, I do agree with Julia. Decide on a press by the quality and nature of its books, not its name.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 23, 2014 at 10:35 am

      Palgrave is not as highly ranked in most scholarly disciplines in teh humanities as university presses. The size of the press has no bearing on its prestige level. Indeed, it’s usually an inverse relationship.

      Reply
      • AC says

        July 30, 2014 at 1:52 am

        I would argue that up until 5-6 years ago Palgrave wasn’t nearly as highly ranked as it is now and that what you’ve written would have been correct for the Humanities. However, the industry changes. Palgrave is now a major player and they are in the same class as Routledge and far, far superior than the presses you’ve lumped them with (e.g., Ashgate, R&L).

        Reply
        • Karen says

          July 30, 2014 at 8:27 am

          I don’t track press status closely the way I used to when my status (and wage) was closely linked to it! So I won’t agree or disagree with this; I will say that everyone should have a finely tuned and absolutely up to date understanding of the status of presses in their micro-niche of publishing at all times. As I wrote, it’s extremely variable across fields (Brill is great for xx but would be disastrous for yy), and constantly evolving as the editorial staff, leadership, and financial foundation change.

          Reply
          • John McCormick says

            October 22, 2014 at 2:20 pm

            You (Karen) are writing about Palgrave Macmillan only in regard to the humanities. In the social sciences it is highly ranked. A book published by them is also likely to get much greater exposure than some of those published by university presses. There are many academics who are press snobs, who rank a university press high just because it is a university press, and look down their noses at the so-called commercial presses. In some parts of my field of political science, Palgrave Macmillan is THE press to go to. Beware the dangers of generalization.

          • Karen says

            October 22, 2014 at 3:04 pm

            I’m going to put this out on FB and see what the consensus is.

          • Karen says

            October 23, 2014 at 8:35 am

            BTW, at my R1s in Anthro, Palgrave/MacMillan would not have passed a tenure case easily–perhaps at all. It was never put to the test, but the message to all tenure candidates was clear—any press of that ilk was sloppy seconds compared to a univ. press. And that’s the social sciences, dude.

          • Karen says

            October 24, 2014 at 12:14 pm

            responses on FB are mixed, but privately by email they are as follows:

            As for Palgrave Macmillan, in my field they’re not the same as a university press (or, I should say, a top university press). I’m an historian, and I work on early modern Europe, and there are only a handful of presses that are actually top presses: Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, Oxford, Chicago, and formerly, Johns Hopkins (they’re moving out of early modern). There are other presses that publish in my field, U Toronto, Duke, Penn State, Penn, California, Stanford, for example, but they’re not as good in my view. The private presses can likewise be ranked: Ashgate is among the best, if only because they publish a lot in early modern history/Renaissance studies. Palgrave, Routledge, Rowan and Littlefield, Scholar Press, and even Brill are all minor players, who seemingly publish anything that is sent their way–then charge exorbitant amounts for it.

            Price point is something that scholars don’t often take into consideration, but they should: a book like my most recent that is priced at $35 will be purchased by individuals, while something priced at $100 (or above!) will only be purchased by institutions (and typically only those with subscriptions or standing orders). For example, Brill’s books are outrageously priced, and they show signs of poorly digested junior rank scholarship–as if they don’t really have to worry about trying to sell the books and so don’t demand quality. Routledge and Palgrave are the same–although they publish less in my field. I was approached by Palgrave to put together a “Handbook”, and I declined when they told me that the organized volume (which is what this was intended to be) would result in my getting “one copy” of the book. I told them, much to their displeasure, that by paying peanuts, they would only get monkeys. Those monkeys, increasingly, are junior scholars who need to build their resumes, and British academics who need–desperately–to publish in order to boost their department’s rankings on the RAE. It’s a sad state of affairs, but the private publishers, esp. Routledge, Palgrave, and Brill, live off of it.

            ~~~~~~

            I don’t feel comfortable commenting publicly on the “Palgrave?” post, because I am afraid a committee member would see me– but I was told during a job flyout that if I mentioned that I was to publish my book with Palgrave I would certainly not get the job. I am a historian and interviewed in history departments. At this particular department (R1 top state U), only a contract with “a high ranking university press” and NOT Palgrave would suffice to get the position.

      • Cyril says

        December 19, 2014 at 9:12 am

        I find it bizarre the way people beat up on commercial presses. Publishers who are interested in academic books at all are a dying breed and we need to be careful not to lapse into self-defeating snobbery.

        It might be true that some tenure committees look down their noses at certain non-University presses, and for that reason publishing with them may not be a good idea for practical reasons. But to pretend that books with these publishers are poor per se is clearly ludicrous. Whenever people discuss this issue they spout all kinds of ridiculous rubbish, much of it demonstrably untrue: that Routledge / Palgrave / Ashgate etc. don’t peer review; that quality is somehow ‘lower’ in some unspecified way; that commercial publishing is akin to vanity publishing. Usually when I see this, it’s the sign of someone grinding an axe for their own reasons (perhaps to big up their own book with University of Toadsuck Press, and to sneer ineffectually at those publishing with Penguin)

        So let’s be clear. Presses might matter for tenure. But in intellectual terms good work is good work regardless of where it’s published.

        Reply
        • Andrew, France says

          April 20, 2015 at 9:01 am

          Presses might matter for tenure. But in intellectual terms good work is good work regardless of where it’s published.

          BRAVO

          Reply
          • David says

            May 6, 2015 at 11:09 am

            Note that the main purpose of this blog is to advise early scholars (PhD students, Assistant Professors), largely in a North American context, on how to succeed in the academic industry. It is important to produce good intellectual work, but that won’t do you much professional good if you’re working as a barista after failing to get an academic job.

            Karen is offering her perspective with all this in mind. If you’ve managed to enter the academic industry by other means, good for you. But you’d be an exception to the norm.

          • Karen says

            May 6, 2015 at 3:34 pm

            Thanks. Its true, this is always the context of my advice. Junior people can’t afford to make professional decisions without an awareness of the stakes. If you want to choose the path of idealism and high principle, more power to you, but don’t do it in ignorance of the stakes of your decision.

        • Rupert Jones-Lee says

          July 27, 2018 at 6:56 am

          Quite right. I’m reading my way through this thread with my jaw on the ground. I do appreciate the parameters of the advice being given and accept that within those parameters it may well be good advice. However…. Are Tenure Committees in the US not expected actually to read candidates’ work and use their own expertise to evaluate it on its own merits? If so, who cares where work is published? If not, something is very wrong in US academic culture. I’m pretty sure that in the UK, for example, REF panel members or promotions committee members who didn’t read the work they were supposed to be evaluating would be regarded as being professionally negligent.

          Reply
  11. ZCL says

    August 4, 2014 at 2:05 pm

    Hi Karen

    Thanks for the great post! Now I am in humanities field and planning to publish my first book based on my dissertation. Several publishers are interested in my proposed book–U of Hawai’i, Ashgate, Palgrave, and Routledge. Now I have submitted my book proposal and am waiting for the result. I heard some faculty mentioned that university press is better than non-university one, and U of Hawaii is famous in publishing books in my field. Yet the other three seem to have a better reputation in general. So I am not sure which one should be the priority. I really appreciate your advice. Thanks!

    Reply
  12. Larry says

    October 11, 2014 at 7:10 am

    How does Brill fit into this picture?

    Reply
  13. Robert says

    October 11, 2014 at 7:11 am

    Interesting post. I note that Scholars Press was mentioned by a reader. This is an imprint of the notorious spamming publisher, Verlag Dr. Müller. I got an offer from one of their imprints, ‘Lambert’, the moment my thesis went up on my Uni’s digital repository. A must to avoid this publisher at all costs. Better to chop up your dissertation and publish it in good journals than to go with a vanity press.

    Re: Palgrave, I agree with readers that this is a much better press than your initial evaluation. But as you rightly say, it does depend on the particular academic field. In my field–religious history–Palgrave is easily on an equal footing with Routledge, as is Brill, Ashgate and the much smaller, Boydell & Brewer.

    This seems to have gotten it right: http://www.sense.nl/gfx_content/documents/ABCDE-indeling%20Scientific%20Publishers%20SENSE_approved_May_2009.pdf

    Reply
  14. Paul says

    October 16, 2014 at 8:52 pm

    Hi Keren,

    Thank you for your sharing your experience and insight with us about these issues. As an early career scholar, your blog is very helpful. I have a question regarding the selection of presses. I work in Australia and I’m now working on my manuscript that intersects between IR and Southeast Asian Studies. I have recently sent out my proposal to both uni and commercial presses. There are now three offer for peer review: Cornell’s Southeast Asia Program (SEAP), Amsterdam University Press (AUP), and Routledge.

    As a rule of thumb, the first two look a bit better as they are run by universities. I just want to ask your advice if you were me and wanted to pick between SEAP and AUP, which one would you goes first?

    Some told me although SEAP is run by Cornell but it is not Cornell Uni Press per se, so the value drops! So, I’m just a bit confused and concerned. AUP also seems to catch up fast with their coverage and has an extensive book list in Southeast Asia studies in general as well.

    Your point of view would be very helpful, as always!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 17, 2014 at 10:38 am

      I’d probably go with Routledge!

      Reply
      • Paul says

        October 27, 2014 at 6:16 pm

        Thanks, Karen.

        Reply
  15. Symeon Papa says

    October 18, 2014 at 1:52 am

    Hi Karen,
    Great post. I a my writing a book on leadership and have been approached by Edward Elgar Press. Any comments?
    S.

    Reply
  16. Lynn says

    November 9, 2014 at 5:26 pm

    Hi Karen,

    Thanks for this great post. I am an emerging scholar and appreciate your insights. I have a question about quality of book presses for book chapters. I have an article that I have been struggling to publish and it was invited as a book chapter in an edited volume of an Ashgate publication. How would this be viewed by selection/tenure committees? Is it better to have an “accepted” book chapter or an “under review” peer reviewed article?

    Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 10, 2014 at 9:17 am

      hard to say because what you want is an *accepted* journal article, so the issue is why is your article so hard to publish, and have you done all you can to get feedback on it and revise it? But if the market is looming and you know that you have other material to convert into articles then you might make the judgment that it’s time to cut bait on this piece, get it out, and move on to better stuff that can get into journals.

      Reply
      • Lynn says

        November 19, 2014 at 9:27 pm

        Thanks Karen,

        The article received good reviews from one journal, but it was a top-ranking journal and the editor said, while the reviews were good, they couldn’t accept the article. I made the suggested revisions and submitted to a slightly lower ranking journal and received quite negative reviews. Perhaps I need to be more persistent and try another journal, though it is tempting to just get the piece out and move on to other articles waiting in the back-burner.

        Thanks for your feedback and for all the advice/mentorship you provide.

        Reply
  17. Ahmed Ragab says

    November 18, 2014 at 8:41 am

    Hi Karen, what do you think about IBTauris?

    Reply
  18. Bennett Graff says

    December 18, 2014 at 8:25 am

    As an editor at one of the aforementioned non-university academic presses, I’ll make a few quick points. First, among senior scholars criticism has begun to arise that a number of top university presses have gained a reputation for, in certain senses, lessening the quality of their product. Yale UP has come in for criticism for “commercializing” their books (i.e., making more scholarly works more palatable to non-scholarly audiences). OUP has come in for criticism that with enough positive reviews in hand it will publish, well, anything, to keep its pipeline full. These gripes don’t alter the lock UPs like this have on tenure considerations, but they are there nonetheless. Of course these choices are functions of economic prerogatives, a regular variable in any book publishing decision. A great scholarly work with no commercial viability (too technical; too narrow, etc.) can still get rejected.

    Changing tacks, in my own acquisitions, I generally will not publish anything by junior scholars who require a book publication for tenure. I recognize that my press will not gain them the credit they need for tenure, and in fact the books I often seek are works the market seeks rather than what scholars might be researching–so I prefer to solicit qualified scholars to write on a topic in need of book-length treatment rather than indulge another scholastic treatment of a topic that interests a narrow band of other scholars only. Senior scholars recognize this and thus wisely diversify the publishers with whom they work, not tethering themselves to just the OUPs of this world.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 18, 2014 at 3:23 pm

      This is an incredibly illuminating comment. Thank you, Bennett! Would you be willing to duplicate it on the updated post, “The Status of the Press Matters, Still!”? http://theprofessorisin.com/2014/11/28/evaluating-palgrave-and-other-non-university-presses/

      Reply
  19. Post Ac Ambitions says

    January 11, 2015 at 9:41 am

    Karen,

    This is a great post! I am finishing up my fieldwork and heading into full-on dissertation writing later this year. I’m 95% certain I am going to pursue work outside academia when I finish my PhD. I’ll have to do a year of government service as a condition of a fieldwork grant I have, as a start.

    I definitely intend to see my current research through to book publication though, based on my interest in the puzzle, the work I’ve put into it, and my intention to stay engaged someway in academic research in the future.

    I have not found any resources regarding publishing when you are not based at a university (as phd candidate, postdoc, or AP). Would one reach out to the same presses, despite moving outside the academy? Would the courting process be any different, and would UPs hold the lack of academia affiliation against me?

    Thanks for any feedback!

    Reply
  20. Ellie says

    January 13, 2015 at 10:02 am

    Hi Karen,
    This is certainly an enlightening discussion. I wonder if you (or another reader) could say something about publishing a (first) monograph with a journal supplement series, and what kind of impact this might have (I assume much smaller readership etc., but also the potential for a more niche study to be published?).

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 14, 2015 at 9:10 am

      I don’t know what a journal supplement series is.

      Reply
      • Ellie says

        January 14, 2015 at 1:04 pm

        Perhaps this is a very field specific thing, then? (Or a UK/EU thing?) What I mean is monographs (or conference proceedings) published under the auspice of a journal, as sort of a special edition.

        I am guessing, since you’ve not heard of it, that it’s probably not ideal for a US tenure case – (I am UK based and have not yet decided if I will go on the US market or not, so… I am trying to keep all doors open at this stage).

        Thanks.

        Reply
  21. Peter Brennan says

    January 20, 2015 at 8:54 am

    I was thinking of publishing with the American University in Cairo Press . Do you think that this would be ok or this will be a downfall for my aspiration to academic career. I would appreciate your response.

    Reply
  22. Marina says

    March 14, 2015 at 7:30 am

    Besides the tips you mentioned, Karen, my approach involved looking up the profiles of influential scholars in my field and seeing which publishers they chose for their books, especially their first monograph. This has expanded my list of publishers to approach for my book.

    Reply
  23. Pinar says

    March 20, 2015 at 10:12 am

    Hello! I am in the process of sending my work out. I was approached by Pickering & Chatto Publishers. Do you know anything about this publishing house? They are running a series that I am interested in (Religion, Architecture and Visual Culture). I wonder if I should submit to them or not. Thanks for your help!

    Reply
  24. Luke says

    July 26, 2015 at 8:07 am

    Hello,

    Do you have any thoughts on the Royal Historical Society’s ‘Studies in History’ series? It looks like it would be good to publish with, but how would a publication in it be received?

    http://royalhistsoc.org/publications/studies-history/

    Luke

    Reply
  25. daniela pasqualini says

    November 9, 2015 at 8:55 am

    Hallo, what about Transcript Verlag?

    Reply
  26. Publius says

    May 10, 2016 at 2:07 pm

    I am working on my second book on the law after taking a long break from academia to practice the law. My first book was published in 2001 by Lexington Books – basically an unrevised version of my dissertation. My second book was sent out by CUP, got one stellar review, and one nasty negative review and they rejected it. It’s very hard for me to get taken seriously I think because of my strange background. Palgrave wants to send it out but most rejections from the other university presses. Should I go with Palgrave? I guess it’s better than Lexington Books.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      May 11, 2016 at 10:37 am

      it’s definitely better than lexington books! It’s worth considering!

      Reply
      • wasis says

        September 6, 2016 at 11:05 pm

        I agree with Karen , because your book already publish by Lexinton press, I believe they will gladly to publish your second book.

        Reply
  27. TT says

    March 4, 2017 at 3:13 am

    Hi Karen,

    Edinburgh University Press has expressed strong interest in publishing my manuscript, but I was told this was only mediocre, and comparable to Palgrave. So my question is (1) Assuming I can’t get into a top university press, is a lower-ranked university press better than a non-university press? (2) Is no book better than a book in a mediocre press?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      March 6, 2017 at 11:51 am

      I’m not an expert in UK-based presses, so I can’t give a concrete answer, and AGAIN i want to reiterate the point that the status of the press is always dependent on its strength in specific fields. But in general I’d surmise that a univ. press is better than Palgrave, and either of those presses would be very serviceable, even if not top ranked, and a book with them will be infintely better than no book.

      Reply
    • Daniel McKay says

      February 24, 2020 at 9:54 am

      I can shed some light on academic publishing in the UK. It’s quite simple, really. Just go with the following rough and ready standard:

      Top-level: Oxford UP & Cambridge UP. As you knew already, of course!
      (Head and shoulders above any commercial publisher, needless to say).

      Mid-level: Edinburgh UP & Manchester UP. Solidly respectable. (Noticeably better than a commercial publisher and worth the extra effort their standards might demand of an author).

      Lower-mid level: Liverpool UP & University of Wales Press.
      (On a par with Routledge, SAGE, Palgrave Macmillan, et. al.).

      Low-level: Doesn’t really exist.
      (BEWARE: Cambridge Scholars Publishing is not affiliated with Cambridge UP and is very slipshod. It is decidedly at the inferior end of the spectrum when it comes to commercial presses. Though I’d stop short of calling it a ‘predatory press,’ it doesn’t do anyone’s CV any good and I’m ashamed that it originates in the UK).

      As you see, it’s relatively easier to make these value judgements in the UK because the publishing sector is so different in comparison to the USA. Unlike in the USA, there just aren’t that many university presses. Perhaps for that reason, I’ve noticed quite a few academics publishing with commercial outlets (but it could also be because they have quicker turnaround times – maybe?). Routledge and Palgrave Macmillan are the usual suspects here. Likewise, Bloomsbury Publishing is expanding and seems to have an ambitious agenda. Keep in mind, too, that there are a few venerable old commercial presses that are deeply respected by highly politicized communities of scholars. Think Virago Press for women’s writing and / or feminism; or Pluto Press for working class and / or radical left-wing scholarship (both London-headquartered). A book contract with either of these presses would send an unequivocal signal as to one’s political leanings.

      Reply
      • Karen Kelsky says

        February 26, 2020 at 5:11 pm

        Thanks for this! Very helpful indeed.

        Reply
        • Marja says

          March 9, 2021 at 4:54 am

          Hi Karen,

          I have finished my dissertation at Leiden University in the field of humanities. Now Leiden University press told me that they might want to publish my book and also allow me to share the pdf of the dissertation open access now – which is great.

          I was wondering if you could tell me if it’s seen as somewhat less prestigious to publish your book with your own university’s press?

          Also, I think publishing with this press would go quickly which means I can also focus on peer-reviewed journal articles. I suspect that if I manage to get a book contract with for instance Cambridge University Press, or OUP, this will definitely take me a year and many revisions. I think such an “A” publisher might be out of reach anyway, but I could possibly end up with a “B” one (I think Leiden University Press would be a C one).

          Fortunately, I already have an assistant professor contract now which is quite secure for a number of years, which means I do not have to apply for jobs right now.

          I know it’s a personal decision, but would you advice to spend more than a year to get the book published with a publisher that might be ranked just a little bit higher?

          The open access, quick process, plus the (expected) low price of the published book (which increases the chances of it being read) are such great (academic and societal) benefits of publishing with LUP that I think I would focus on the wrong things by ignoring all of that just to aim to publish it with a higher-ranked publisher. What would your advice be?

          Reply
  28. Anonymous says

    February 17, 2018 at 2:14 pm

    There were many academics who published monographs using Brill and the like. The reviewers are still going to be distinguished scholars, so if your piece is reviewed favorably and recommended for publication, there is no reason to avoid Brill. The fact that one has to use a university press to receive tenure is a myth, given the current status quo in academia. University presses have their own agenda…

    Reply
  29. JJ says

    August 3, 2018 at 5:09 pm

    Note: I just bought your book but am going to post a very long comment here in the hopes that you might shed some light on my conundrum.

    Dear Karen,

    In 2016, I completed a dissertation at Yale that looked at the activities of an obscure group of Italian monks and made broader claims about the demise of monasticism and the rise of persecution in EM Europe (bear with me, it’s semi-relevant). My readers agreed it should be published with revisions. In 2017 I took a postdoc that required me to work on an advanced digital project virtually nonstop so I did no revising. I submitted MS proposals to about 6 top-tier presses which were all rejected. One wrote that the work was “too narrow”. In 2018 I spent about 4 months revising the work, at which point my postdoc advisor said that I was dispensing with too much of my original research and suggested I send it to Brepols (which to me is an excellent press in the field of early modern/Renaissance studies/religion). Brepols has now offered to publish the work with minor revisions and seems raring to go. The University of Toronto press also expressed interest, but they will not commit to anything without a fully revised MS and an authorly subvention of $3000. Moreover, their roster of works does not seem as good as Brepols. I have not yet sent the proposal to 2nd-tier presses in part because I do not have a revised MS to send in if they ask for it and in part because I am confused about precisely what kinds of revisions are required.

    Job market season is almost upon us, and I am concerned and anguished for several reasons. First, I am a considerably older candidate than most. Second, the academic field of early modern Europe is shrinking rapidly and jobs are incredibly scarce. Third, even though in 2018 I was a better candidate than in 2017, I didn’t get any interviews. A few more wrinkles: what few vacancies have recently opened for Early Modern Europeanists all seek projects with a global focus. I have a second project with a very global focus that is already getting me some traction in the postdoc market. I am so exhausted from working on so many fronts for so long that part of me is inclined to simply go with Brepols and apply my energies in this new direction. My Canadian postdoc advisor recommends going with Brepols, saying that having a published book will make me a strong candidate. But one of my American dissertation advisors, who I think has more of my best interests at heart than my postdoc advisor, says that Brepols won’t ‘count’ with tenure review committees. The clock is ticking and I don’t know if I have another 6 months of revising and submitting to 2nd-tier presses in me. Moreover, it feels as if even if I write the most learned and groundbreaking work on monasticism/persecution ever written, it still may not appear marketable to presses or open doors for me on the job market. Can you weigh in on any of this? I would be extremely grateful!

    Reply
    • Anon says

      May 20, 2020 at 5:07 pm

      What is “an authorly subvention of $3000”?

      Reply
  30. J.J. says

    February 17, 2019 at 2:56 am

    Palgrave rules!!!!!

    Reply
  31. Paolo says

    March 11, 2019 at 4:52 pm

    Hi!

    I got my PhD in 2017 from Sapienza in Indology. I am now revising my thesis on Tantric studies. I am approaching SUNY press because it has a Tantric series of very high level studies. Which is the North American market for Tantric/South Asian religious studies?

    Reply
  32. inquiry about edited volume says

    July 23, 2019 at 7:02 pm

    HI
    My first anthropology research article from my dissertation work has been accepted for an edited volume, but the editors are considering sending the volume to Palgrave. Should I be concerned about this? I’m also searching for full time teaching positions at the moment and concerned whether publication with Palgrave would have any impact on this. Should I send the article to a journal instead? Any suggestions would be helpful.

    Reply
    • Karen Kelsky says

      July 23, 2019 at 7:51 pm

      It’s not ideal… are the editors already employed and tenured? Palgrave isn’t terrible by any means, but it’s not competitive at the elite R1 levels…

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Sunday Link Encyclopedia and Self-Promotion « Clarissa's Blog says:
    September 23, 2012 at 8:23 pm

    […] Does the status of the press where you publish your book matter? Of course, now I need somebody to teach me how to choose a good press. […]

    Reply
  2. Mine Your Bookshelf to Choose a University Press | Katelyn Knox says:
    November 4, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    […] For the moment, eliminate books published with trade presses (Routledge, Sage, Lexington) unless you know for a fact that these presses have prestigious series in your field. (See Karen Kelsky on why university press prestige matters). […]

    Reply

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