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Submitting a proposal

We at the University of Missouri Press are a dynamic scholarly publisher of a range of subject lists, with a focus on American History (esp. U.S. Military, African American, Political), Journalism, Political Science, Missouri History and Regional Studies, and Literary Criticism (gen. American and British). We are, though, happy to consider inquiries regarding work in any area of the humanities or natural history.

Note: We do not publish poetry, original novels, fiction, or memoirs. Complete manuscripts should not be sent unless invited.

If you would like to submit a book proposal for our consideration, please send it to:

Andrew J. Davidson

Editor in Chief
University of Missouri Press
113 Heinkel Building
201 S. 7th Street
Columbia, MO 65211-1344
573-882-9997
davidsonaj@missouri.edu

A well-written book proposal should include:

  • a description of the overall concept and rationale
  • a good sense of the readership and market, including similar or potentially competing works
  • a table of contents with a brief, chapter-by-chapter description
  • expected page length and word count (in Word, 12-pt, double-spaced) and number of illustrations
  • an introduction and one sample chapter if available
  • schedule for completion of the manuscript
  • a recent CV that includes the author’s publishing history

Please do not send a completed manuscript unless invited.

Due to the volume of unsolicited proposals we receive each week it may take us as long as 6 weeks to get back to you.

Book Publishing Process Map: Provides a broad overview of the steps we undertake to publish a book.

Acquisitions Resources

Manuscript Preparation Guidelines: Instructions for formatting your manuscript and images.

Citation Style Guidelines: Instructions and examples of our house citation style.

Permission Request Form for Images: Use this template when writing to a copyright holder to request permission to reprint images.

Permission Request Form for Text: Use this template when writing to a copyright holder to request permission to reprint text.

Permissions Log (Word): Authors are required to fill out this document (in Word or Excel) in order to track permission requests for art and reprinted text.

Permissions Log (Excel): Authors are required to fill out this document (in Word or Excel) in order to track permission requests for art and reprinted text.

Marketing Resources

Guide to Marketing and Promotion: An overview of marketing and promotions and advice on what authors can do to promote their book.

Support the Press

We appreciate the support of our patrons. For information about how to give to the Press, please visit our Support the Press page.