Submissions Guidelines
Deciding to Publish with SUNY Press
As an international publisher of academic research, SUNY Press sponsors nationally recognized and growing lists within our areas of scholarly focus in the humanities and social sciences. Through our Excelsior Editions imprint, we also publish books for all readers on the history, culture, society, and environment of New York and its surrounding states, as well as works of general interest related to our areas of scholarly focus. If you are a prospective author with a book project relevant to our current areas of acquisitions, please follow the guidelines below to submit your work.
How to Submit a Book Proposal
For your initial submission, please send a proposal rather than the complete manuscript, and include the following in your proposal:
- Cover letter
- Statement of the purpose, scope, and market for your project
- Brief abstract (about 150 words)
- Table of contents
- Chapter-by-chapter outline
- Description of any illustrations (figures, tables, photos, etc.)
- Timeline for completion
- List of competing titles, if any, or discussion of relevant completing/complementary literature
- Indicate any chapters which are previously published, if any
- Your current curriculum vitae or resume with complete contact information
- If the work is an edited volume, a list of contributors and their affiliations
Please send an introduction and/or other sample chapter if one is ready and available.
Please do not send a full-length manuscript until invited to do so by one of our Acquisitions Editors.
Please address all of your materials to only one editor listed in our Staff Directory. This editor will review your materials or pass them on to another editor if appropriate. Submissions sent by ground mail should be labeled as follows:
[Editor’s name]
SUNY Press
22 Corporate Woods Boulevard., 3rd Floor
Albany, NY 12211-2504
USA
We make every effort to review proposals in a timely manner. Because we receive hundreds of book proposals every year, it can take several weeks for us to respond.
Simultaneous Submission Policy
SUNY Press does not review manuscripts currently under review with another publisher. Once you have been invited by an editor to submit your complete manuscript we ask for exclusive review. For complete instructions on submitting review manuscripts, please see our Acquisitions Guide.
What We Do Not Publish
SUNY Press does not publish unrevised dissertations. We do, however, consider book proposals that have their origins in dissertation research and are suitably revised. We recommend The Thesis and the Book: A Guide for First-Time Academic Authors, 2nd edition, edited by Eleanor Harman et al., From Dissertation to Book by William Germano, and Revising Your Dissertation: Advice from Leading Editors, 2nd edition, edited by Beth Luey.
The Publication Process
Click on the link above to read about our review process.
