Author Submissions

The University of Toledo Press is interested in publishing books directed at the academic and artistic readers, primarily of the Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan regions. Some of the titles published in the past include such topics as local history, cultural history, poetry collections, chapbooks by area poets, curations of first-hand accounts regarding historical events, and photography books. Currently, we are no longer accepting poetry submissions.

Our authors range from those steeped in academic traditions to those who have taken up writing as a creative footnote to their full-time professions, and in some cases as their full profession.

*As of yet, the U Toledo Press has not published original fiction, historical fiction, or autobiography, among other genres. This does not exclude these materials, though we would definitely be selective on undertaking a fresh genre of publication.

STEP 1:

Creating a Proposal

As a publisher based in the University of Toledo, not every manuscript and style is going to be a perfect fit for us based solely on the grounds of being a Toledo author or writing on a topic concerning Toledo. This is where the first step of creating a proposal is integral to moving forward with the process. The primary goal of the proposal should be focused on proving to the University of Toledo Press that your particular manuscript is a good fit for us.

Some questions to consider answering for us in your proposal:

  • What is the primary focus of your manuscript?
  • What do you hope to accomplish with your potential publication?
  • Why is your manuscript an original contribution to the field, and why does this contribution matter?
  • What is the story you are hoping to tell? What problems are you hoping to solve? Why does this untold story or unsolved problem matter?
  • How will you go about your material presentation?

As a potential publication, the audience for your manuscript is also important to keep in mind. Consider:

  • Is your manuscript geared towards a learned, specialist community, or towards a general audience?
  • Would this publication be valuable to students or educators?
  • Is it focused on a broad field or a specific area within a field?
  • How far have you come in your manuscript draft? Is it completed, a work in progress, or only a concept?

Not all of the questions necessarily have to be answered to be considered, but generally the more complete your answers, the more engaged and compelling your idea will be to us, and in turn, your potential reader.

Some other materials you should include other than those above are:

  • Your own qualifications regarding your expertise on your topic. Past publications, research, education, or experience you have garnered on your proposed topic. Essentially, the solid reasons as to why you and your manuscript are the right combination for us.
  • An outline or table of contents with brief descriptions or summaries for the content of each chapter.
  • The estimated or intended length of the finished manuscript.
  • An idea of the types of illustrations that you wish to include or forgo.
  • The amount of time you will need to write or finish writing your manuscript, or if you already have a draft completed.

Aside from these guidelines, you will also want to have a look at the Author Submission/Acceptance Policy, which can be found at the bottom of this page.

STEP 2:

Submitting the Proposal to the University of Toledo Press

For your convenience, here is a comprehensive list of materials we would typically receive:

  • Cover letter containing answers to the previously mentioned questions, as well as your contact information.
  • The outline and/or table of contents for your manuscript in progress with short descriptions of each point.
  • Approximate count of photographs or line drawings intended for inclusion, as well as duplicates of some sample materials. (No originals, as they will not be returned.)
  • Sample chapters or manuscript draft. (Again, no originals, as they will not be returned.)
  • A curriculum vitae containing essentially your education, any past publications, experience, or any other materials relevant as to why you're qualified to be working on your manuscript's topic.

All submissions should be in .doc or .pdf and should be emailed to utoledopress@utoledo.edu. Include your name and contact information so that we may reach you in regards to the submission. All submissions should be in .doc or .pdf formats if possible.

Alternatively, physical manuscripts can be delivered to:

The University of Toledo Press Office
Mail Stop #509
The University of Toledo
2801 W. Bancroft St.
Toledo OH 43606

Please direct any questions to: 
utoledopress@utoledo.edu
419-530-2311

Once your manuscript has been submitted we will contact you to let you know we have received it. We will also provide information regarding the acceptance process. Please review the Author Submission/Acceptance Policy below for information regarding our publishing process and policy.

We look forward to hearing from you and appreciate your interest and support!

Author Submission/Acceptance Policy

Once a submission has been made and the manuscript has been accepted:

  1. The Author agrees to provide the Publisher with two hard copies of the finished manuscript, and a copy in electronic form on disk in Microsoft Word, satisfactory in form and content to the Publisher and to the Publisher's Editorial Board. The Publisher will require revision of the manuscript (for example, to meet recognized scholarly criteria). Should the Author be unwilling or fail to make any such revisions, the Publisher will have the right to terminate this Agreement by notice in writing.
  2. Illustrations. The Author agrees to deliver at no cost to the Publisher by a time determined by the Publisher such photographs, drawings, diagrams, maps, graphs, or charts as the Publisher deems necessary, prepared according to specifications provided. The Publisher reserves the right to reject illustrative material that has not, in the Publisher's view, been prepared properly or that the Publisher considers unnecessary or undesirable for financial or editorial reasons.
  3. Permissions. Pursuant to the guarantee of Article 2, the Author agrees to deliver along with the illustrations to the Publisher written authorizations for the use of any third-party copyright material, both text and images, included in the Work, or any other material for which an authorization is necessary; and the Author agrees to pay all fees required for the use of such material in advance of publication of the Work. Authorizations required by this Section will be sufficient for the Publisher to exercise any and all rights granted to it by the terms of this Agreement.

Delivery of Manuscript:

  1. The Author agrees to deliver the completed manuscript to the Publisher in a condition satisfactory to the Publisher as to content, form, and length.
  2. If in the Publisher's opinion, the delivered manuscript needs to be revised by the date specified in this Section, the Publisher may (i) make other arrangements to complete the Work and charge the reasonable costs of such arrangements to any sums due to Author, or (ii) terminate this Agreement and recover from the Author any monies paid to or on behalf of the Author in connection with the Work and in such event the Publisher will have no further obligation or liability to the Author.
  3. If Author is an employee of Publisher, any amounts owed to Publisher under the terms of this Agreement, unless explicitly provided for herein, will be deducted from Author's paycheck(s). Author hereby consents to an employee authorized deduction in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code.

Editing, Indexing, and Proofreading:

  1. If in the Publisher's opinion the finished manuscript needs to be revised or retyped, or illustrations redrawn or otherwise adapted, the Publisher will notify the Author and the Author will have the option of appropriately revising the material or commissioning the Publisher to have it revised. If the second course is followed, unless agreement is reached to the contrary, any costs incurred in the revision will be charged against the Author's future royalties. In any revision which may be undertaken before the Work goes into production, the Author agrees not to add to the length of the manuscript or the number of illustrations without the Publisher's consent.
  2. The Publisher reserves the right to make such editorial revisions as in the Publisher's opinion will be necessary to make the Work suitable for publication. Such revisions may address, among other things, consistency of style, correction of grammar or spelling, or greater readability. The Publisher follows the principles of the Chicago Manual of Style.
  3. The Publisher will advise the Author in the event the Publisher undertakes substantial changes affecting the content of the Work. The Author will be provided a copy of the copyedited manuscript before typesetting begins, and agrees to provide suggested revisions to the Publisher within 15 days. If the Author does not return the copyedited manuscript within such time, the Publisher will have the right to cancel this Agreement by notice in writing and charge the Author for costs incurred to that point. Should the Author wish to undertake what the Publisher considers substantial revision of the manuscript at this point, the Author will be responsible for retyping and proofreading the revised manuscript and for any costs incurred in reediting a substantially revised manuscript. It is understood that in returning the copyedited manuscript that the Author approves it for typesetting.
  4. Author Alterations. After the manuscript has been accepted and moves into the editing process, only essential changes of fact or correction of error on behalf of the author will be considered.
  5. The Author agrees to prepare and deliver the copy for an index satisfactory to the Publisher. The index will be delivered in electronic form. If the Author fails to deliver the index as requested or if the Publisher deems the index is inadequate, the Publisher will be free to have an index prepared at the Author's expense.

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2801 W. Bancroft MS 509
Toledo, Ohio 43606

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