A guide to English university presses in Canada
Half the battle in getting your book manuscript or revised dissertation published is choosing the right publisher
You’ve slaved over it at the expense of sleep, health and any semblance of a personal life.
You’ve given the passage that closes Chapter 6 one last tweak and your RA finally dug up the elusive reference to that footnote that bedeviled you for months.
Your manuscript is complete. All you need now is a scholarly publisher that cares as much about Byzantine hermeneutics as you do, and the final piece of your tenure-track puzzle will fall into place.
But which of Canada’s nine English-language university presses will be interested? What’s more, which one can you trust with your most important piece of scholarship to date?
The relationship between an academic author and his or her scholarly publisher is a critical one. It represents a considerable investment of scarce time, energy and resources on both sides.
So it is of paramount importance that before making contact with a publisher, authors of scholarly works determine which university press is best suited to their subject matter, production needs and marketing requirements.
In order to help you navigate this tough decision, we’ve created a guide to Canada’s English-language university presses, including, where available, links to or descriptions of their subject niches, links to their submission and production guidelines, recent releases, marketing and sales programs, and “contact us” pages.
University of Toronto Press (UTP)
University of Toronto Press is the largest scholarly publisher in Canada and one of the largest in North America, with about 140 new titles released each year and a backlist of about 1,000 books maintained in print.
The press publishes scholarly, reference and general interest titles in an array of disciplines.
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For a list of editors by subject focus,
click here.
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For the UTP author handbook, including submission guidelines,
click here.
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McGill-Queen's University Press (MQUP)
McGill-Queen's University Press has offices in Montreal and Kingston, and with some 1800 titles in print.
The press publishes general interest titles and well-researched studies in many disciplines.
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For the MQUP author handbook, including submission guidelines,
click here.
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To learn what the MQUP marketing and sales team can do for you,
click here. For the MQUP Blog,
click here.
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University of British Columbia Press (UBCP)
University of British Colombia Press is the largest university publisher in Western Canada publishing around 50 books annually, with some 500 titles currently in print.
The press publishes scholarly, trade, text and reference books in many disciplines, as well as a number of series.
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For a list of editors by subject focus,
click here.
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For the UBCP author handbook, including submission guidelines,
click here.
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To learn what the UBCP marketing and sales team can do for you,
click here.
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Wilfrid Laurier Press (WLP)
Wilfrid Laurier Press publishes around 30 scholarly books per year and has some 220 titles in print.
The press specializes in history, literature, sociology, social work, life writing, film and media studies, aboriginal studies, women’s studies, philosophy, and religious studies.
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For the WLP author handbook, including submission guidelines,
click here.
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To learn what the marketing and sales team can do for you,
click here. For the WLP Blog,
click here.
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University of Ottawa Press (UOP)
University of Ottawa Press is the only bilingual university press in Canada.
The press publishes within and outside of its many collections, in such topics areas as Canadian Studies, history, and literature, education, religion, cultural transfers and translation.
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For UOP submission guidelines and to contact the acquisitions editor,
click here.
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For the latest UOP catalogue,
click here (see link in top left corner for PDF version).
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For general contact information, including for the marketing officer,
click here.
University of Calgary Press (UCP)
University of Calgary Press publishes scholarly and non-fiction trade books and journals.
The press specializes in the geographic region spanning the Canadian Northwest and American West, including the mountain regions and Great Plains, World Heritage sites and Latin America. It also seeks works that challenge conventional thought in art and architecture.
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For the UCP author handbook, including submission guidelines,
click here.
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To learn what the UCP marketing and sales team can do for you,
click here.
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University of Alberta Press (UAP)
University of Alberta Press publishes scholarly work and serious nonfiction with a focus on biography, history, language, literature, natural history and books of regional interest.
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For the UAP author handbook, including submission guidelines,
click here.
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For the latest UAP catalogue,
click here. (See link in top left corner for PDF version)
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For general contact information, including for the sales and marketing manager,
click here.
University of Manitoba Press (UMP)
University of Manitoba Press publishes between five and eight books a year and is able to devote considerable attention to each of its titles.
Athabasca University Press (AUP)
Athabasca University Press is a new press and the first in Canada dedicated to open access publication. While AU publications are freely readable on the press’s website, print versions are also available for sale.
The press promotes neglected forms such as diary, memoir and oral history and also publishes websites (under its imprint) with content that has scholarly parameters and standards.
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For the AUP author handbook, including submission guidelines,
click here.
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To learn what the marketing and sales team can do for you,
click here (PDF) and scroll to page 9.
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