Submissions
Open Book Publishers welcome submissions from any field, although we have a particular focus on the Humanities and Social Sciences. We are happy to accept projects that are shorter or longer than the ‘standard’ 80,000 words, and we particularly encourage the submission of publications that are innovative in terms of their format. We have a proven track record of publishing works that take a bold and creative approach to the possibilities of the book in the digital age, and we welcome authors who seek to explore this too. We are happy to accept proposals for projects that are inter- or cross-disciplinary, or that do not fit neatly into conventional subject categories. We are particularly interested in books that take non-European perspectives.
We typically publish between 30-40 books per year, including monographs, edited collections, textbooks and critical translations. We have published books in German and French, as well as parallel translations of works in other languages, but our main focus is on work written in English.
We do not charge our authors a fee to publish with us (also known as a Book Processing Charge) because we do not believe this to be an equitable or sustainable way of funding Open Access publishing. As we are an independent publisher we do not have institutional support, so we have developed an innovative business model that includes our trailblazing Library Membership programme and sales of paperback, hardback and ebook editions (PDF, HTML and XML editions are all freely available). All such income is invested in the publication of new titles. If authors are able to do so, we ask them to apply for funding to defray the costs of publishing their book, but we do not select (or reject) projects on this basis -- decisions about publication are made solely on the outcome of our rigorous peer review process.
For more information about our publishing processes, including how to submit a proposal, visit our information for new authors section.
Calls for Submission
We welcome proposals on any topic of academic study. In addition, we currently have a number of projects that are actively seeking submissons.
Applied Theatre Praxis: Applied Theatre Praxis (ATP) is an OBP series that focuses on Applied Theatre practitioner-researchers who use their rehearsal rooms as "labs”; spaces in which theories are generated, explored and/or experimented with before being implemented in contentious and/or vulnerable contexts. Please send enquiries or submissions to OBP's Managing Editor, Dr Alessandra Tosi.
St Andrews Studies in French History and Culture: Published by the Centre for French History and Culture at the University of St Andrews since 2010 and now in collaboration with Open Book Publishers, this series aims to enhance scholarly understanding of the historical culture of the French-speaking world. It covers the full span of historical themes relating to France: from political history, through military/naval, diplomatic, religious, social, financial, cultural and intellectual history, art and architectural history, to literary culture. Scholars interested in publishing work in this series should contact Dr Alessandra Tosi or, if preferred, Dr Justine Firnhaber-Baker, the editor-in-chief of the series.
Cambridge Semitic Language and Cultures: this is a new book series in collaboration with the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge. This series includes philological and linguistic studies of Semitic languages and editions of Semitic texts. Titles in the series will cover all periods, traditions and methodological approaches to the field. Scholars interested in publishing work in this series should contact Professor Geoffrey Khan.
The Global Qur'an: The Global Qur’an is a new book series that looks at Muslim engagement with the Qur’an in a global perspective. We publish studies that focus on the translation and interpretation of the Qur’an or on the social, cultural, pedagogical, aesthetic, and devotional place of the Qur’an in Muslim societies worldwide. We particularly encourage comparative studies, investigations of transregional dynamics, and interactions between local and global contexts. Contributions from scholars outside Western Europe and North America are especially welcome. Scholars interested in publishing work in this series and submitting their monographs and/or edited collections should contact the General Editor, Johanna Pink.
Global Communications: Global Communications is a new book series that looks beyond national borders to examine current transformations in public communication, journalism and media. Books in this series will focus on the role of communication in the context of global ecological, social, political, economic, and technological challenges in order to help us understand the rapidly changing media environment. Please send enquiries or submissions to OBP's Managing Editor, Dr Alessandra Tosi.
Musicology and Ethnomusicology: We are now accepting proposals for monographs and edited collections in the fields of musicology and ethnomusicology. We have already published innovative titles on these subjects, harnessing the new possibilities of digital publishing—such as embedding musical tracks and videos to match and enhance the text. Please send enquiries or submissions to OBP's Managing Editor, Dr Alessandra Tosi.