Submission Guidelines

What We Publish

The University of South Carolina Press publishes original works of outstanding scholarship in print and digital formats in the fields of Southern history, African American studies, civil rights, rhetoric and communication, literary studies, and veterans and armed forces in society. USC Press also publishes a dynamic list of regional general interest nonfiction titles addressing South Carolina and the American South. These offerings appeal to a range of audiences, including scholars, students, and the public. All projects undergo rigorous external peer review and must be approved by the Press Committee before publication.

How to Submit Your Proposal

To have a project considered by USC Press, please submit a book proposal as one or more Word documents to USCPressSubmissions@sc.edu. We do not accept paper submissions.

• For scholarly and general interest Southern history, African American studies, and civil rights, address your proposal to Ehren Foley, acquisitions editor.
• For literary studies, rhetoric/communication, and regional general interest, address your proposal to Aurora Bell, associate editorial director.
• For veterans and armed forces in society, and general interest books about music, address your proposal to Michael J. McGandy, director.

Your proposal should include the following:

• A cover letter that briefly describes the work, including title, purpose, readership, projected word count, and projected date of completion.
• A proposal detailing the scope, purpose, readership, course adoption potential, comparable publications, and preliminary bibliography. Explain what makes this work an original or otherwise compelling contribution to your field, why you are the appropriate person to write it, and how you will promote the book. Also explain how the work fits into USC Press’s publishing list and whether it should be considered for one of our series. Please indicate whether any parts of the work have been previously published.
• A table of contents with brief descriptions of each part and/or chapter.
• A list of images and illustrations, if applicable. (Note that authors are required to secure permissions for all images and illustrations.)
• For partial or complete manuscripts, submit two representative chapters; do not submit the complete manuscript.
• A list of three scholars in your field competent to review your manuscript (do not include current or former colleagues or dissertation committee members). Include email addresses and affiliations and note if any have already read the work.
• Your current CV or résumé.

Please note:

Please allow up to six weeks for USC Press to respond to your proposal. Note that we no longer publish poetry, children's books, fiction, or Festschriften. We thank you for your interest in the University of South Carolina Press and we look forward to hearing from you.

Questions?

Please reach out to one of our acquisition editors.

Aurora Bell: aurorab@mailbox.sc.edu  |  Ehren Foley: ehrenfoley@sc.edu |  Michael J. McGandy: mcgandy@mailbox.sc.edu