Major publishing house
De Gruyter Brill
Academic, Nonfiction
Published Updated Reviewed every month · next review November 2026
About Brill
Brill, now part of De Gruyter Brill, is open to academic book proposals from authors without an agent. Send a proposal with your name, proposed title, aim and scope, estimated length and timeline to the acquisitions editor for your subject, or use the online form. Open access is optional and carries a fee from about 7,000 euros.
Brill is an academic publisher that merged into De Gruyter Brill, a group with main offices in Berlin, Germany and Leiden, Netherlands. It publishes scholarly books across many subject programs, and editors judge each proposal on its fit with a program. Its listed offices include Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Böhlau and Birkhäuser.
Brill publishers read proposals straight from authors. You can write to the acquisitions editor for your subject or use the submission form, which is passed to the right editor. A proposal may go to an outside specialist for peer review, and a contract follows editorial board approval. Open access is offered as an option, with fees for monographs starting at about 7,000 euros plus VAT.
What Brill is looking for
- Scholarly monographs
- Edited and collected volumes
- Books that fit one of its subject programs
- Open access books, as an option
Publishes
- Academic
- Nonfiction
Readers
- Adult
How to submit to Brill
From its own guidelines- Find the acquisitions editor for your subject, or open the submission form.
- Write a proposal with your name, proposed title, aim and scope, estimated length and timeline.
- Send it; the editor checks the fit with the program and may ask an outside specialist to review it.
- Revise as needed; after editorial board approval, a contract is drawn up.
Is Brill right for your book?
A good fit if
Researchers and academics with a scholarly book that fits a defined subject program and can stand up to peer review.
Look elsewhere if
Trade, fiction or general-interest authors, and anyone who wants open access without funding to cover the fee.
Brill imprints
Which take submissions| Imprint | Direct submissions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht | Not stated | Listed office, Göttingen |
| Böhlau | Not stated | Listed office, Vienna and Cologne |
| Birkhäuser | Not stated | Listed office, Basel and Vienna |
Questions about Brill
Does Brill accept book proposals from authors?
Yes. Brill publishers read academic proposals straight from authors, with no agent needed. Send your proposal to the acquisitions editor for your subject area, or use the submission form, which is forwarded to the right editor. Include your name, proposed title, aim and scope, estimated length and a timeline.
Does Brill charge authors to publish?
Not for a standard book, as far as its book pages show. Open access is offered as an option, and for open access monographs and collected volumes its fees start at about 7,000 euros plus VAT, set per manuscript. Ask your institution or funder whether it can cover the charge if you choose that route.
Where is Brill based?
Brill is part of De Gruyter Brill, which names its main offices as Berlin, Germany and Leiden, Netherlands. The company's legal seat is in Berlin. Brill takes proposals from authors around the world, and editors are organized by subject area rather than by country, so contact the editor for your field.
Listing history
- Checked on the publisher's own site
