University press
The University of North Carolina Press
Academic, History, Nonfiction
Published Updated Reviewed every month · next review November 2026
About UNC Press
UNC Press is open to nonfiction proposals from unagented authors. You email a cover letter, CV and proposal to the right acquisitions editor, and replies usually come in 1 to 2 weeks.
The University of North Carolina Press is the university press of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, located at 116 South Boundary Street in Chapel Hill. It publishes nonfiction for scholarly and general readers across many genres and subject areas. Its current acquiring areas appear on the Meet Our Editorial Staff page, and proposals should explain how a book fits a specific area or series the press acquires.
Submissions go by email to the acquisitions editor who best fits your subject. You send a cover letter, CV and proposal with a narrative description, audience, competing titles, fit, estimated length and chapter outline. An introduction and one sample chapter help. Replies usually come in 1 to 2 weeks. Send a full manuscript only when invited. Simultaneous submissions are considered case by case, and the press does not take subventions directly from authors.
What UNC Press is looking for
- Nonfiction for scholarly and general readers
- Books in the acquiring areas on the Meet Our Editorial Staff page
- Projects that fit a specific area or series the press acquires
- Proposals with estimated page and word counts and a chapter outline
Publishes
- Academic
- History
- Nonfiction
Specialties
- University press list
How to submit to UNC Press
From its own guidelines- Identify the acquisitions editor most suited to your subject.
- Write a cover letter and proposal covering description, audience, competing titles, fit, length and chapter outline.
- Email the proposal with your CV, adding an introduction and sample chapter if you have them.
- Send the full manuscript as one digital file only when an editor invites it.
Is UNC Press right for your book?
A good fit if
UNC Press suits scholars and nonfiction writers with a project that fits one of its acquiring areas or series and who are ready to pitch a specific editor.
Look elsewhere if
Look elsewhere if you write original fiction, poetry, drama or festschriften, or if your work is AI-generated. Do not send a complete manuscript unless an editor invites it.
Questions about UNC Press
Does UNC Press accept unsolicited manuscripts?
UNC Press accepts unsolicited nonfiction proposals from unagented authors, but not complete manuscripts unless an editor invites them. You email a cover letter, CV and proposal to the acquisitions editor who fits your subject. The press does not publish original fiction, poetry, drama or festschriften, and it does not accept AI-generated writing or subventions directly from authors.
How do I submit to UNC Press?
You email the acquisitions editor most suited to your subject. Include a cover letter, CV and proposal with a narrative description, audience, competing titles, fit with a list or series, estimated length and chapter outline. An introduction and one sample chapter help. Send the full manuscript, one MS Word file preferred, only when invited. Phone inquiries are not returned.
How long does UNC Press take to reply?
UNC Press usually replies to proposals in 1 to 2 weeks. If an editor likes the project, the press may invite the full manuscript. Recommended manuscripts then need written support from at least two outside peer reviewers before the Board approves them. The press considers simultaneous submissions case by case, so tell the editor if you are sending the proposal elsewhere.
Listing history
- Checked on the publisher's own site
