University press
University of California Press
Nonfiction, Academic
Published Updated Reviewed every month · next review November 2026
About UC Press
UC Press is open to book proposals, and you do not need an agent. Email a single query to one acquisitions editor with a description, CV, proposal and one or two sample chapters if available. Editors aim to reply in 8 to 10 weeks.
UC Press, the University of California Press, is a university press based in Oakland, California. It is part of the University of California. It publishes scholarly nonfiction across the disciplines listed on its Acquisitions Editors page, from African Studies to Technology Studies. It generally does not publish new fiction, poetry or children’s books, nor works of religious inspiration or revelation.
Submissions go by email to one acquisitions editor whose area fits your project. Put a description of the book and its audience in the body of a single email, then attach your CV, proposal and sample chapters, with any illustrations in a separate PDF. Do not send a fully drafted manuscript at this stage. Review the press AI guidelines before you submit. Editors aim to respond in 8 to 10 weeks.
What UC Press is looking for
- Scholarly books in the disciplines on the Acquisitions Editors page, from African Studies to Technology Studies
- Proposals with a description, chapter outline, illustration plans and audience
- Comparable books, project status and author information in the proposal
- Five to ten suggested peer reviewers
Publishes
- Academic
- Nonfiction
Specialties
- University press list
How to submit to UC Press
From its own guidelines- Check the Acquisitions Editors page to find the editor whose area fits your book.
- Write a single email to that one editor with a description and the audience in the body.
- Attach your CV, proposal and sample chapters, with illustrations as a separate PDF.
- Review the press AI guidelines before you send.
- Follow up if you have not heard back after 10 weeks.
Is UC Press right for your book?
A good fit if
UC Press suits scholars with a book project in one of its listed disciplines who are ready to send a full proposal and sample chapters.
Look elsewhere if
Look elsewhere if you write fiction, poetry, children's books or autobiography. Festschriften, conference volumes and unrevised dissertations are also not a fit.
Questions about UC Press
Does UC Press accept unsolicited manuscripts?
UC Press accepts unsolicited proposals but not full manuscripts at the query stage. You do not need an agent. Send a single email query to one acquisitions editor with a description, CV, proposal and one or two sample chapters if available. The press does not accept non-digital materials, and fully drafted manuscripts should not be sent with a first query.
How do I submit to UC Press?
Find the acquisitions editor whose area fits your book, then send that editor one email. Describe the book and its audience in the body and attach your CV, proposal and sample chapters. Your proposal should cover the description, chapter outline, illustration plans, audience, comparable books, project status, author information and 5 to 10 suggested peer reviewers.
How long does UC Press take to reply?
UC Press editors aim to respond within 8 to 10 weeks. If you have not heard back after 10 weeks, you can follow up with the editor you contacted. Silence does not mean rejection at UC Press, so a polite follow-up is the next step rather than assuming the answer is no.
Listing history
- Checked on the publisher's own site
