We are delighted you are interested in submitting a book proposal to LUP. Below is a link to our Proposal Submission Form, but before you complete this, please browse our website to ensure we publish in your area. If you have a complete manuscript you would like us to consider, then please complete and submit the proposal form first. We can then evaluate the proposal form and then request the manuscript for review if suitable.
Liverpool University Press Proposal Submission Form
Historic England Proposal Submission Form
Useful Documents
How to revise your dissertation into a book >
Proposal Submission Guidelines >
Author submits book proposal.
Commissioning Editor conducts internal review and external peer review.
Reports are sent to the author for a written response.
All material (proposal, reports and response) presented to Editorial Advisory Board for approval.
On approval by the Editorial Advisory Board, the Commissioning Editor offers a book publishing contract to author.
Author submits manuscript.
Commissioning Editor conducts internal review and external peer review. Reports are sent to the author
for a written response. Commissioning Editor discusses final revisions with author and author submits
final post-review revised manuscript.
Final manuscript handed to LUP's Head of Production for:
- Copy-editing
- Typesetting
- Proof-reading
- Cover design
- Index
- Printing
- E-book conversion (if suitable)
- Storage and distribution
- Reviews
- Social media
- Conferences
- Mailing lists
- Interviews
- Podcasts
- Flyers
For more detailed information about the production and marketing processes for books, please see our Authors under contract page.
Who is your target audience? We publish a variety of subscription model journals in modern languages,
literature, history, culture and religious studies.
Browse the list of LUP journals >
Do you want to publish open access? Paying to publish your paper open access offers the advantage of a large
readership for your work. LUP offers a hybrid OA and subscription model for all journals as well as Modern
Languages Open, an open access initiative with a low fee for authors.
View our OA policy >
Read the 'Guidelines for Contributors' provided on each journal webpage and give careful
consideration to the following when preparing your paper for submission:
- Abstract: summarise, explain and provide the conclusion
- Highlights and keywords: detailed keywords will increase the visibility of your research
- Language quality: poor English is one of the most common reasons for rejection summarise, explain and provide the conclusion
- Supplementary material: enrich your article with videos, graphical abstracts or interactive maps
- Title: not long, not too short and informative!
- Visibility: share your research data online
How to submit your paper differs for each LUP journal, check the webpage for details.
- Editor's decision: The journal editor makes the decision as to whether your paper is suitable for publication.
- Peer-review: If you are successful your paper will be sent for peer-review. This is conducted by experts in your field to check for plagiarism and acts as a filter to ensure only good research is published. It improves the quality of research submitted for publication by giving reviewers the opportunity to suggest improvements.
- Revisions: you will be sent a list of corrections and amendments to make to your paper prior to publication
Your role as author does not end once your article is published!
It is essential to share and promote the link to your article, list it on any online profiles and present your work at conferences. The following are ways to encourage the readership of and citations to your work:
- Altmetric: Discover who is talking about your work with article level metrics and the online conversations around research papers. Learn more >
Remember your article represents you to your peers!
LUP has been a journals publisher for more than 100 years and welcomes the opportunity to partner with journals and societies.
To discuss further please contact Clare Hooper, Head of Journals.
How long does the review process take?
We ask for roughly 3-4 weeks for proposal reports and 6-8 weeks for manuscript reports however the
review process can take longer as it depends on the availability of suitable external reviewers and
fitting in with their schedules.
When is my work peer reviewed?
At book proposal stage (pre contract) and at manuscript stage.
How long does it take from submission of manuscript to published book?
Approximately 10 months however it can take a little longer. The production process includes a
review by our Head of Production, copy-editing, typesetting, proofs, cover design, indexing,
printing and delivery.
What are LUP's style guidelines?
Find more information on this in the author pack, but as long as your style is consistent
throughout then we are flexible.
What am I expected to do during the production process?
Everything is handled by LUP, except the index, which is compiled by the author at proofs stage.
Find more information in the author pack and in our production information section.
I require images to be published in my book. What do I need to know?
LUP can
absorb the cost of black and white images but colour images will require funding. We require images
at a minimum resolution of 300dpi at the size they should be reproduced at. Contact your
commissioning editor for the rights required of images to be reproduced in your book as well as any
other third party material.
Will my book be published in a paperback format? Will it be published as an
e-book?
LUP books are usually published as hardbacks and ebooks in the first instance (the e-book is subject
to the author obtaining permission to reproduce any third party material - text and images - in a
digital publication). Subject to the specification of your book (i.e. length and images), for the
majority of books we publish we offer a 'Paperback Promise', which means a paperback edition of your
book will be published within three years of the hardback being published.
Will my book be available in the US and on display at US conferences?
Yes, Oxford University Press distribute and represent our books in the US, and we can make special
arrangements for books to be displayed, especially if you are attending a conference.
I have some funding. Can this be used to support my book?
Yes, funding can be used in a number of ways e.g. colour plates, to reduce the price of your
book, to pay for a freelance indexer. Contact your commissioning editor to discuss this in further
detail.
My book needs to be Open Access. Can LUP help with this?
LUP are committed to Open Access and have considerable experience in the area. Take a look at our Open Access policies for
more information and contact your commissioning editor to discuss this further.
Can my article be published Open Access?
As a non-commercial university press, Liverpool University Press is committed to Open Access. All
our journals comply with RCUK, Wellcome Trust and other funding agency mandates for Open Access
publication of work they support.
We have been offering a ‘Gold’ Open Access model from 2013, making content available for an Article Processing Charge of £1,250 under a CC-BY license. This fee is payable after an article has been accepted for publication. All of our journals are ‘hybrid’ – offering a standard subscription model alongside an OA Gold option. OA content is published in addition to the usual content. Please see our website for more information on making your article Open Access https://liverpooluniversitypre...
Is there a charge for submitting my paper to Liverpool University Press
journals?
No, there is no charge for submitting a paper to a Liverpool University Press journal, but if the
paper is to be published Open Access under a CC BY license, there is an APC of £1,250.
How long does it take for an article to be published in a Liverpool University Press
journal?
The time from submission to publication varies for each journal. Please contact us at {…} for
more information.
Are articles peer-reviewed?
Yes, all* articles published in Liverpool University Press journals undergo double-blind peer review
which means that both the reviewer and author identities are concealed from the reviewers, and vice
versa, throughout the review process.
* Comma, the chief serial publication of the International Council on Archives, is reviewed at the
ICA.
How do I submit my paper to [X journal]?
Guidelines for contributors are available on each journal homepage https://online.liverpooluniver...
Contact our team
Get in touch with our books editorial team or journals department for more information on submissions.
Authors under contract
If you're already an author, find more useful information in this section.