I’m a creative writer. Will university presses look at my poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction manuscripts, and how should I go about submitting them?
Many university presses do this! The University of Akron Press, the University of Georgia Press, and Yale University Press have all had National Book Award finalists in creative genres in the last two years. Particularly if you are looking to publish experimental work, translated work, or poetry or short stories, some university presses have longstanding commitments to these genres that outstrip the investment you’ll see from large commercial presses (especially a group of major publishers based in New York City known as the Big 5 consisting of Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster). On the flip side, if you’re writing genre fiction (think romance or thrillers or anything in upmarket book-club style), you may be less likely to find a home at a university press. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions, as some university presses do publish regionally situated or translated fiction. Researching the presses you’re interested in publishing with will help you understand the parameters of their interests.
The advantage of submitting creative work to university presses is that many do not expect you to have an agent. Several have specific open submission periods or contests for various genres. Some may be looking for books appealing in their local markets (see “What is regional publishing, and what does it mean to university presses?”). Each press may have its own parameters or focal points, but most would like to see a full book proposal that includes a pitch letter, comparable titles, and your sense of the book’s prospective readership.
If you do have a literary agent you might find that they are reluctant to pitch your book to a university press, likely because UPs tend to be mission-oriented instead of profit-oriented. Fewer dollars tend to change hands, which leaves an agent with an even smaller commission. This is only a generalization, and many compelling counterexamples and approaches can be found.
—Texas Tech University Press, December 2024
Also of interest: How do I know if I need an agent to represent my book?