What is regional publishing?

What is regional publishing and what does it mean for university presses? How do I know if my book fits that mission?

There’s a perception that large university presses have a wide variety of staff and subject areas, resulting in acquisitions lists that aim for the national or global reader while small pressestend to focus on subjects that intersect more directly with their state and/or geographic region. While there may be some truth to that distinction in broad strokes, it doesn’t always hold up in the particulars. This is why conducting research about individual presses, their authors, and their areas of focus is so important for understanding the way publishers carry out their stated missions.

We can think about regional publishing in at least two ways. First, there are the lists, series, or imprints that many UPs maintain to focus specifically on books about the press’s home state, and those areas of focus may make up either a small or large portion of the press’s overall titles. The second way to understand regional publishing is when a press thinks of itself as a primarily regional publisher and may base their general acquisitions approach almost entirely on the state or area where the press is located. This distinction highlights the difference between “regional publishing” and a “regional publisher.” Any university press may engage in regional publishing, and most do, to a certain degree, though books on the local area or state may only comprise a small percentage of their overall titles. However, a press that self-identifies as primarily regional will privilege books about their region, and they tend to be more closely connected to readers in their geographical regions. If your book is likely to have special appeal to readers in a particular area, it can be a smart strategy to target publishers who are mission-bound to serve that readership. Many self-identified regional publishers are among the only book publishers in their state, and they tend to have a more precise sense of the readers therein, as well as deeper ties with sales representatives and bookstores that populate it. Their acquisitions editors would find local connections attractive, as opposed to overly narrow. Marketing folks at a regional publisher might have a clearer idea and more concrete plan for how to get your book in front of the right audience segments.

The regional reader is your friend. In addition to the scholars ensconced at your state’s flagship research institution, there are many more amateur historians, local historians, and hobbyist societies that may be interested in the specific paths of your research. As you consider potential publishers for your manuscript, the single best first step is to spend some time taking measure of your reader and who might best be able to reach them.

—Texas Tech University Press, December 2024