Author Information

Andrews University Press publishes books that make a scholarly and/or professional contribution to their respective fields and are in harmony with the mission of Andrews University. Publication emphases include biblical and theological studies as well as other selected areas of religion, history, humanities, educational philosophy, science, business, and biblical archaeology. Both prospective and current authors will want to note below the stages of consideration and preparation for a forthcoming publication.

Submission Guidelines

Authors may contact Andrews University Press to present concepts and/or proposals for potential publications, though no project is accepted for publication until a complete manuscript has been submitted and undergone consideration. Complete manuscripts may be submitted as desired, though Andrews University Press is not responsible for unsolicited material. Advance communication with the managing editor is recommended. Send an email message to aupress@andrews.edu for more information or to arrange for submission of a manuscript.

Potential authors should submit a curriculum vitae or an equivalent personal description as well as the following information:

Please write a brief yet comprehensive description of your book, including a statement of its purpose (e.g., when and why it was undertaken, its intended use and audience, the contribution to its field and what it attempts to accomplish within that discipline).
Why do you believe it is important that your work be published by Andrews University Press? How does it offer something specific to our mission?
What are some specific books already in print with which yours may compete? What uniqueness and strengths set your book apart from those?
Who are your targeted readers, and why do you believe that this intended audience will invest time and money in this book?
Has this material already been presented in any other media or form? Anything you have previously released should be cited if appearing again even in another format.
Have you double-checked all quotations and citations against their original sources for completeness and correctness of content?
Do you wish to include in your book any material other than text (e.g., charts, graphs, maps, photographs)? In the case that such materials were not originated by you, have you secured permission to use them?
Are there scholars and thought leaders in the field who are already acquainted with your manuscript? Please indicate names and positions.

Review Process

Informal Review
Upon receipt of a project, the manuscript is reviewed by Press staff and/or at least one informal reviewer with expertise in the field. If it is deemed ready for more formal consideration, official reviewers will be sought to read and evaluate the work thoroughly.

Formal Review
Typically about three formal peer reviewers and one in-house reviewer are asked to evaluate a manuscript. Questions such as the following are posed to these reviewers:

Value: Is this manuscript focused with a clear purpose? How important is its topic? Does the manuscript as it stands make a significant original contribution to its field and to the advancement of knowledge? If so, what contribution does it make?
Market: Does this manuscript have enough of a readership to justify publication? What is its primary market? Are there other possible markets? Does the text have potential for course adoption? If published, will the manuscript duplicate or substantially recapitulate any books already in print?
Audience: What is the primary audience for the work? To what extent is it likely to appeal to readers outside its main area of scholarship and to general readers?
Scholarship: Given the purpose of the book, is the documentation adequate and appropriate? Is the scholarship sound and up to date? Discuss any weaknesses.
Style/Organization: Is the manuscript clearly written? Is the length appropriate? Is the discussion well organized?
Editing: Does the manuscript need content editing? Should that editing be minor or extensive? Will the copyediting for grammar, spelling, documentation, etc., be minor or extensive?
Special features: Please note any suggestions regarding illustrations, appendices, and other supporting features that would make the work more accessible to readers.
Revisions: If applicable, please provide suggestions for major revisions. Minor revisions may be noted in the manuscript if desired.
Summary: Briefly describe both the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses.
Recommendation: How important is it that this manuscript be published? Do you recommend that it be published by Andrews University Press? Why or why not?

Depending on the topic of the project, the size of the manuscript, and the time of year, referees are typically allowed one to two months to complete their evaluations. The review process may take longer depending on, among other things, the nature of the project, the availability of referees, and the publishing schedule of the Press.

Acceptance of the Manuscript
When the review process is complete, evaluations are taken to the Andrews University Press Board to be considered alongside other issues such as potential market and publishing costs. After a publishing decision has been made, the author is notified of the acceptance or rejection of the manuscript. In some cases, manuscripts are returned for additional research, revision, or reorganization. If some instructions from the Press staff or comments from the peer review evaluations are not addressed by the author, an explanation as to why must accompany the resubmitted manuscript. Occasionally manuscripts are reviewed a second time if major revisions have been requested of the author or if it is felt that more evaluations are needed in order to make a publishing decision. Manuscripts are rejected if the Press finds them either unsuitable to its purposes or financially unfeasible for the Press to publish.

Upon final acceptance of a manuscript, the author will sign an official agreement with the Press. The contract, officially titled the “Agreement for Publication,” includes statements such as these:

Author guarantees and represents that Author is the sole writer and proprietor of Work, except where differently stated and indicated by proper credit in Work itself.
Author guarantees and represents either (a) that Work has not been previously published and that Author owns the rights to be granted to Publisher, or (b) that Author has disclosed in writing to Publisher any and all former publication(s) and has obtained the necessary licenses or permissions required for republication pursuant to this Agreement.
Author guarantees and represents that neither Work nor entering into this Agreement will impair or violate anyone’s rights including, but not limited to, rights of privacy, rights of publicity, libel, infringement of copyright, or any other rights. Author further guarantees and represents that all statements of fact in Work are true and based on appropriate and diligent research.
Unless otherwise arranged, Publisher agrees to bear all the expense of editing, copyediting, typesetting, printing, binding, e-book conversion, and other items incident to the manufacture of Work and to assume all responsibility for its publication.
Publisher agrees to imprint a proper United States copyright notice in each published copy of Work and shall register said copyright in the United States. The copyright will be owned and registered in the name of Publisher.
Publisher will provide Author with the edited manuscript for review before and/or after copyediting and agrees not to make substantive changes to the content of Work without Author’s approval. Work will be edited according to the style Publisher deems most appropriate so as to ensure factual and grammatical accuracy.