CMU Press

Submissions

September 2024: Thank you for your interest in CMU Press. We are unable to consider submissions and new acquisitions at the current time. CMU Press is a small publisher, and we have already committed to a number of titles which will keep the Press occupied for approximately the next two years.

When the submissions period is open, CMU Press is interested in manuscripts that fit the mandate of the Press. While academic publications are a central commitment of any university press, we also publish literary and other creative work that is marked by excellence. We do not publish genre writing (romance, horror, etc.), cookbooks, family histories, self-help, or similar categories. We are primarily interested in publishing Canadian authors. Any questions about the suitability of a potential manuscript can be directed to cmupress:@:cmu.ca.

CMU Press is learning and striving to create an inclusive and welcoming space for people of many identities and communities. We affirm the following equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) statement approved by the Senate of Canadian Mennonite University on October 8, 2021.

Canadian Mennonite University is an innovative Christian university, rooted in the Anabaptist faith tradition. CMU is committed to embodying the inclusivity of Jesus Christ’s life and teachings. We are honoured to live, learn, and serve on Treaty 1 Territory, the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe, Cree, and Dakota First Nations and the homeland of the Métis Nation. As an expression of Christian faith and commitment, CMU acknowledges the truth of past harms and ongoing wrongs and seeks active reconciliation with Indigenous communities and people.

Therefore, CMU aims to interrupt and address systemic inequities by creating an anti-oppressive and purposefully inclusive environment across the whole university, including its enrolment, academic, and employment practices. This involves listening to and relating more justly with Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour, 2SLGBTQ+ people, women, people with disabilities, people experiencing economic marginalization, people of diverse faith backgrounds, and all systemically oppressed people. CMU will work continuously toward equity, diversity, and inclusion to foster a flourishing community for all.

The Publication Process

The publication process may begin with the submission of a prospectus, the submission of a manuscript, or as a project which originates with CMU Press. CMU Press remunerates authors with industry-standard royalties.

If your manuscript is under consideration with another publisher, please inform us when you submit your proposal.

CMU Press makes the decision to accept or decline manuscripts, using the standard categories as outlined below:

  • Acceptance
  • Conditional acceptance (with provisions clearly stated)
  • Revise and resubmit (with suggestions clearly stated)
  • Decline

The evaluation and decision-making process is usually completed within six months.

Prospectus

Submissions of book proposals to CMU Press will generally include the following:

  • Description of the work (its main argument, aim, scope, and methodology)
  • Length in double spaced pages and in words
  • Table of contents, annotated
  • Place of the work in the context of other titles in the field
  • Intended audience (including disciplines where appropriate)
  • Biographical statement and curriculum vitae from author
  • Sample chapter(s)
  • Approximate number of illustrations, tables, and figures (if appropriate)

Manuscript

The submission of a completed manuscript generally includes:

  • Main text in final form
  • Pages numbered consecutively (not separately for each chapter)
  • Electronic file in MS Word
  • Introduction or preface (if appropriate)
  • Endnotes (if appropriate)
  • Appendix or glossary (if appropriate)
  • Bibliography, index, tables, maps, graphs, photographs (if appropriate)

CMU Press will follow the MLA Style Guide and/or the Chicago Manual of Style, unless another style manual is appropriate for a particular project. It is the author's responsibility to acquire permissions for cited materials or illustrations.

Basis for Review

CMU Press publishes a small number of titles. Manuscripts or proposals deemed viable by editorial personnel will then be assessed by a minimum of two unbiased peer reviewers who are external to the Press and are paid a modest honorarium for their service. Review is based on questions such as the following:

  1. Does the work make a significant contribution to its field?
  2. Is the manuscript accompanied by a resume of credentials, publications, and awards? Do the author's experience and track record signal solid achievement (or strong potential)?
  3. If an academic work, does the work have a strong main argument?
  4. Is the scholarship up-to-date and sound?
  5. Is the presentation of the work effective and attractive (e.g. in style, organization, length)?
  6. Is the work likely to need extensive editorial work?
  7. If a creative work, does the work indicate originality, awareness of audience, clarity of thought?
  8. Is the manuscript free of language and assumptions which marginalize, stereotype, oppress, or exclude communities such as (but not limited to) Indigenous, Black and People of Colour (IBPOC); women; people with disabilities; people of diverse faith backgrounds; 2SLGBTQ+ people?
  9. Is the work accessible and appropriate to the intended audience?
  10. Is the work likely to be attractive to readers beyond a specialized audience?
Decisions to publish are made by the CMU Press Director in consultation with two advisory bodies: the external Editorial advisory committee and the internal CMU Press business council.

HOW TO ORDER: the book industry ordering source for CMU Press titles is LitDistCo, the distribution collective for members of the Literary Press Group, with a reach throughout Canada and the US.

Contact: orders:@:litdistco.ca or call +1 800-591-6250

In the US, order via Ingram or Baker & Taylor.

 

Print This Page