How to choose an academic publisher

The series matters more than the imprint

Academic books are bought by libraries on the strength of the series, not the publisher’s name. A series has an editor, a scope, a standing order list at a few hundred libraries, and a reputation among the people who assess your work.

Which means the first question is not “which publisher” but “which series”, and the answer is found by looking at where the books you cite most often were published. If three of the five monographs central to your field sit in one series, that series is where your work is discoverable.

Indexing is decided by the publisher, not the book

This is the part authors discover late. Scopus and the Book Citation Index evaluate publishers rather than individual titles 1: a publisher is assessed and accepted, and then its books flow in. A good book from an unevaluated publisher does not get indexed on merit.

So the indexing question has a simple form. Is this publisher already in Scopus and in the Book Citation Index? If yes, your book will be. If no, it will not be, whatever its quality, and no amount of promotion changes that.

What peer review actually means here

Book peer review varies far more than journal review does, and the word covers several different things. Ask which one you are getting, in writing.

• Proposal review only — the proposal and a sample chapter are reviewed; the finished manuscript is not. Common and legitimate, but it is not full review.
• Full manuscript review — the complete text goes to reviewers. Slower, and what most assessment exercises expect.
• Series editor review — one expert reads it. Fine for some purposes, and not equivalent to external review.
• Editorial board approval — approval without external reading. This is not peer review, whatever the catalogue says.

Where your work will be submitted to a national assessment exercise, the level of review can decide whether it counts. Find out before you commit.

Extent, format and what they cost you

Extent is the word count the contract commits you to, and it is harder to change than authors expect. Coming in 20,000 words over can trigger a renegotiation of price, format or schedule; coming in short can move the book out of its series.

Format follows extent. A hardback-first monograph priced for libraries reaches libraries and almost nobody else. A paperback-first or open-access route reaches readers and earns less. Neither is wrong, but they are different books commercially and you should choose deliberately rather than discover which one you signed.

Open access routes for books

Book open access works differently from journals and the funder landscape has moved. Some funders now expect monographs from funded research to be open access, with a book processing charge that can run into five figures — and some will pay it.

Three routes exist in practice: a book processing charge paid by a funder or institution; a diamond route where a scholarly press covers costs and the author pays nothing; and green deposit of a version after an embargo. The third is the least well understood and often the most achievable, but the embargo and the permitted version vary by contract and have to be negotiated before signature rather than after.

Six questions to ask before signing

1. Which series, and who is its editor? If the answer is “no series”, ask how libraries will find it.
2. Is the publisher in Scopus and the Book Citation Index? Verify it yourself rather than accepting the answer.
3. What level of peer review, on what — proposal, sample or full manuscript? In writing.
4. What is the contracted extent, and what happens if I am over?
5. What is the first format and price, and when does a paperback follow?
6. What rights do I keep — deposit, teaching use, reuse in later work? Green open access depends on the answer.

Common questions

@misc{choosing_an_academic_publisher_2026,
  author       = {{Pubrica Academy}},
  title        = {How to choose an academic publisher},
  howpublished = {Pubrica},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = {jan},
  url          = {https://pubrica.com/insights/choosing-an-academic-publisher/},
  note         = {Accessed: <span data-cite-acc="iso">2026-10-15</span>}
}