Contributors

Hastings College Press welcomes proposals for new titles. Please see the editor/contributor guidelines below for the types of books published by the press.

Editor/Contributor Guidelines

Hastings College Press publishes reasonably priced editions of regionally themed texts. We focus primarily on forgotten texts that are in the public domain. (Any text published in the United States before Jan. 1, 1927, is in the public domain. Some texts published between 1924 and 1960 have fallen into the public domain. If you would like to propose a reading edition or critical edition of a text but do not know whether it is in the public domain, please contact the director.)

We are interested in fiction, nonfiction, and historical documents, as well as collections of scholarly essays on appropriate regional themes.

Citation style should conform to the standard style of the discipline.

Proposals may be sent to Patricia Oman, Director of HC Press, at hcpress@hastings.edu.

Forgotten Texts

Reading Editions

Reading Editions are low-priced editions of texts aimed at undergraduates, high-school students, and the general public. Books will be published in paperback editions. Editorial matter should be minimal.

To compete with free versions of public domain texts, we focus on providing quality editions that include introductions by knowledgeable scholars. Contributors must provide the following:

• An introduction (4000–5000 words) that describes the text’s contemporaneous critical reception and why readers should be interested in the text today. Editors may discuss the text using any critical lens, but keep in mind that the target audience is not a scholarly one.

• About the Author (max 200 words)

• About the Editor (max 200 words)

Contributors may also provide suggestions about authoritative editions of the text and provide limited footnotes for any names or terms with which readers may be unfamiliar.

Critical Editions

Critical Editions are designed for classroom use at both the undergraduate and high-school level. Books will be published in both paperback and eBook editions. Editorial matter should be more extensive than in the Reading Editions.

Editors must provide the following:

• An introduction (5000–7000 words) that describes the text’s contemporaneous reception and the major scholarly debates about the text.

• Footnotes that explain terms, names, and cultural/historical contexts with which readers may be unfamiliar. Editors may include additional footnotes that will enhance readers’ understanding or appreciation of the text.

• Appendices that enhance the readers’ understanding or appreciation of the text and provide supplementary support for instructors. Appendices may include, but are not limited to, contemporaneous reviews, related contemporary historical documents, private correspondence, important scholarly articles, and facsimiles of the manuscript. Appendix materials are not subject to our general public-domain policy, but inclusion of many copyrighted sources may affect the price of the title. If you would like to include materials that do not fall under public-domain copyright laws, the Director will work with you to choose appropriate pieces.

• About the Author (max 200 words)

• About the Editor (max 200 words)

Scholarly Collections

HC Press publishes a limited number of critical collections on regional themes. Collections should include 10–15 essays of 4000–6000 words each (including editorial matter). All essays in a collection must be original and previously unpublished.

The editor’s responsibilities include the following:

• Propose a collection on a focused theme

• Solicit and collect essays from contributors

• Review essays for scholarly merit and request revisions from contributors, as necessary

• Organize the essays into a logical order

• Write an introduction (4000–7000 words) explaining the significance of the topic and how the essays in the collection contribute to a scholarly debate

• Suggest the names of scholars who may be willing to review the manuscript 

Proposals for our Rediscovering the American Midwest series (series editors, Jon K. Lauck and Patricia Oman) are especially welcome.