Essential knowledge about scholarly book publishing that every author should have. Get weekly tips on writing and publishing your scholarly book from developmental editor and publishing consultant Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD.
Meet 3 editors at Yale University Press
Published 1 day ago • 7 min read
The Manuscript Works Newsletter
Essential knowledge on scholarly book publishing that every author should have
Hello Manuscript Workers!
Earlier this month I had the pleasure of chatting with three acquiring editors at Yale University Press: Jaya Aninda Chatterjee, Heather Gold, and Abbie Storch. Yale UP has a strong focus on trade and crossover books (read on to find out what those terms mean in the scholarly publishing world) as well as a strong international presence, including offices in both the United States and the UK.
Since many of you who read this newsletter may have ambitions of publishing a book for audiences that extend beyond the US academy, I thought it would be great to hear from these editors to get their perspective on what authors who want to publish with a press like Yale UP should keep in mind.
Laura Portwood-Stacer: Hello Jaya, Heather, and Abbie! Can you share with readers who you are, where you work, and what you do? What areas are you acquiring in these days?
Jaya Aninda Chatterjee: All three of us grew up in the American South, moved to New England early in our publishing careers, joined Yale University Press as editorial assistants, and held progressively responsible editorial roles here before becoming acquiring editors. We’re building eclectic yet carefully curated lists featuring trade, crossover, and academic books that drive public debate and discussion, break new scholarly ground, and achieve critical and commercial success.
My list, which I’ve built for about seventeen years, encompasses world history, geopolitics, and international relations. The majority of my authors are historians, while a handful are political scientists, policy analysts at think tanks, and longform journalists.
Heather M. Gold: I joined the Press about fifteen years ago, and in recent years I’ve focused on building an interdisciplinary list centered on the ancient world. I seek to acquire books that make lasting contributions to both scholarship and the public conversation. My list spans Classics, ancient history, cultures, and literature; and ancient religions, politics, and biography. I’m drawn to innovative projects that bring cutting-edge work to a broad readership, from specialists to general readers.
Heather M. Gold
Abbie Storch: I have occupied various roles at the Press for just under a decade. I oversee two very different areas of our publishing program: literature in translation and biblical studies. Yale University Press has historically been one of the few university presses to include fiction and poetry in its literary publishing program. In addition to being the home of America’s oldest poetry award series, the Yale Series of Younger Poets (established over 100 years ago), we also publish 6-8 works of translated fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction per year in our Margellos World Republic of Letters series. I acquire and publish in this series, and I also manage our Anchor Bible series, which includes biblical commentaries, reference texts, course books, and scholarly monographs in biblical studies.
Abbie Storch
LPS: I’d like to talk about a couple of the things that set Yale UP apart from other university presses and that might be relevant to authors who are looking for a publisher. First, while Yale does publish some traditional monographs, the bulk of your focus is on trade and crossover books. Can you explain what the differences might be between these types of books? I know many of my readers are interested in writing for broader publics, so do you have any tips for authors who might want to propose such a book for Yale UP?
JAC and HMG: Our trade books are aimed at informed general audiences interested in wide-ranging, synthetic accounts of a topic, whereas our crossover books appeal to general readers and scholars alike, and our scholarly monographs are for the library market as well as for scholars and students.
We encourage authors interested in pitching us trade or crossover books to aim for breadth (in terms of the subject, the temporal and geographical scope of the proposed project, and/or the argument) and familiarity (for example, might they reframe a well-known story, synthesize familiar material in an original way, or uncover new material about an historical figure about whom much has been written?) In addition, having an established print and broadcast media platform before writing a trade book is helpful so that we can reach out to those venues to review and/or discuss the book upon publication.
AS: My focus is a bit different from the other editors’ at the Press, since we publish translated literature for a somewhat different audience than our trade or academic scholarly nonfiction. There is certainly some crossover, but we find that our titles in translated literature typically appeal to general readers of literature who are looking for diverse perspectives, voices, and stories they might not be able to access in English-language literature. For my list in biblical studies, I’m often looking for high-level introductory works that synthesize existing scholarship on a particular area of biblical studies–books that essentially “induct” new readers into the field and invite them to dive deeper into parts of the Bible and the various cultures and worlds that produced and transmitted it.
LPS: Another strength of Yale UP is that it has a London office in addition to its US presence. What advantages does this bring for authors who publish with Yale? How might an author decide which office to contact when reaching out to an acquisitions editor?
JAC and HMG: Our books truly do have global distribution, both in English and in foreign languages. Our London office, a registered charity, is comparable to a trade publisher, but its books–brilliantly commissioned titles that span ancient, medieval, and early modern history, British history, current affairs, British art, and other fields–all have scholarly ballast.
Authors working in these and other fields that YUP London actively publishes, and/or whose intended audience is primarily based in the UK, may wish to contact our London colleagues. YUP London handles our international sales and foreign rights, too.
Authors whose proposed book is comparable to our publications and whose intended audience is primarily American may wish to contact our New Haven office.
Of course, we are happy to point prospective authors in the right direction if they are unclear about the appropriate editor to contact.
AS: The Margellos and Anchor Bible series both originate in our New Haven office, but we do publish nearly all our works globally, with marketing, sales, and distribution both throughout North American and also throughout Europe and Asia. This is a huge advantage for authors in both parts of my list, as there’s a significant market for literature in English translation throughout the UK and Europe, and as various universities in Europe are major centers of biblical scholarship. Distributing our books throughout the world enables us to be part of a global intellectual conversation, not simply a North American one.
LPS: What’s one tip you would each give to prospective authors who are just starting on their publication journeys?
JAC: We encourage prospective authors to include a concise pitch that captures their book’s originality and contribution to scholarship in their cover letter. We often highlight these qualities in presentations to our colleagues and adapt this pitch for descriptive cover and promotional copy.
HMG: It can be helpful to reach out to an editor once you have a proposal and a sample chapter, rather than waiting until the full manuscript is complete. Early conversations can guide your thinking as you develop the project and consider how best to shape the book for its intended audience. An editor’s decision to acquire a book usually speaks more to its fit with their particular list than to the quality of the work. Your first book may not be a good fit for a specific publisher, but it’s entirely appropriate–and often encouraged–to reconnect with an editor about future projects if they expressed interest in your work generally.
AS: My best advice for both new and seasoned authors is to know your audience. Who will read your book? Why should they read it? If you can really articulate who your book is for, it will help us as publishers get the book in front of the right readers. Keeping your audience in mind will also help you navigate the complicated decisions you’ll need to make about framing and structure throughout the writing process.
LPS: What kinds of projects would you love to hear about in the near future? If any authors out there are working on something that could be a good fit for your areas, where can they find you and how would you like them to reach out?
JAC: I’m looking for truly global stories–narratives that span multiple continents–as well as histories of empires and dynasties, commodity histories, women’s histories, and biographies of key historical figures. I encourage prospective authors to reach out to me at jaya.chatterjee@yale.edu.
HMG: I look for works that grapple with topics rooted in global premodernity—from the Mediterranean and the Near East to Asia and the ancient Americas. By turning to the ancient world, I hope to publish books that also help us better understand the present. I am happy to consider submissions via e-mail to heather.gold@yale.edu.
AS: For biblical studies, we typically commission [the editor reaches out to the author to solicit a project], but for our translated literature series, I’m always on the lookout for novels, short stories, poetry, literary nonfiction, and genre-bending literary works written in a distinctive and original voice, with translations that steward and convey that voice in English. I’m also looking for works from communities or languages that are underrepresented in English translation. I’m open to pitches for this series at abigail.storch@yale.edu.
If you have a book project that would be a good fit for Jaya, Heather, or Abbie, don't hesitate to reach out — and mention that you read this interview when you do!
This newsletter is coming to you from Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD, professional developmental editor and publishing consultant. I help scholarly writers navigate the book publishing process with more ease and agency.
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Essential knowledge about scholarly book publishing that every author should have. Get weekly tips on writing and publishing your scholarly book from developmental editor and publishing consultant Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD.