Does my book have to appear in a series to publish with MIT Press?

No.

How do I submit to a specific series?

Please see the individual series pages in the drop-down menu for specific instructions.

I’m working on an STS or STS-related book but I don’t see the series I had in mind listed here. Help?

This could mean a few different things. It may be that the series is no longer active. It may also mean that the series is handled by another editor at the Press. In rare cases, the series or imprint may have moved to another publisher. There is a list of series on the MIT Press website here, though I find it a bit unwieldy, so if you’re lost or confused, please feel free to reach out to me or my assistant editor with questions.

Are there advantages/disadvantages to publishing in a series versus on the general list?

From my perspective, the most significant advantage to publishing in a series is that there will be more editorial eyes on your manuscript in the form of a series editor or editors, which I think authors—particularly junior scholars without much book publishing experience—can find very helpful. The only possible disadvantage I can think of is that some series editors will not formally review projects until the manuscript is complete. This doesn’t mean they won’t read a proposal and express early interest, but if an author is in need of a contract ahead of when they plan to complete the manuscript, that can throw a wrench in things. If you have a scheduling concern along these lines, please feel free to reach out to me via email and I am happy to discuss options. Otherwise, please see the individual series pages for the reviewing preferences of the respective editors.

Can you cross-list my book in multiple series?

The short answer is no. This is complicated on our end from a logistical standpoint, a signings standpoint, and a financial standpoint. Note, though, that we can and will advertise your book across relevant lists and disciplines.

What is the difference between a series and a list?

A series is a collection of books related to a specified topic or theme, typically overseen by a series editor or editors contracted by the Press to help acquire and shape the series.

A list is a larger collection of books related to a specific field or some other unifying element (e.g., the Regional list). Lists are acquired by individual Press editors and comprise series and non-series books. That is to say, usually. To make it needlessly confusing, you may sometimes hear editors refer to the complete MITP oeuvre or a specific season’s catalog as “the list” or “the MIT Press list” to mean everything we publish or published in that season. Most often though, “list” is used to refer to the books published in X discipline by Y acquisitions editor.