Top 10 Academic Book Publishers

Based on quantity and quality, the top ten academic publishers were selected based on several criteria: academic prestige (most important criterion), volume of publications, impact factor, specialization of areas of publication, publishing in the international arena, feedback from authors, and editorial quality (Clark & Phillips, 2008; Gilbert, 2015; Greco et al., 2013). The information has been collected from the high-quality academic databases (Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, Google Scholar), institutions worldwide library databases, publications by publishers, syllabuses of universities classes as well as the main academic rewards (Schiffrin, 2001; Thompson, 2005, 2013, 2021). A criterion 1-10 scale (weighted by the criterion) was first used by more than 50 international publishers to assess their journals in terms of: Academic recognition and citations, Academic presence in syllabus and researchers’ evaluation. The discussion involved input from scholars across various disciplines as well as surveys of academic book awards which allowed for fair, un-biased rankings to be made which are based not on the subjective opinion of one academic as to the value of a single book, but on the value of an academic book in comparison to other academic books.

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Oxford University Press is the world's largest Univ. Press and the broadest spectrum of academic material in all media is offered. Nestled among the trees, OUP, founded in 1586, has upheld that standard in performing the missions stipulated by it, which are the most scholarly possible. The press grew out of the University of Oxford's house in London, its history, and its principles are controlled by the university, and it operates as a department of the university. It is now the largest University Press of the world (the second oldest after Cambridge University Press). I'm sure the reason for always ranking high with OUP is the highly rigorous peer review system, typically 2 to 4 successful reviewers per submission and over 1000 editorial staff worldwide, including specialist commissioning editors with disciplinary expertise, who care for authors throughout the publication process. Each editorial board is composed of scholars from the globe offering academic quality and expertise.

The press has been innovative both online and to provide a scholarly standard. The press will continue to lead the way in promoting the Open Access publishing in all its modes and has pioneered new forms of digital-first publishing that are challenging the definition of scholarly communication. Our distribution goes all over the world of course, and we have sales representatives in the main academic markets in over 190 countries. From the traditional to the digital world, our means of promotion rely on both, using author services and social media to give our authors an unmatched advantage to rise on the visible masses and excel their work.

Cambridge University Press

Cambridge University Press, a part of the University of Cambridge, share the university's objectives to advance knowledge, education, learning, and research, making it our mission to unlock people's potential with the best learning and research solutions. It was established in 1534 and hence is the oldest running independent publishing house in the world. Cambridge publishes more than 2,500 new titles annually in academic, professional, research, reference and learning fields in the humanities and social sciences, science, technology and medicine. Highly broad-based to cater for the far-reaching interests of any faculty member in a university for his or her Cambridge publication: full academic coverage including all Cambridge CUP's subjects and specialities. The Cambridge books have also been extensively used by the universities around the world and, according to most academic databases, are also some of the most cited books in the humanities. The press collaborates with the most influential research institutions and publishes official products for these organisations that affect the life of academe, from the most prestigious learned societies.

Harvard University Press (HUP)

HUP is unmatched among American academic publishers, and the books in the HUP series are among the most scholarly publications to influence the course of academic discussion, and broaden the general public's understanding of important matters. Established in 1913, HUP's mission continues to be the dissemination of scholarship (which it has defined here in its publishing of journals), through its architecturally innovative and culturally dynamic publishing programs, and through its focus on innovative in-house and regionally based publishing. The press has extremely high criteria for its editorial program and publishes only titles that screen for newness, scholarly significance, and high writing quality. Based on accountability/trust, rather than just self-interest, manuscripts are rigorously and impartially peer reviewed. The highest academic standards are required in the publication and this is ensured by the editorial boards which comprise the most distinguished academics in the field, typically from all over the world. This selectivity translates to high prestige when publishing in Harvard journals which, in turn, instills high academic credibility and thus promotes career for authors. Just as at Harvard, they celebrate the strengths of digital publishing while maintaining the high-quality standards of the print world, exchange pioneering ideas and concepts about multimedia scholarship and interactive digital publications, and discover how digital publishing moves the boundaries of traditional academic publishing.

MIT Press

Founded in 1962, the MIT Press is one of the world's largest, most distinguished university presses, and one of the world's leading publishers of books and journals on the intersection of science, technology, art, social science and design. A leading publisher since 1962, the MIT Press is widely considered to be the world's leading academic publisher in the fields of technology, the arts, and the sciences, and has made a significant contribution to global arts and scholarship, following the mission of MIT to advance knowledge and educate students. A leader in digital publishing technology, MIT Press has led the way to digital innovations such as enriched e-books; full-featured, interactive digital books; and the grandparent of them all: open access research platforms. With the press' digitalisation came the opportunity of exploring new channels, ranging from the different forms of media academic publications to the development of collaborative online environments, forms that contest existing academic communication. MIT Press is a strong advocate of open-access publishing, and publishers such as MIT Press are going all out for open access by setting up open-access initiatives such as MIT Press Direct to Open, which provides free access to books and sustains them via institutional or library funding. The press has good relationships with industry, technology companies, research organizations, and government, and aims for publications to be both accessible to academic researchers, and helpful for application to practical problems.

Yale University Press

In addition to publishing some of the world's most important books in literature, art and history, Yale University Press has a long history of producing books that have become benchmarks in a variety of other academic disciplines, founded in 1908, and dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of quality in all books published.

In collaboration with a local, regional, or international academic institution, it welcomes manuscripts from the most important and influential scholars at schools around the world, who will contribute their talent, authentic voice, and promotional power to their books, and to larger fields of knowledge. The publication standards are the highest for Yale, and each group undergoing peer review receives about 3 to 4 other professional colleagues to carefully review it before it is published; on the other hand, all the authors are requested to put their scientific and ethical comments history to the Internet to be reviewed in open access by other colleagues of the scientific community.

Princeton University Press

The Princeton Legacy Library is a new imprint in which Princeton University Press reintroduces a select group of out-of-print books, by combining the best of print-on-demand technology with the Expert Mouse. The press has a reputation for its mathematics program, and, in more recent years, its list of books dealing with the history of the book has grown large. Princeton offers a tough peer-review process, sometimes multiple versions of papers are subject to peer-review from top experts in related fields, making it one of the most challenged peer-review in academic publishing in the country. The press has the highest quality editorial boards and editors among the most eminent scholars, and the publications are of the highest standards of originality, significance and methodology. This editorial standard provides our authors’ work with real potential to influence the direction of future research, enabling Princeton authored publications to stand out in the crowded academic landscape, with books on the graduate list of world leading universities. Born-digital publications carry the same expectation of rigorous scholarly standards as Princeton has for all its print publications and looks forward to offering high-quality e-books, online supplements and new advances in mathematical and scientific publishing.

University of Chicago Press

The University of Chicago Press is renowned for its quality editorial and publishing contributions to academic knowledge and culture, as well as being a commercial and independent presses. The gold standard that writers, editors, and publishers rely on for writing guidance and advice on process. Breathe credibility for the worth of its scholarship and contentions into the text, and establishes the press as being a source of authority for academic writing. The press has a robust regional studies program that offers those with an interest in the region an alternative perspective on American social and cultural history and is a magnet for scholars of regional studies and urban policy research. Chicago Press's full-service author support consists of editorial assistance, marketing assistance and career development. The press has done a good job of working with authors and offers lots of assistance in publishing and beyond.

Springer Nature

Springer Nature is one of the world's largest global research, educational and professional publishers with a growing number of respected and trusted brands that deliver quality information, products and services based on a series of innovative offers. Formed as a merger between the publishing company of Springer, and the Nature Publishing Group, this publisher brings together the technology of Springer with the resources of its publishing to serve the world's academic and research communities in all fields of science. Its humanities, social sciences and STEM publishers have more than 13,000 new titles each year and publisher says it's the world's largest second-hand and antiquarian academic bookseller. Springer Nature's physical sciences, life sciences, medical, engineering, computer sciences, mathematics and business provide researchers with authoritative and comprehensive research material across a wide palette of interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinary journals. The publisher supports the research and scholarly communities globally and is the world's largest professional and scholarly society publisher.

Springer Nature pioneered open-access publishing for sciences, such as through its products like SpringerOpen, Nature Communications and Nature’s Scientific Reports. It offers good open access history and choices, as well as sustainable business plans for more rapid innovations in scholarly publishing. Springer Nature is highest ranked for publishing conference proceedings in the Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Lecture Notes in Mathematics, and other series with research reports at the latest stage before published in a journal. Springer Nature's collection of products encompasses scientific research, textbooks, professional books, e-books and reference works, and also offers a variety of educational resources.

Wiley

Wiley was established in 1807 and grew over the years to become a global publishing enterprise whose mission and goal is to serve the professional project of communities, businesses and academics by publishing more than 1,800 new books annually in the sciences, technical, medical and scholarly markets, with strong sales from associated journals, digital portfolios and services. Wiley is a global leader in scientific research and education and has a diverse portfolio of scientific, technical and medical, professional books and services, and consumer books and guides and educational resources for undergraduate and graduate students for learning, teaching and professional use at every level. Wiley has also invested heavily in digital learning platforms and technologies; WileyPLUS and other digital technologies provide learning recommendations that are personalized and interactive, and nicely complement our traditional publishing. A global library will find Wiley to be a resource for their academic and professional needs with more than 40 offices around the world, Wiley publishes, sells, and distributes its products and services globally. The publisher has access to scientific researchers and content resources worldwide, but also has a local focus and is responsive to the knowledge needs of local healthcare professionals.

SAGE Publications

SAGE publishes over 1000 journals and over 800 new books annually across a diverse range of subject areas, and is a leading international provider of innovative, high-quality content. Earlier established in 1965, SAGE is proud of its history creating new and innovative research methods that facilitate the understanding of social issues and betterment of the human condition. SAGE's international arm also comprises of academic publishers which have operations worldwide, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC, which guarantee good local ties with its editors and contributors across the globe and enable us to distribute its publications internationally. These reference works, handbooks and encyclopaedias are part of the SAGE Knowledge, allowing the research and learning of social science methods and tools and resources to learn and practice research methods in sociology.

 

To explore more, see: Top 10 Self-Publishing Book Publisher

Also read: Top 10 Free Book Publishers

Further Reading: Comparison of Top 10 Free Book Publishers

Learn more in: Comparison of Top 10 Affordable Open Access Publishers

 

Frequently Asked Academic Publisher Selection Questions

How can I check if a publisher is legit?

See how a publisher is involved in professional organizations and whether they have an actual office, real individuals working for them, and a physical, published catalog.  Don't use a publisher that has a poor website, a pushy salesperson or claims that you're accountable to pay preliminary fees without a detailed listing of services.

Is it possible to renegotiate conditions of contract with academic publishers?

There are negotiable terms such as royalty rates, rights reversion clauses and marketing thresholds. Instead, authors with strong proposals or reputations have more leverage. If you can, talk to publishing lawyers and experienced peers prior to negotiating.

What should I do if I receive conflicting advice about publisher selection?

Evaluate guidance sources on their expertise in a given area and recent publications. Speak with published authors, your librarian, and/or appropriate professional organizations. Make the most important factors to your career goals and research priorities a priority.

How do I evaluate a publisher's marketing capabilities?

Check out their latest book published, website, and how well they attend conferences. Inquire about marketing budgets and plans for target audiences and author support. Go through their online presence and how they market themselves online.

What royalty rates should I expect from academic publishers?

Generally, a higher education publisher will pay a 5-15% royalty on net profit. University presses offer 8-10%, commercial publishers offer 10-15%. Typically, open access publishers will not take a no royalty cut but will take a processing fee.

How important are publisher rankings in academic career advancement?

The prestige of a publisher plays a significant role in the promotion/tenure process. Publishers' quality is considered by search committees as a validation for scholarly success. Detach from prestige, however, and balance your decision with other factors, such as how many people will see your work, and what sorts of contracts are available for your stage of career.

What's the difference between university presses and commercial academic publishers?

University presses have limited marketing budgets and esteemed scholarly publications that employ rigorous peer-review processes. Commercial academic publishers focus on "mass market" (usually the number of academics) with more money for marketing and shorter publication cycle than the old academic publishers, but with perhaps less academic quality control.

Should I try and approach more than one publisher at a time?

Yes, is truly an answer for book proposals; No is an answer for complete manuscripts. Most publishers will consider simultaneous submission of proposals, although most will not consider simultaneous submissions of the manuscript. Let publishers know that the piece(s) you're submitting are also being submitted elsewhere, and adhere to their guidelines.

How long does the academic book publishing process typically take?

Academic book publishing can take an average of 12-18 months for university presses, and 8-12 months for commercial presses, from the time of submission to publications. Typically, it takes 6-9 months for open access publishers to do so. Peer review, editing, and production and marketing-prep stages are included in the schedule.

 

References:

Clark, G. N., & Phillips, A. (2008). Inside book publishing. London: Routledge.

Gilbert, R. J. (2015). E-books: A tale of digital disruption. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 29(3), 165-184.

Greco, A. N., Milliot, J., & Wharton, R. M. (2013). The book publishing industry. Routledge.

Schiffrin, A. (2001). The business of books: How the international conglomerates took over publishing and changed the way we read. Verso.

Thompson, J. B. (2005). Books in the digital age: the transformation of academic and higher education publishing in Britain and the United States. Polity.

Thompson, J. B. (2013). Merchants of culture: The publishing business in the twenty-first century. John Wiley & Sons.

Thompson, J. B. (2021). Book wars: The digital revolution in publishing. John Wiley & Sons.