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Publishing Services @ UC Press provides editorial and production support to University of California units at any stage of development—whether established, emerging, or in the planning phase. The services support academic, research, professional and general reader publications that have been vetted and approved for publication by the unit. If your unit’s mission includes disseminating academic scholarship or supporting faculty authorship, consider using UC Press’s fee-based editorial, design, and production services to create efficiencies, improve workflow, or professionalize the publishing process.
Services are available to all University of California academic and research institutes, centers, departments, schools, colleges, cultural programs, and administrative offices (university affiliates) with their own editorial vetting process and publishing program. Services are not available to individual authors. Faculty and staff seeking professional publishing support should begin by checking with their department to see whether a Memo of Understanding (MOU) is already in place. Departments that do not have an active MOU with Publishing Services @ UC Press can contact the program manager to explore next steps.
We offer modular editorial and production services for all publications, including books, conference proceedings, casebooks, annual editions, policy and research reports, course books, and other academic literature.
Collaborating with a professional publisher can transform an academic unit’s scholarly output into a professional, impactful publishing program. Whether your organization’s core activities focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, research, education, innovation, training, or public engagement, there are often significant opportunities to create book-length publications aimed at an academic, policymaker, professional, student, or general audience.
Editorial and Production Services provides structured publication management and stand-alone services to support these efforts. Whether a work is distributed free of charge or offered for sale, Editorial and Production Services supports authors, editors, and publication managers throughout the publishing process—managing workflows, offering tailored levels of copyediting, and developing covers and interiors that enhance and support the content.
Copyediting → Alt text creation → Typesetting and interior design → Image and chart standardization and creation → Cover design → Proofreading → Indexing → Book printing and efile creation
All services are available individually, or can be combined to create a complete publishing workflow. Fulfillment and Distribution Services are also available for books created through Editorial and Production Services as well as for previously published books.
All services are fee-based, and each type of service can be used on a stand-alone basis, in combination with other services, or as a full publication management workflow. Estimated budgets and production schedules are created for each project based on the word count or manuscript page count, complexity of the project, the services provided and publication due date. All fees are due upon completion of the project.
Simple projects have minimal design elements and require limited coordination. Moderately complex projects may have maps, tables, or charts in addition to images. Complex projects often have many technical requirements. Custom projects may include projects with pedagogically informed color design to support navigation such as technical and policy reports and textbooks. Specialty and gift books may also fall into this category.
Simple: Less than 100,000 words and 25 images.
Moderate: Between 100,000 and 140,000 words and between 25 and 50 images. Translated works and chart creation may be in this category or in the complex category.
Complex: Over 150,000 words, or multipart publications requiring consistency.
Custom: Any project regardless of word count with over 100 images and projects that require client-directed designs.
Rush projects move the complexity up one or more categories.
Print formats: Paperback (least expensive and fastest to produce) or hardcover with or without jacket.
Digital formats: WebPDF and EPUB.
Interior design options: Color or black-and-white printing. Several paper and trim options available.
The Publishing Services @ UC Press approach is structured yet flexible and recognizes that each project is unique. Services are tailored to the unit’s specific needs.
Each affiliate must have its own Memo of Understanding (MOU) with the press that outlines who may use the services, the types of services to be used, the scope of the work, and approval process. MOUs are signed by the affiliate director and the business manager.
Publishing Services @ UC Press does not offer peer review. Projects must be final and complete (including photo credits, captions, and endnotes) and vetted by the affiliate prior to submission. Permission for any external content must be secured prior to submission. These preliminary steps minimize changes and costs after services start. Once the project is submitted, a project schedule will be created that provides the length of time individual services will take as well as the author review dates.
While individual faculty and staff may not submit projects on their own, we can craft an MOU with any UC department or unit you are affiliated with. If you are not associated with an affiliate with an MOU for publishing services, ask your program director or dean to contact the Publishing Services @ UC Press program manager to initiate the process.