University Press of Kentucky

The University Press of Kentucky (UPK) is the scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and was organized in 1969 as successor to the University of Kentucky Press. The university had sponsored scholarly publication since 1943. In 1949, the press was established as a separate academic agency under the university president, and the following year Bruce F. Denbo, then of Louisiana State University Press, was appointed as the first full-time professional director. Denbo served as director of UPK until his retirement in 1978, building a small but distinguished list of scholarly books with emphasis on American history and literary criticism. Since its reorganization, the Press has represented a consortium that now includes all of Kentucky's state universities, seven of its private colleges, and two historical societies. UPK joined the Association of University Presses in 1947.

From the Wikipedia article “University Press of Kentucky”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

University presses publish scholarly monographs, regional titles and serious general nonfiction. Authors usually send a book proposal (overview, chapter outline, sample chapters, CV and market analysis) directly to the acquisitions editor for their field — check the press's subject list first. Manuscripts go through peer review before a contract is offered.