Publishing with the CWS

CWS

The Center for Western Studies' publishing schedule is complete through May 2024. No manuscripts or queries will be considered until after that date.

The Center for Western Studies, a regional studies program of Augustana University, has published books of enduring worth about the Northern Plains since 1978. There are two ways to publish with the CWS: commission or referral. 

Once the CWS has received the referral and additional materials described below, which constitute a submission file, the CWS staff will review the file and determine whether the project should be considered by the Publications Committee. If the determination is positive, the committee will discuss the manuscript and decide to whom it should be sent for peer review. No action will be taken on the file until the in-house and peer-review process is complete, which can take several months. The author will then be contacted.

As part of the submission process, the author should send a summarizing letter of the manuscript explaining why the approach taken is valuable or adds to the body of knowledge on that topic. The cover letter should also indicate who will be referring the manuscript and provide the endorser’s position or expertise. The author should also submit an outline of the entire manuscript and three sample chapters. Finally, provide a statement about the likely market for this manuscript, indicating what need this book would fill.

Royalties: Undertaking a publishing project constitutes a major investment on the part of the CWS. A project that exceeds available resources will need to be underwritten by additional funding, such as grants. The author is compensated for their hard work only from sales, minus retail and distributor discounts, and usually on a royalty basis of 6-7% of revenue above cost. Book publishing is a business, even at academic presses. Thank you for your interest in publishing with the CWS.

View CWS publishings.

Submission materials should be sent to:
Dr. Harry F. Thompson
Executive Director, The Center for Western Studies
Augustana University
2001 S. Summit Ave.
Sioux Falls, SD 57197
harry.thompson@augie.edu