Submissions

Overview

Chemeketa Press is a nonprofit educational publisher at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon.

We consider proposals for new book projects twice a year:

September 1–October 15
May 1–June 15

What We Publish

We publish student-centered books written by teaching faculty who know what their audiences need. Our innovative publishing model has helped faculty develop accessible and affordable textbooks, anthologies, public domain reprints, workbooks, and lab manuals since 2015.

What We're Looking For

Chemeketa Press publishes books across the disciplines, including humanities, social sciences, mathematics and technology, science, college success, and career and technical education. Please review our current catalog to see the types of books we publish. We’re also seeking to expand our anthologies and public domain reprints. For more, see Call for Faculty Editors below and review our wish list here.

Call for Faculty Editors

About

Chemeketa Press publishes books curated by faculty editors to expand student access to diverse voices and to highlight texts that have been historically overlooked. We are seeking book-length works (25,000–70,000 words, approximately 100–280 pages) intended for use in college courses. This work takes shape through our anthologies and public domain reprints, including titles in our American Voices Collection and Primary Text Editions series.
‍

Anthologies
We seek anthologies organized around themes. Here are a few we’ve published recently:

Freedom & Responsibility (edited by Justus Ballard)
‍Empathy: Readings for Writers (edited by Magdalen Powers)
Nowhere Lands: Exploring Utopian and Dystopian Voices (edited by Karl Meiner)
Men Still in Exile: An Anthology from Oregon State Penitentiary (edited by Michele Dishong McCormack)
‍The Art Is Long: Primary Texts on Medicine and the Humanities (edited by Alexis M. Butzner)

Wynema: A Child of the Forest, a novel by S. Alice Callahan (edited by Tammy Jabin with an introduction by Norma Marshall from the Muscogee Creek tribe)
‍Passing, a novella by Nella Larsen (edited by Matthew Hodgson)
My First Summer in the Sierra, a personal narrative by John Muir (edited by Kevin Dye)
‍

‍American Voices Collection
‍We seek book-length narratives featuring a unique perspective on the American experience (fiction or creative nonfiction). Books in this series include:

Primary Text Editions
‍We seek book-length primary sources, nonfiction, or journalistic accounts documenting important historical moments. The inaugural book in this series is:

America Awakened: The Anti-Lynching Crusade of Ida B. Wells-Barnett (edited by Taylor A. Marrow III)

Requirements

Faculty editors must be full- or part-time faculty members at a two- or four-year accredited college or university. Duties include selecting and curating the text(s), making editorial decisions under the guidance of the Press’s instructional editor, writing an introduction and footnotes to provide background and context, requesting and tracking permissions for the use of copyrighted material, assisting with copyediting and proofreading, meeting deadlines, and fulfilling any other responsibilities outlined in the book contract.

What to Submit

A proposal letter, emailed to collegepress@chemeketa.edu, including:

a brief description of the book and author(s) or the anthology’s organizing theme
a preliminary table of contents that shows the works you want to use
information about the copyright status of the works you want to use (copyright must be expired for the American Voices Collection and Primary Text Edition series)
a list of courses or disciplines where the book could be assigned
a discussion of what students might find challenging or interesting in the book, and how you plan to address these points in your introduction or footnotes
a summary of your availability and qualifications to develop this project
evidence of departmental/program support for adopting your book as the primary or required text (Chemeketa faculty only)
evidence of departmental/program support for adopting your book as the primary or required text (Chemeketa faculty only)

Textbook Proposals

About

Chemeketa Press publishes affordable, student-centered textbooks in both print and digital formats. Ranging from 250 to 400 pages and priced under $50, our books are designed to support instruction and to keep course materials accessible. Covering a wide range of subjects, our textbooks balance professional design with pedagogical clarity, offering engaging content, clear structure, and thoughtful layout.

Requirements

Textbook authors must be full- or part-time faculty members at a two- or four-year accredited college or university. With the support of Press staff, authors are responsible for developing the structure and content of their books, conducting research, ensuring the accuracy of the material, assisting with copyediting and proofreading, meeting deadlines, and fulfilling any other responsibilities outlined in the book contract.

What to Submit

A proposal letter, emailed to collegepress@chemeketa.edu, including:

a brief description of your textbook and the unique solution it offers
an explanation of which courses or disciplines might use your book
a summary of your availability and qualifications to develop this project
a detailed outline showing the book’s structure, content, and depth
a brief list comparing similar books, including their length and price, and how yours stands out
evidence of departmental/program support for adopting your book as the primary or required text (Chemeketa faculty only)

Lab Manuals & Workbooks

About

Chemeketa Press publishes perfect-bound lab manuals and workbooks designed to standardize and professionalize course materials while reducing the burden of photocopying and printing for both instructors and students. These manuals are typically 90–130 pages and usually cost less than $25. The manuals are designed for a single course with options for tear-out pages or full-color illustrations to support in-class learning or lab assignments.

Requirements

To be eligible for this project, you must be a full- or part-time faculty member at a two- or four-year accredited college or university. With the support of Press staff, authors of lab manuals or workbooks are responsible for developing the structure and content of their books, conducting research, ensuring accuracy of content, obtaining and tracking permissions if needed, assisting with copyediting and proofreading, and meeting deadlines, along with any other responsibilities outlined in the contract.

What to Submit

A proposal letter, emailed to collegepress@chemeketa.edu, including:

a brief description of your lab manual or workbook and how you see students using it
an explanation of which courses or disciplines might adopt this lab manual or workbook
a summary of your availability and qualifications to develop this project
information about the lab manual or workbook’s content, including any other contributors who created any text and images you want to include
a detailed outline showing the lab manual or workbook’s structure, content, and depth
any special production needs (such as full color, perforated pages, or spiral binding)
evidence of departmental/program support for adopting your book as the primary or required text (Chemeketa faculty only)

How to Submit

Submissions are open September 1–October 15 and May 1–June 15 each year.
‍
To submit an application or book proposals, fill out this form and upload relevant documents.

All applications and proposals are evaluated by our Editorial Board and Press staff.

Book proposal submission

NameEmail Address

Phone

College

What kind of proposal are you submitting?Submit your query letter and your book proposal at: info@chemeketapress.org

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Submissions

Overview

What We Publish

What We're Looking For

How to Submit

Book proposal submission

CONTACT US

BOOKS

INFORMATION