Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
Princeton University Press is a nonprofit scholarly publisher founded in 1905 and based in Princeton, New Jersey. This guide separates two numbers that are often confused (the size of its backlist and the number of books it publishes in a year), walks through the ten-part book proposal package the Press asks for, and sets out what the Press itself states. Facts about the Press come from its About and proposal-guidelines pages and from the member page of the Association of University Presses (AUPresses), all checked on 2026-10-29.
What Princeton University Press is
The Press describes itself as an independent nonprofit publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its About page gives 1905 as the founding year. It publishes peer-reviewed scholarship, and the same page says its list runs to over 10,000 titles across a diversity of subjects. The AUPresses member page records the Press as a regular member admitted in 1937 and gives its founding address as 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey.
The Press is a publisher of books. It is not a database or a discovery platform, so it is a different kind of source from an aggregator; for that distinction see the CASRAI guide to Project MUSE.
Who runs it and what it covers
The About page states that the Press is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, with offices in Oxford, England and Beijing, China. It does not give a list of subject areas, so this guide does not list them; the Press’s own catalogue is the place to see what it publishes.
Total titles versus yearly output
Two figures describe the Press at different scales, and mixing them up is a common error in citations and reports.
- Backlist size. The Press’s About page says “over 10,000 titles.” The AUPresses member page puts titles in print at about 9,000. The two are not contradictory: one counts titles the Press has published, the other titles currently in print.
- New titles per year. The AUPresses member page reports 240 titles published in 2024 and 220 in 2025.
The AUPresses page also lists three imprints: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Wild Nature and Island Press. When you need a count for a funder report or a collection-development note, cite the page and the date you read it, because these figures change every year.
How to find its books and submit a proposal
Finding books
The Press’s catalogue sits at press.princeton.edu/books. The catalogue pages carry a Site Search link, and purchases go through two separate carts: a Print Cart and an ebook & Audiobook Cart.
The proposal package
The Press’s proposal guidelines ask authors to submit through the online book proposal form and say plainly “Do not mail in proposals.” The package is one combined document, not several files, with ten sections in this order:
- Cover letter (one page at most; note any deadlines, referrals and other presses considering the work)
- Title and subtitle
- Specifications
- Brief description
- Full description (one to two pages)
- Chapter outline
- Author information (attach a full CV at the end)
- Readership
- Comparable books
- Additional materials
A draft chapter or other sample may be included, but the guidelines say not to send the entire manuscript unless it is specifically requested. After submission the Press confirms receipt, asks authors not to email the editors directly, and asks for eight weeks before expecting a reply. For the craft of writing each part, see the CASRAI guide to writing a university press book proposal.
Books from the Press are often scholarly monographs; see the CASRAI entry on scholarly monograph for the term.
Strengths and limits
Strengths
- Clear submission rules. The published proposal order, page limits and reply window let an author prepare one package against a fixed specification.
- Stated nonprofit status and peer review. The Press describes itself as an independent nonprofit publisher of peer-reviewed ideas, which gives authors and librarians a primary statement to cite. For background see the CASRAI entry on peer review.
- Published annual output. The AUPresses figures give an independent yearly count of new titles.
Limits
- Scope is not enumerated. The Press’s About and proposal pages do not list subject areas or say whether fiction or poetry is considered, so check the catalogue and ask through the form rather than assume.
- Simultaneous-submission rules are not stated on the proposal page; the cover letter is where the guidelines ask you to name other presses considering the work.
- Counts differ by source. Total titles, titles in print and yearly output are three different numbers, as above.
Alternatives
The table compares what each press says about itself. For another university press, see the CASRAI guide to Duke University Press.
| Press | Based in | Founding | Status stated | Output stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton University Press | Princeton, New Jersey | 1905 | Independent nonprofit; AUPresses member since 1937 | 240 titles in 2024, 220 in 2025 (AUPresses) |
| Duke University Press | Durham, North Carolina | 1921, as Trinity College Press; renamed 1926 | Nonprofit | About 150 new books and over 65 journals (Duke University Press About page, checked 2026-10-29) |
FAQ
Is Princeton University Press part of Princeton University?
The Press describes itself as an independent nonprofit publisher with close connections to Princeton University. Its own wording is “independent,” so treat it as a separate publishing organisation with a close university relationship.
How many books does Princeton University Press publish?
AUPresses reports 240 titles in 2024 and 220 in 2025. The Press’s own “over 10,000 titles” describes the whole list, not one year.
How do I submit a book proposal?
Use the online book proposal form, send one combined document in the ten-section order above, and do not mail it or email the editors afterwards. The Press asks you to allow eight weeks for a reply.
Where is the Press located?
Its headquarters are in Princeton, New Jersey, with offices in Oxford, England and Beijing, China, according to its About page.
Sources
- Princeton University Press, About, press.princeton.edu/about, checked 2026-10-29.
- Princeton University Press, Proposal guidelines, press.princeton.edu/proposal-guidelines, checked 2026-10-29.
- Princeton University Press, Books, press.princeton.edu/books, checked 2026-10-29.
- Association of University Presses, member page for Princeton University Press, aupresses.org, checked 2026-10-29.
