24 Best History Book Publishers (Links to Submissions)

I remember buying “The Sikhs of the Punjab” by J. S. Grewal while browsing the bookstore of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Reading it in the shade of the arcades, hiding from the blazing sun, gave me a deep understanding of the history that shaped the place I was in. It was terrific.

I’ve always loved history books, so here are 24 publishers that specialize in history, from university presses and academic houses to local-history specialists. Some take proposals directly from authors, some only through agents, and a few are closed for now, and each entry tells you which. When you’re done, explore my curated list of 2,000+ publishing entities.

Submission policies change without notice, so check the publisher’s own page before you send anything, and never pay a reading fee. Last verified: October 1, 2026.

Here are the most notable history book publishing companies:

1. The History Press

The History Press is the UK’s largest dedicated history publisher. Its list runs from local and family history to military history, the Titanic, Irish history and the women who shaped the past, and much of it revives stories that never reached a wide audience before.

The History Press accepts submissions from new and established authors of history and general nonfiction, but it does not publish fiction or poetry. Its writing for us page asks for an emailed synopsis of no more than 200 words plus a short biographical note, not the full manuscript. If you have not heard back within six weeks, the answer is no.

2. American History Press

American History Press focuses on American and Canadian history, from the Revolutionary War to the railroads of the Northeast. Its catalog includes Searching for Yankee Doodle and Voices from a Trunk, and the press also offers editing, proofreading, book design and marketing support.

The press welcomes inquiries whether your book is finished or still taking shape. Its author guidelines ask for an introductory email describing the scope of your work. Do not send the manuscript itself unless they ask for it.

3. Cambridge University Press

Cambridge University Press, founded in 1534, is the oldest publishing house in the world, and history has been part of its list for centuries. Its bookshop in Cambridge has sold books on the same site since 1581, and the online shop stocks new titles from short national histories to specialist research.

Cambridge publishes scholarly monographs, textbooks and reference works. To propose a book, find the commissioning editor for your subject on the press’s main website and contact them with your proposal.

4. Yale University Press

Yale University Press publishes serious history for scholars and general readers alike, including cultural, military and religious history. Its list ranges from ancient civilizations to modern geopolitics, with titles as different as a cultural history of the piano and a study of medical care in Stalin’s labor camps.

Yale accepts book proposals and manuscripts by email, sent as one Word or PDF attachment to the single editor closest to your subject. Its guidelines for authors ask for a cover letter, the proposal or manuscript, and your CV, and they do not take submissions by mail.

5. Arcadia Publishing

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Its Images of America series pairs around 200 vintage photographs with detailed captions, and other series such as Black America trace community history through pictures.

Arcadia and its History Press imprint are open to submissions on local and regional history, interest and culture, but they do not publish fiction. Check the series that fit your idea, then fill in the form on the make me an author page and an acquisitions editor will contact you.

6. Gettysburg Publishing

Gettysburg Publishing was founded by Kevin Drake in 2011 to share the history of the Battle of Gettysburg and the wider American Civil War, along with other U.S. and world military conflicts. Its authors give lectures and signings around the country, and its list includes Phil Laino’s Gettysburg Campaign Atlas and Cindy L. Small’s Jennie Wade of Gettysburg.

The press is closed to submissions until November 2026, because its submissions page reached its limit of 50 entries. Check back then if you are writing military history.

7. Markus Wiener Publishers

Markus Wiener Publishers is an independent house in Princeton, New Jersey, devoted to world, Latin American, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and African history and culture. It publishes academic monographs, translations, historical documents and overview studies, including a world history textbook organized by topic and a series with the Palestine-Israel Journal.

The press welcomes new authors. Its submissions page asks for an email with the proposed title, a one-page description and a brief author biography. If the topic suits the program, they will ask for a table of contents and a sample chapter.

8. Chicago Review Press

Chicago Review Press was started in 1973 by Curt and Linda Matthews and remains an independent publisher of nonfiction meant to sell year after year. Its list covers history, memoir, music, travel and an award-winning children’s series, and its imprints include Lawrence Hill Books and Academy Chicago.

Chicago Review Press accepts proposals from both authors and agents, and simultaneous submissions are fine. Its information for authors and agents explains what the proposal needs, and you can email it to the front desk address listed there.

9. Bloomsbury Academic

Bloomsbury Academic is the scholarly arm of Bloomsbury Publishing, the independent house founded in 1986 and known worldwide for Harry Potter. It publishes history for students and researchers alongside the wider list of its Academic and Professional division, which has won the Bookseller Industry Award for academic publisher of the year.

Bloomsbury Academic accepts book proposals and encourages you to talk to the commissioning editor for your field early. Its proposal guidelines include downloadable forms, and every proposal it takes forward goes to external peer review, which it aims to complete within three months.

10. OSU Press

Oregon State University Press, founded in 1961, publishes books on the Pacific Northwest, the American West and the Pacific world, with a focus on history, environmental studies, natural resources and Indigenous studies. It also publishes memoir and creative nonfiction about the region and is a natural home for Oregon history.

The press accepts proposals by email, as described on its for authors page, and it is not accepting fiction or poetry. Send an overview, an annotated table of contents, your CV and one or two sample chapters, and expect a reply in 10 to 12 weeks.

11. Cambria Press

Cambria Press is an independent academic publisher in the humanities and social sciences, with a strong list in history and area studies. Many of its books appear in series with notable editorial boards, and its authors are established leaders in their fields.

Cambria accepts proposals through its three-step process: download the short proposal form, then upload it with your CV, sample chapters and a bibliography, or email it to the editor. The press aims to give feedback within seven business days.

12. History Compass (Wiley)

History Compass is an online journal from Wiley that publishes peer-reviewed surveys of current research across the whole of history. Each article sums up the state of a field for readers who are new to it, which makes the journal a good starting point before you write a book of your own.

History Compass works only by commission, so its section editors invite authors to write. Its author guidelines explain the 3,000 to 5,000 word format if you are asked to contribute.

13. Academic Studies Press

Academic Studies Press is a scholarly publisher in the humanities and social sciences, best known for Jewish and Slavic studies. Its history list runs from Russian and Ukrainian studies to Ottoman, Turkish and Central Asian history, in monographs, translations and edited collections.

The press accepts book proposals. Download the proposal form from its prospective authors page, fill it in as fully as you can, and email it to the acquisitions editor for your subject.

14. Dorling Kindersley

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a global publisher of illustrated nonfiction, part of Penguin Random House. Its DK Knowledge list makes history visual, with books such as Kings & Queens of England and Scotland and The World War II Book, often created with partners like the Smithsonian.

DK builds most of its books in-house with expert writers and consultants, and it posts no route for authors to send manuscripts. Treat it as a model for illustrated history and pitch through an agent if you want to work with it.

15. HarperCollins

HarperCollins Publishers is one of the world’s largest consumer book publishers, with more than 200 years of history and around 120 imprints. Its history and big-idea nonfiction includes Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.

HarperCollins does not accept unsolicited submissions in the United States, with the exception of its Heartdrum children’s imprint. For a history book, you will need a literary agent to reach its editors.

16. MHP Books (Melville House)

Melville House is an independent publisher founded in Brooklyn in 2001 by Valerie Merians and Dennis Johnson, with a London office since 2012. It publishes literary fiction, history and politics, plus its well-loved The Art of the Novella series, and it has published two Nobel laureates.

Melville House no longer accepts unsolicited submissions, according to its submissions policy. Approach it through a literary agent.

17. Counterpoint Press

Counterpoint Press is a literary publisher of fiction and nonfiction, including history, memoir, literary biography, religion, philosophy and natural history. It is part of the same group as Catapult and Soft Skull.

Counterpoint is closed to unsolicited submissions. Its submission guidelines say manuscripts may come only through a recognized literary agency.

18. Other Press

Other Press is an independent New York publisher of literary fiction and nonfiction from around the world, with many books in translation. Its nonfiction includes biographies of artists, political figures and World War II personalities, and its history titles cover France, Turkey and beyond.

Other Press does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, proposals or queries, as its contact page makes clear. You will need an agent to reach its editors.

19. Paul Dry Books

Paul Dry Books is a Philadelphia publisher of fiction, essays, memoir, biography and history, chosen for lasting quality. Its subjects range from Homer and jazz to shogunate Japan, with history titles such as Lincoln’s Quest for Union and A War of Shadows.

The press posts no submission guidelines. If you think your book fits its list, the contact page lists an email address for general inquiries.

20. Bellevue Literary Press

Bellevue Literary Press is a New York nonprofit founded in 2007 at the historic Bellevue Hospital, with a mission to publish literature at the meeting point of the arts and sciences. Its fiction and nonfiction have drawn praise from Nancy Pearl, NPR and the New York Times.

Bellevue is not accepting unsolicited submissions year-round. Its contact page says it offers open reading periods when possible, and it warns that scammers have used its editors’ names, so trust only the email addresses listed there.

21. TouchWood Editions

TouchWood Editions is an independent publisher in Victoria, British Columbia, dating back to 1984. It publishes about 20 books a year on regional and popular history, food and wine, art, gardening, memoir and literary fiction, with titles such as Boom & Bust and Victoria Unbuttoned.

TouchWood accepts submissions from Canadian authors only, with a strong preference for writers from western Canada. Its submissions page asks for a single PDF proposal by email with a synopsis, a marketing plan and your bio, and it replies only if it is interested.

22. Autumn House Press

Autumn House Press is a nonprofit literary publisher founded in 1998 and based in Pittsburgh. Its books have won honors such as the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize, and its list centers on poetry, fiction, personal essays and memoir.

Its nonfiction route is the Autumn House Nonfiction Prize, a yearly contest for essay collections and memoirs. The 2026 window ran from March 1 to April 30, entries carry a contest fee, and the winner receives publication and $2,500. It suits a personal or family history told as memoir.

23. Big Sky Publishing

Big Sky Publishing is an Australian publisher that champions Australian authors, with a strong list of military history alongside other nonfiction and books for children.

Big Sky is accepting manuscripts in adult nonfiction only, limited to history, military history and true crime. Its submission guidelines ask for an email with a one-page synopsis, the first four chapters and a two-to-four-page overview. If you hear nothing within four months, it is not proceeding.

24. Amsterdam University Press

Amsterdam University Press (AUP) has run an academic print and digital program for more than 30 years and is a long-standing supporter of open access. Its English-language books now appear under the CEU Press imprint, alongside Dutch academic books, textbooks and journals.

AUP is actively seeking proposals for Dutch academic books, journals and English-language books for CEU Press. Read the author guide linked from its publish with us page, then contact the commissioning editor for your field.

Conclusion

History publishing runs from university presses with peer review to specialists in local, military and regional history. If you want to submit without an agent, start with the presses above that take proposals directly, such as The History Press, Arcadia, Chicago Review Press and the university presses, and pick the one whose list already looks like your book. Next up, you may want to explore a guide on historical fiction publishers.