Hurst is a UK-based independent publisher that was founded in 1969. They only publish nonfiction and the core of their list focuses on “African Studies, Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies, South Asian Studies, History, War & Conflict, and International Relations.” Nonfiction work outside of those areas of study are not a good fit for them. You can spend more time with their catalogue here. It is very easy to get a feel for what they publish, and what they do not.
They have excellent international distribution, an established reputation, and excellent genre-appropriate covers. They have published many well-reviewed books, by established and respected authors.
They accept proposals directly from authors, via email.
Hurst welcomes manuscript submissions via email. They only publish serious nonfiction for adults, and are not interested in work aimed at younger audiences.
Submissions must include a synopsis or outline, your CV or bio, including past publications, as well as a list of draft chapter titles followed by summary paragraphs. You should also include as many sample chapters as possible, information regarding competing work, a guesstimate of the works total length, and the proposed completion date.
You should also include any pertinent information regarding non-textual material in the book. This includes proposed photographs, illustrations and tables. Do not send the actual non-textual materials without further instruction.
You can learn more by going here, and scrolling down. Please carefully review all of the information on their website carefully and follow all of their instructions.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2024 Guide to Manuscript Publishers. She regularly teaches three acclaimed courses on writing and publishing at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. You can follow her on Facebook here.
