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Unit 8: Evaluating Books & Articles
Lesson 8: Types of Publishers
University Press: Academic, nonprofit publishers that print scholarly works and tend to affiliate with large research universities. Manuscripts are peer-reviewed before publication. University presses also publish textbooks, trade books, and reference works. Examples: Oxford University Press and the University Press of Florida.
Trade Press: Popular, commercial publishers that have review processes, but with varying degrees of control. Trade presses are generally reliable. Examples: Avon and Harper and Rowe.
Commercial Academic Press: For-profit organizations that publish educational material. Manuscripts are not regularly peer-reviewed. Examples: Routledge and McGraw Hill.
Small Press: Publishers that specialize in genre fiction or limited-edition books and magazines. Most small presses publish works of limited and immediate commercial value. Some small presses promote religious, political, or social causes, which challenges their reliability. Examples: Longstreet and Albion Village Press.
Vanity Press: Publishers that charge authors fees for publishing their work. These presses exert little to no editorial control, making them unreliable. Authors who cannot get their works published by reputable publishing houses often turn to vanity presses. Example: Vantage.