University of Washington Press

University of Washington Press
Parent companyUniversity of Washington
StatusActive
Founded1915 (1915)
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationSeattle
DistributionHopkins Fulfillment Services (US)
UBC Press (Canada)
Combined Academic Publishers (rest of world)
Key peopleNicole Mitchell, Director
Lorri Hagman, Editor
Publication typesBooks
Nonfiction topicsHistory and culture
Fiction genresNonfiction
Official websiteuwapress.uw.edu

The University of Washington Press is an American academic publishing house. The organization is a division of the University of Washington, based in Seattle. Although the division functions autonomously, it has worked to assist the university's efforts in support of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, and the Center for Innovation and Research in Graduate Education. Since 1915, it has published the works of first-time writers, including students, poets, and artists, along with authors known throughout the world for their work in the humanities, arts, and sciences.

The organization's daily operations are conducted out independently of the university, but the imprint is controlled by a committee of faculty members that the university president has selected. Each manuscript must go through a collaborative approval process overseen by the editors and the University Press Committee before being chosen for publication under the University of Washington Press imprint. Once a selection has been approved for publication, the organization begins the production process, which includes typesetting and copy editing, along with cover design and promotions. Rather than printing in-house, all composition, printing, and binding services are contracted through external facilities.

Approximately a third of the manuscripts published originate from within the university. The publishing house receives over 1,000 manuscripts and book proposals each year from throughout the world, with about seven percent approved for publication. Published titles include nonfiction works of history and culture, focusing on a variety of academic fields including Asian studies, Asian American studies, Middle Eastern studies, Western history, natural history, environmental studies, anthropology, biography, and fine art. As of 2013, over 4,400 books have been published, with over 1,400 remaining in print. Approximately 70 books are released on an annual basis. Among the books published by the press are works by Nobel Prize laureates, including Tsung-Dao Lee.