The Ohio University Press is the oldest scholarly publishing press in Ohio.
The Press publishes 25 to 30 books a year, specializing in scholarly nonfiction and African studies. The Press was incorporated in 1947 and was later organized by President Vernon Alden in 1964. The Press has a global distribution system, with printers in Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
“We ourselves only publish in English, but we sell rights into other languages,” Beth Pratt, director and production manager at the Press, said. “They are purchasing the rights to put that into their market, in their language.”
In addition to African studies and diverse languages, the Press publishes an array of books about Appalachian studies, Southeast Asia and the Midwest. The Press has many scholarly monographs and publishes creative nonfiction, fiction and poetry.
There are several avenues through which the Press supports authors. The Hollis Summers Poetry Prize is an annual poetry contest hosted by the Press since 1997. It is named after OU professor Hollis Summers, an award-winning author of novels and poems. The winner receives a $1,000 cash prize and has their poem published by the Press the following year.
Serving neighborhoods around the world is just one of The Press’ goals. The First Book Fund aims to support scholarly authors from Africa and Appalachia.
“For people publishing their first book, they need funding for developmental editing or travel, research and color,” Pratt said. “We can put (the fund) toward production cost.”
For Bobcats curious about publishing, the Press’ internship program has five opportunities available for students in acquisitions, editorial, production, publicity and sales. Pratt said the Press has five interns on board who receive hands-on experience and essential publishing skills.
“The students, when they leave here, have basic experiential knowledge and we have good success in placing them within the publishing world,” Pratt said.
AC Gunzelmann, a junior studying English, is a former Press intern. Gunzelmann said he interned for one year and worked on copy-editing, translating edits and data cataloging. He said the experience was positive and his coworkers were accommodating and informative.
“I didn’t know a lot about the publishing industry, and that was something that I was interested in learning more about as I want to be a published author at some point,” Gunzelmann said. “It was useful to see all of the different steps in the process.”
Bobcats are not the only Athens residents to benefit from the Press. The publishing company celebrates work from local artists and authors.
In November, the Press released “If You’re Angry and You Know It, Go Outside,” written by Mara Giglio and illustrated by Keith Wilde, who creates murals in Athens. The picture book’s goal is for caregivers to encourage children to recognize and manage their emotions healthily.
One of the Press’ most popular publications is the novel “Trampoline,” written and illustrated by Robert Gipe. “Trampoline” is part of a trilogy followed by “Pop” and “Weedeater.” The stories take place in Eastern Kentucky and follow the struggles and joys of living in Appalachia from the perspective of three connected characters. 2025 marked the trilogy’s 10th anniversary, and Pratt said the books are “fabulous fiction,” calling Gipe a wonderful advocate for his region.
Author Suzi Parron wrote two books about barn quilting, both of which were published by the Press.
Parron said she found out about the publishing company after speaking to Donna Sue Groves, co-author of “Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement.” Parron said the Press was very welcoming and encouraging, especially for someone who was a first-time writer.
“I mean, they made me feel like my book was important and my project was important to them,” Parron said. “The graphics that they did were just absolutely incredible.”
Pratt said the Press is grateful to enhance the reputation of OU, support local and worldwide artists and authors and provide the tools needed to publish.
“We are happy that our content and the books that we put out, thousands and thousands of books, all have Ohio on the spine,” Pratt said. “We’re representing Ohio University, and we’re very happy to do that.”