Hong Kong University Press (HKU Press) is the scholarly publishing arm of the University of Hong Kong, established in 1956. It is a book publisher, not a journal publisher: it releases up to 50 new titles a year and maintains a backlist of more than 1,000 books. If you are looking for a journal to submit an article to, HKU Press is not the right venue - it commissions books and edited volumes, and its author relationship starts with a proposal rather than a manuscript upload.

The Press began by publishing a handful of studies by the University's own faculty and now works with authors in North America, Europe, Asia and beyond. Its distinctive feature is a bilingual program: most academic titles appear in English, but the Press also publishes a substantial Chinese-language list. Everything goes through external peer review and approval by an Editorial Board of University of Hong Kong scholars.

HKU Press has built its international reputation in three areas above all: cultural studies, film and media studies, and Chinese history and culture. Alongside those, it publishes for Hong Kong's professional and student readership in law, education, social work, medicine, real estate and construction, and it maintains a full line in linguistics and language study.

Much of the list is organised into series, which is usually the fastest way to see whether your book has a home here:

The Press also distributes titles for the HKU Museum and Art Gallery, the Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole, the University of Hong Kong, the Asia Society Hong Kong Center and Cosmos Books. Distributed titles are not HKU Press imprints, so check the copyright page if the distinction matters for a CV or funder report.

HKU Press works on the traditional scholarly-book model. Authors are not charged an article processing charge, a submission fee or a publication fee - the Press invests in the book and recovers costs through print and ebook sales. Royalty terms and any subvention for expensive illustrated books are negotiated in the contract, not published as a price list. If your funder requires an open-access monograph, raise it with your acquisitions editor early; the Press does not advertise a standard open-access books program, so any OA arrangement is handled case by case.

Review at HKU Press has two stages, and both must clear before a book is published.

1. External peer review. Once an acquisitions editor judges the project suitable, you submit a complete draft manuscript, which goes out to expert readers. The Press advises authors to expect at least two months for this stage; complex or multi-author projects take longer.
2. Editorial Board approval. The Board - professors of history, comparative literature, English, art history, law, Chinese literature, education and engineering at the University of Hong Kong - reviews the reports and the editor's recommendation. A contract is normally offered after Board approval, though the Press will occasionally commit contractually earlier.

1. Read the list first. Look at the current catalogue, recent titles and the series above. A proposal that names the series it belongs in reads far better than one that does not.
2. Send a proposal, not a manuscript. Contact the acquisitions team at hkupress@hku.hk with a rationale and synopsis of the work, a table of contents, and a description of the intended audience. Sample chapters are welcome.
3. Prepare the full draft. If the editor takes the project forward, you supply a complete manuscript for review.
4. Follow house style. HKU Press uses the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition, together with its own house style guide. Chicago notes-and-bibliography is the safe default for humanities titles.
5. Clear your permissions. You are responsible for securing permission for quoted material and images before the manuscript is final - this is the single most common cause of delay in illustrated Asian studies books.
6. Disclose any AI use. The Press requires authors to disclose the use of AI tools in preparing the work.
7. Deliver with the checklist. Final manuscripts are submitted with a completion checklist, after which a managing editor takes over copyediting and production. You can follow progress through the author portal.

Distribution is regional. In North America, English-language titles are distributed exclusively by the University of Chicago Press through the Chicago Distribution Center. In the UK and Europe, Ingram Publisher Services UK handles distribution, with Durnell Marketing as sales agent. In Asia, APD Singapore covers East and Southeast Asia, San Min Book Co. handles Chinese-language titles in Taiwan, MHM Limited covers Japan, Xiamen International Book Company covers mainland China, and SUP Retail serves Hong Kong and Macau. For Australia, New Zealand, South America, Africa and the Middle East, order through the Chicago or Ingram channels or contact the Press directly.

Because the list is humanities-heavy and the Press follows Chicago 18th edition, most HKU Press books are cited Chicago-style. A standard note takes the form: Author First Last, Title of Book (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, Year), page. The place of publication is Hong Kong, not the author's institution. For edited volumes, cite the chapter author and chapter title first, then the volume editors and book title.