The IHS promotes the understanding of Indiana and its people, including involvements beyond the borders of the state, through a varied publications program. The Society seeks publishable material for its books, its popular history quarterly (Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History) and its Family History Publications. The following policy statement is intended to provide guidelines for potential authors. It deals first with procedures that are common to all Society publications, and then sets out the criteria used by particular publications. Although it uses the terms "manuscript" and "typescript" interchangeably, the editors expect all submissions to be typewritten or prepared on a computer.

• IHS Press Policy Statement
• Contact Information
• Books - Adult
• Books - Children
• Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History
• Family History Publications

IHS Press Policy Statement

The Indiana Historical Society Press promotes the understanding of Indiana and its people, including involvements beyond the borders of the state, through a varied publications program. The IHS Press seeks publishable material for its books (for adults and children), its popular history quarterly (Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History), and its Family History Publications. The following policy statement is intended to provide guidelines for potential authors. It deals first with procedures that are common to all IHS Press publications, and then sets out the criteria used by particular publications. The editors expect all submissions to be prepared on a computer.

1. The IHS Press seeks publications about Indiana and the Midwest on topics such as (but not limited to) biography, personal narrative, immigration, family, cultural heritage, women, literature, folklore, music, the visual arts, politics, economics, industry, transportation, sports, geography, and military, medical, archaeological, architectural, and agricultural history.
2. The editors require that manuscripts for potential publication, whether of book or article length, be written in clear and appealing prose and in complete sentences free of jargon and undefined technical terms. Authors should avoid the passive voice, lengthy quotations, and one-sentence paragraphs.
3. Submission of a manuscript by an author, or receipt of a manuscript by the Press alone, shall not in any way be construed as an obligation by the Press to publish a manuscript. The Press can make no commitment to publish until its editors can examine a completed manuscript, with all notes and bibliography. The editors initially review manuscripts submitted for publication, then send suitable ones to appropriate outside readers for evaluation. Authors should allow ninety days for the evaluation process. The editors make the final decision for or against publishing a manuscript and reserve the right to copyedit accepted manuscripts to conform to the Press’s style and usage. Most acceptances are conditional on an author’s revisions. After acceptance, the author is responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce illustrations, if any, and for providing captions and credit lines for them. The author is also responsible for obtaining permission to publish any material copied from the work of another.
4. Authors should submit a paper copy of each article- or book-length manuscript (two copies for articles submitted to Traces) on standard 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper, double spaced throughout, with the author’s name on the title page only. They should consult the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. (2003), on format, and Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed. (2003), on spelling, including hyphenated and compound words. Contributors should not divide and hyphenate words at the ends of lines or justify the right margins. Upon acceptance of a manuscript, editors will discuss with authors the alternatives for electronic submission.
5. Authors should insert note numbers in the text, with notes appearing at the end of the complete text, not at the bottom of the page. The endnotes should document the sources on which a manuscript is based. The Press’s staff carries out its long-standing tradition of checking text and notes for accuracy of facts and citations in manuscripts accepted for publication. Authors are responsible, however, for their statements of fact or opinion.
6. The editors will consider manuscripts submitted by members of the Society’s Board of Trustees and the editorial boards of the Press and Family History Publications, but such manuscripts will be treated as are those received from any other source and are subject to the criteria and procedures outlined in this policy statement. A trustee may be paid like any other author. An employee of the Society may be paid for a publication that is not written within the scope of his or her employment. A publication written by an employee within the scope of his or her employment by the Society—or written by a nonemployee who is paid by the Society for the creation of the publication—will be considered a work made for hire for which there is no additional compensation. All authors—whether employees or nonemployees—shall sign a contract assigning all rights including copyright to the Press (in the case of books) or granting the Press a license to publish (in the case of articles).
7. The Press does not publish fiction (except in its children’s books) or poetry.
8. A rejected manuscript will be returned to an author if it is accompanied by a self-addressed envelope stamped with sufficient postage.

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Contact Information

For submission queries, email us.

For manuscript submissions or permissions to publish via email, click here, or use one of the corresponding addresses below:

Acquisitions Editor
IHS Press
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269

Permissions Editor
IHS Press
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269

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Books—Adult

• The IHS Press publishes seven to nine new book titles per year.
• The IHS Press seeks publications about Indiana and the Midwest on topics such as (but not limited to) biography, personal narrative, immigration, family, cultural heritage, women, literature, folklore, music, the visual arts, politics, economics, industry, transportation, sports, geography, and military, medical, archaeological, architectural, and agricultural history.
• Authors of book-length manuscripts should consult Norman Fiering’s helpful pamphlet, A Guide to Book Publication for Historians (Washington, D. C.: American Historical Association, 1979).
• Although the IHS Press has never published an unrevised doctoral dissertation, it has accepted some revised ones for publication.
• The IHS Press issues a contract to an author on acceptance of a book-length manuscript. In accordance with a resolution of the Society’s Executive Committee of January 24, 1985, the Society shall own the copyright in material that it finances and/or publishes.

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Books—Children

• The IHS Press publishes at least one children’s book per year. The press will consider manuscripts of well-researched nonfiction as well as fact-based historical fiction for children that are written in an engaging style with age-appropriate language and subject matter.
• The IHS Press seeks publications about Indiana and the Midwest on topics such as (but not limited to) biography, personal narrative, immigration, family, cultural heritage, women, literature, folklore, music, the visual arts, politics, economics, industry, transportation, sports, geography, and military, medical, archaeological, architectural, and agricultural history.
• The IHS Press issues a contract to an author on acceptance of a book-length manuscript. In accordance with a resolution of the Society’s Executive Committee of January 24, 1985, the Society shall own the copyright in material that it finances and/or publishes.

In order to fulfill the Society’s mission and to produce children’s books that are saleable, the IHS Press and Marketing determined that the main audiences for the children’s books were educators, media specialists, and students, grades K through 12, with the emphasis on fourth grade and higher. The Education Department is supportive of this idea. Education staff members currently educate teachers about the uses of the Casper and Catherine book for the classroom, and they are enthusiastic about the usefulness of the Press’s two upcoming children’s books, a Lew Wallace biography and a book about a young POW, for helping students to learn about the Civil War. The publication of these books and the plan by the IHS Press to publish one or two illustrated children’s books per year, in- cluding a biography series and nonfiction and historical fiction titles, was announced at the IHS’s “Bookmarks to the Past” conference on February 5, 2005. The audience of 180 teachers welcomed the announcement.

Book selections for the children’s book publishing program will provide content rich resources related to Indiana history and the state’s role in national and world events, identify the IHS Press as a reliable provider of excellent Indiana/Midwest-related social studies literature, and ensure the production of economically viable and profitable children’s literary products. Selections will be made based on the following general criteria: imaginative, engaging content, based on sound historical research, with an effective literary style appropriate for the student/youth audience. Ideally, the book will contribute new knowledge about the topic or subject for students, incorporating a variety of primary and secondary sources, and support the national and state educational standards for language arts and social studies. In order to ensure that children’s book selections meet these curriculum standards, Education personnel will be added to the book submissions evaluation process.

Topic Selection:
The topics listed below are derived from curriculum standards for language arts and social studies. Manuscripts will be evaluated according to how they fit within the time periods listed below.

Topics for Elementary Audience(s):
Selection of topics for grades 4 or 5 should come from the following historical time periods or themes:

• America before/after arrival of Europeans
• American Indians and Arrival of Europeans to 1770
• American colonization and settlement
• The American Revolution
• Creation of the United States Constitution and establishment of the Federal Republic (1783 to 1800s)

Or, for Indiana studies topics:

• Indiana Territory (1770s to 1816)
• Indiana statehood and development to the 1850s
• Indiana in the Civil War Era
• Indiana growth and development (1880 to 1920)
• Indiana life, 1920 to the present

Topics for Middle School Audience(s):
Topics selected for grade 8 should be adapted from these time periods or themes:

• American Revolution and founding of the United States (1754 to 1801)
• National Expansion and Reform (1801 to 1861)
• Civil War and Reconstruction (1850 to 1877)
• Historical Time Period (1750 to 1877)

Topics for High School Audience(s):
Topics of interest to United States history courses for high school students would include the following:

• Early National Development (1775 to 1877)
• Development of Industrial United States (1870 to 1900)
• Emergence of Modern United States (1897 to 1920)
• Modern United States Prosperity and Depression (1920 to 1940)
• United States and World War II (1930 to 1945)
• Post-War United States (1945 to 1960)
• United States in Troubled Times (1960 to 1980)
• Contemporary United States (1980 to present)

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Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History

Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History is an award-winning illustrated magazine published quarterly by the IHS Press and distributed to the Society's approximately 10,000 members. Conceived as a vehicle to bring to the public good narrative and analytical history about Indiana in its broader contexts of region and nation, the magazine since 1989 has explored the lives of artists, writers, performers, soldiers, politicians, entrepreneurs, homemakers, reformers, and naturalists.

Traces, which is also available on newsstands throughout the state, has examined the impact of Hoosiers on the nation and the world through the lives of such figures as Lew Wallace, Eugene Debs, Gene Stratton-Porter, James Dean, Madam C. J. Walker, and Wendell Willkie, and it has examined the influence on the state of non-Hoosiers such as H. L. Mencken, John Muir, and Harry S. Truman. Just as important, it has also featured ordinary Indiana men and women, bringing light to obscure lives and work. In this vein, the editors seek nonfiction articles that are solidly researched, attractively written, and amenable to illustration, and they encourage scholars, journalists, and freelance writers to contribute to the magazine.

The Press issues a standardized contract on acceptance of an article, by which it is granted a royalty-free exclusive license to publish the article in Traces—which converts to a royalty-free nonexclusive license six months after publication of the article in Traces—and the right to permit Indiana newspapers to reprint the article. The Press owns the copyright in Traces, but the author owns the copyright in the article and is free to reprint the article after it is published in Traces. The Press is free to reprint the article at a future time.

Manuscript Guidelines:

• Traces seeks articles and essays on topics such as (but not limited to) biography, personal narrative, immigration, family, cultural heritage, women, literature, folklore, music, the visual arts, politics, economics, industry, transportation, sports, geography, and military, medical, archaeological, architectural, and agricultural history.
• In general, articles should be narrative in structure, have strong introductions and conclusions, and weave analysis into the larger framework. Essays should have a history component, preferably one that helps explain present practices, incidents, and behaviors. The editors give priority to submissions that meet standards of research and presentation and also display a direct Indiana connection. Prospective authors should be familiar with the magazine before they submit articles or proposals.
• Feature articles and essays should be 2,000 to 4,000 words in length. The editors primarily seek newly written material, although they will consider material that has been previously published. The editors will also respond to proposals submitted with writing samples and an indication of the means and costs of illustration.
• Articles and essays should be written in clear and appealing prose that is free of jargon and undefined technical terms. Authors should avoid the passive voice, lengthy quotations, and one-sentence paragraphs. Contributors should consult The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. (2003), on format, and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed. (2003), on spelling, including hyphenated and compound words.
• Authors should submit two copies of each article or essay on standard 8½ by 11 inch paper, double-spaced throughout, with the author's name on the title page only. They should provide brief "Suggestions for Further Reading" at the end of articles and document in endnotes the sources on which articles are based. The editors will decide the form and extent of published documentation.
• Authors are responsible for providing illustrative material—in black and white or color—and captions that do not duplicate information in the text. The Press will provide staff assistance in locating—and will assume the cost of reproducing—photographs, maps, and documents in the Society’s collections. Quality and cost of potential illustration are major criteria by which the editors evaluate articles.
• The editors initially review manuscripts submitted for publication, then send suitable ones to appropriate outside readers for evaluation. The editors make the final decision for or against publishing articles. Authors should allow ninety days for the evaluation process.
• The editors reserve the right to copyedit accepted manuscripts to conform with the style and usage of Traces. The editorial staff checks the sources of articles to ensure accuracy of facts and citations. After editing an article, the editors will issue a contract and pay a negotiated honorarium to the author.
• At the end of each volume year, the editorial board will grant the Jacob Piatt Dunn Jr. Award, which includes a $500 prize, to the author whose article has best fulfilled the magazine's mission.
• Manuscripts will be returned to authors if they are accompanied by self-addressed envelopes stamped with sufficient postage.

Readers Respond to Traces

"The magazine's design is sleekly imaginative, its stories told with intelligence and verve."
—American Heritage

"I'm impressed by the way you've managed to wring out so much fascinating material . . . and present it in such a fresh and readable way."
—Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Styron

"Creative writers . . . have combined their skills to fill Traces with readable, truthful history—stories and pictures that make Indiana's past and present vividly alive."
—Indianapolis Star

Address all correspondence to:
Ray Boomhower
Managing Editor, Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History
Indiana Historical Society Press
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
(317) 232-1877
E-mail: click here

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Family History Publications

The Indiana Historical Society has been publishing genealogy books and pamphlets and a journal, The Hoosier Genealogist: Connections, since the mid–twentieth century. Traditionally, these publications were geared to help researchers uncover their ancestors' names and vital statistics; but increasingly, they also provide historical context for their ancestors’ lives. IHS Press Family History Publications thus encompass: indexes for a variety of source material, such as Indiana censuses from 1807 to 1860; how-to guides for genealogy research, for example, the award-winning Finding Indiana Ancestors: A Guide to Historical Research; map books, including Maps of Indiana Counties in 1876; ethnic histories such as The Irish, the first volume in the Peopling Indiana series; periodical compilations, for instance, Genealogical Sources Re-printed from the Genealogical Section, Indiana Magazine of History; local history, including Our Towns: Remembering Community in Indiana; and state history, such as The History of Indiana series. In this vein, the editors of Family History Publications seek nonfiction articles and book-length manuscripts that are solidly researched, attractively written, and amenable to illustration, and they encourage genealogists, historians, journalists, and freelance writers to make contributions.

Manuscript Guidelines:

• The editors of the IHS Family History Publications seek article- and book-length manuscripts on topics such as (but not limited to): name and vital statistics lists from unpublished source material; how-to guides and introductions regarding research repositories, collections, and methods, and genealogical and historical organizations; family, ethnic, local, county, and statewide history and Indiana and midwestern folklore that gives context to Hoosier genealogy; and notices of resources and upcoming family history events that would be useful to family historians with Hoosier ancestors.
• Except for indexes and name lists, manuscripts should be narrative in structure. All manuscripts should have strong introductions with a history component, preferably one that helps explain the historical context or research function of the group, event, collection, repository, or organization that is the topic of the manuscript. All submissions should provide endnotes for the sources on which the manuscripts are based. The editors give priority to submissions that meet standards of research and presentation and display an Indiana or midwestern connection. Prospective authors should be familiar with The Hoosier Genealogist: Connections and the Society's Family History Publications before they submit manuscripts or proposals.
• Feature articles for THG: Connections should be 1,500 to 2,700 words in length. The editors primarily seek newly written material, although they will consider material that has been previously published. The editors will also respond to proposals submitted with writing samples and an indication of the means and costs of illustration.
• Articles submitted for the “Regional Sources & Stories,” “Genealogy Across Indiana,” and “Family Records” sections of THG: Connections and Online Connections should include transcriptions and/or indexes of unpublished source material; introductions that describe: the material, the repository from whence the material comes, the historical background of the source material, and a guide regarding the means of indexing and/or transcribing the material; endnotes that document the resources used for the article's introduction and source material; and a short biographical sketch of the author. A guide for further reading may also be included.
• Transcriptions from original documents should reflect an exact replication of the passages transcribed, including capitalization, spelling, punctuation, and grammar that would be considered incorrect in today's usage.
• Manuscripts should be written in clear and appealing prose and in complete sentences that are free of jargon and undefined technical terms. Authors should avoid the passive voice, lengthy quotations, and one-sentence paragraphs. Contributors should consult The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. (2003), on format, and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed. (2003), on spelling, including hyphenated and compound words.
• Authors should submit one paper copy of each article- or book-length manuscript on standard 8½ by 11 inch paper, double-spaced throughout, with the author’s name on the title page only. They should also provide a copy of the article or manuscript on a floppy disk or CD.
• Authors are responsible for providing illustrative material—in black-and-white or color—captions that do not duplicate information in the text, and citations for the illustrations. The Society will assume the cost of reproducing photographs, maps, and documents from its collections.
• The editors of Family History Publications initially review manuscripts submitted for publication and sometimes send suitable ones to appropriate outside readers for evaluation. The editors make the final decision for or against publishing articles. Authors should allow ninety days for the evaluation process.
• Upon acceptance of an article for THG: Connections, the editors will pay a negotiable honorarium to the author and issue a standardized contract, by which the Society is granted a royalty-free exclusive license to publish articles in THG: Connections and/or Online Connections—which converts to a royalty-free nonexclusive license six months after publication of the article—and the right for the Society to reprint the article. The Society owns the copyright in its publications, but the author owns the copyright in the article and is free to reprint the article six months after it is published. The editors reserve the right to copyedit accepted articles to conform with the style and usage of the IHS Press. The editorial staff checks the sources of articles to ensure accuracy of facts and citations, deciding the form and extent of published documentation.
• The IHS Press issues a contract to an author on acceptance of a book-length manuscript. The Society shall own the copyright in book-length material that it publishes.
• Unused manuscripts will be returned to authors if they are accompanied by self-addressed envelopes stamped with sufficient postage.

Readers Respond to THG: Connections

In 2006 The Hoosier Genealogist was nominated for and won a "Leadership in History Award" from the American Association for State and Local History. Below are some of the comments from the scholars who recommended the journal for this national honor:

“In article after article, THG promotes the exploration of local-history resources beyond the borders of traditional history …. their offerings probe the interaction between ordinary citizens and communities at large …. Its narratives by skilled researchers demonstrate how to weave families into the tapestry of history, enriching that larger tapestry in the process.”
— Elizabeth Shown Mills, past president, Board for Certification of Genealogists

“It is important that the scholarly genealogical community reach out and teach proper methods of research and of establishing well-founded conclusions. The Hoosier Genealogist is one of the bastions of this community.”
— Alvy Ray Smith, board of trustees, New England Historic Genealogical Society

“The Hoosier Genealogist is one of those rare periodicals that works successfully on several levels: It is a quarterly journal aimed at a wide audience; professionally produced with a well organized and visually effective focus on content; centered on local and regional topics whose impact reaches well beyond Indiana.”
— Marianne S. Wokeck, professor of history, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis

Address all correspondence to:
M. Teresa Baer
Editor, Family History Publications
Indiana Historical Society Press
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
(317) 234-0071
E-mail: click here

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