Mary E. Laur
Executive Editor
I oversee our program of writing reference guides, including The Chicago Manual of Style and The CSE Manual; the two “Turabian” books, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations and Student’s Guide to Writing College Papers; and The Craft of Research.
I am actively seeking new guidebooks for writers and editors—and teachers of writing and editing. I have a particular interest in works that demystify the writing and publishing process (The Business of Being a Writer; What Editors Do; The Design of Books) as well as professional guides for editors (Developmental Editing; The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction; The Chicago Guide for Freelance Editors). My books encourage the development of skills in and across genres and contexts, from academic writing (Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks; The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook; Writing Science in Plain English) to creative genres (Writing Fiction; Storycraft) and journalism (The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking; “The Girl in the Window” and Other True Tales; Sound Reporting). And I welcome books that help everyone from job applicants (Why You, Why Me, Why Now) to lawyers (Legal Writing in Plain English) apply writing skills in professional contexts.
I also acquire works for our Chicago Guides to Academic Life series, which has recently featured titles ranging from The Chicago Guide to College Science Teaching to Getting In, as well as other reference books, such as Information Now and the landmark work The History of Cartography, Volume 4.
My training as a historian (Northwestern University; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and as a nonfiction writer (University of Chicago, among others) has shaped both my commitment and my approach to the books I acquire.
I am pleased to work with senior editorial associate Andrea Blatz.
Prospective authors are encouraged to consult our submission guidelines. We also provide an overview about publishing with Chicago here.
