Op-ed pieces and feature pitches should be original and tailored to the news outlet and audience you are approaching; see the talking points below for inspiration. Letters to the editor surrounding a particular event may be based on template copy, although customization is necessary. Below we have provided several examples of letters to the editor based on the same formula and core message, but with different introductory hooks and individualized details. Feel free to use and adapt these sample letters in your own community.
Even for letters to the editor, it pays to be sensitive the editorial practice and market priorities of your local newspaper. A large market, such as Boston, is perhaps less likely to run a more generic, celebratory letter that is untethered to recent news coverage. Many (but not all) small and mid-sized market papers do regularly run letters on such topics, reflecting events in the community. Tailoring your hook to these differing preferences will be most effective. Also, be aware of the paper’s preferred schedule. Many papers will run a letter within a few days if they will run it all—don’t send them a piece too early. Your local paper(s) may be happy to schedule publication of letters that don’t directly respond to a news article a week or more in advance.
Talking Points
University presses (or your press in particular):
- Contribute to the variety and diversity of cultural expression.
- Partner with libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions.
- Preserve the distinctiveness of local cultures.
- Give voice to minority cultures and perspectives.
- Bring the work of international scholars and writers to audiences at home.
- Enrich undergraduate and graduate education by publishing supplementary material.
- Extend the reach and influence of their parent institutions.
- (State UPs) Give back to taxpayers by publishing works about the state and region.
- Connect the university to the community by publishing books of local interest and hosting events for local authors.
- Provide opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in publishing.
Identify other talking points in The Value of University Presses statement.
Example 1 (Template)
Ours is a community of readers and thinkers, as one anchored by a university is most likely to be. The more than 150 members of the Association of University Presses (AUPresses), including [press], are proud to be part of a diverse and global network of publishers that serves, informs, and educates the reading public. The publishing world is in flux, with new technologies and economic realities posing challenges and opportunities both exciting and daunting, but throughout these changes university presses remain a steadfast beacon of compelling ideas.
Our collective mission is dedicated to the support of creative and reliable scholarly communications. In celebration of that mission, [Month day to day] has been designated the Xth annual “University Press Week.”
The members of AUPresses are recognized on college campuses for publishing vital academic texts authored by respected faculty. In addition to these core books our community publishes honored literary works, popular reference guides, works of regional significance, graphic novels, political memoirs, poetry, science and humanities journals, and Pulitzer Prize winners.
Locally, our press has published books by names you might recognize: [examples here]
We invite you to explore the University Press Week online gallery and blog tour. Visit www.universitypressweek.org.
As the publishing industry transitions to an unknown but promising future, AUPresses and [press] look forward to many more years of fulfilling our educational mission.
Example 2: Hook to national conversation with local appeal
In this political season, it is especially important to recall Thomas Jefferson’s belief that an informed citizenry is vital to democracy. For more than 75 years, private citizens and political leaders alike have turned to the members of the Association of University Presses (AUPresses), including our own [press], for high-quality, nonpartisan information on topics from [health care to Hezbollah to hurricanes]. The economics and technology of publishing—like those of higher education—may change, but university presses remain a reliable source of compelling ideas, whether readers arrive at our work by opening a book cover or starting up a tablet.
Our collective mission is dedicated to the support of creative and reliable scholarly communications. In celebration of that mission, [Month day to day] has been designated the Xth annual “University Press Week.”
The members of AUPresses are recognized on college campuses for publishing vital academic texts authored by respected faculty. In addition to these core books our community publishes honored literary works, popular reference guides, works of regional significance, graphic novels, political memoirs, poetry, science and humanities journals, and Pulitzer Prize winners.
[Press] has published books by names you might recognize, including [examples].
We invite you to explore the University Press Week online gallery and blog tour. Visit www.universitypressweek.org.
As the publishing industry transitions to an unknown but promising future, AUPresses and [press] look forward to many more years of fulfilling our educational mission.
EXAMPLE 3: FOCUS ON REGIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS
University presses publish scholars all over the world, but they have an equally important mission at home. The more than 150 members of the Association of University Presses (AUPresses) of which [press] is one, are proud to be a part of a community that serves, informs, and educates the reading public. One of the most vital ways we do that here at [press] is to publish books about the history and culture of our state. By telling and preserving the story of [state], the Press helps students and citizens better understand our rich and complex past, and our work informs the conversation about where we are headed in the future.
Our collective mission is dedicated to the support of creative and reliable scholarly communications. In celebration of that mission, [Month day to day] has been designated the Xth annual “University Press Week.”
The members of AUPresses are recognized on college campuses for publishing vital academic texts authored by respected faculty. In addition to these core books our community publishes honored literary works, popular reference guides, works of regional significance, graphic novels, political memoirs, poetry, science and humanities journals, and Pulitzer Prize winners.
[Press] has published books by and about many names you might recognize: We are also the publishers of many of the faculty of [state]’s [number] public universities, with whom the Press is proudly affiliated.
We invite you to explore the University Press Week online gallery and blog tour. Visit www.universitypressweek.org.
As the publishing industry transitions to an unknown but promising future, AUPresses and [press] look forward to many more years of fulfilling our educational mission.
With thanks to the originators of these sample letters in 2012: Michael Roux (Illinois), Mark Saunders (Virginia), and Leila Salisbury (Mississippi).