Founded as the literary imprint of the Department of Creative Writing at UNC Wilmington, Lookout Books publishes award-winning story and essay collections, memoirs, poetry, and novels by debut and historically underrepresented voices, as well as overlooked gems by established writers. In concert with its sister magazine, Ecotone, Lookout partners with authors over the long term through significant editorial relationships, attractive design of paperback originals, quality production, and national publicity. Lookout is particularly proud of its work discovering and nurturing authors in the promising early stages of their careers. The imprint's boutique model allows for devoted focus on a single book a season. 

Lookout and Ecotone are the centerpieces of The Publishing Laboratory at UNC Wilmington, and offer students engaged learning experiences in the art and craft of publishing.