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20 Publishers Accepting Novels, Poetry and Nonfiction Manuscripts NOW - No agent required

4/17/2023

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These twenty publishers have opened their doors to submissions - no agent required. They are looking for romance, thrillers, speculative fiction, kidlit, memoir, and more. All of these are traditional publishers, not vanity publishers. All pay royalties, but only the larger houses pay significant advances.

When submitting to a publisher make sure you follow their guidelines carefully. Don't give anyone an excuse to throw out your work!

For a list of hundreds of publishers, organized by genre. that don't require an agent see Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts.

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With Deadlines

Verve Poetry Press. Genre: Full-length poetry manuscripts. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: April 30, 2023.

Propertius Press. Genre: Literary fiction, children's fiction, YA, biography, memoir. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: May 15, 2023. May close early if cap is reached.

University Press of Kentucky. Genre: Books of poetry or fiction (novels, short story collections, etc.). Payment: Royalties. Deadline: May 31, 2023.

Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series. Restrictions: Open to any individual living in the U.S. who identifies as an immigrant and who either (i) was born in another country, (ii) has at least one parent who was born in another country (iii) is a refugee, or (iv) lives in the United States under Asylum or a Protection Program, such as TPS or DACA. Genre: Books of poetry, prose (fiction or nonfiction), and hybrid texts of poetry and prose. Payment: In addition to publication, marketing, and a standard royalties contract from Black Lawrence Press, authors chosen for the Black Lawrence Immigrant Writing Series will receive a travel stipend of $500, which can be used for book tours or in any manner chosen by the authors. Deadline: May 31, 2023.

Meerkat Press. Genre: Full-length speculative fiction, novellas and novels. Darker themes. Payment: Royalties. Deadline: June 30, 2023.

No Deadlines

Avon is a commercial fiction publisher looking for crime, thriller, women’s and contemporary fiction, romance, romantic comedy, historical fiction, saga and time-slip fiction. They do not accept non-fiction, children’s books, YA or teen, sci-fi or fantasy submissions. Your submission should be between 70,000-90,000 words. Please read full guidelines here.
Pan Macmillan Australia accepts electronic manuscript submissions of fiction and commercial nonfiction, including memoir, directly from writers. Authors need not be Australian. Read their submission guidelines here.

Tundra Books, Puffin Canada, and Penguin Teen Canada publish books for teens and children. They are open to direct submissions by underrepresented authors and illustrators only. Authors need not be Canadian. Read their submission guidelines here.

Random House Canada has opened its doors to LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC writers, as well as those from other traditionally underrepresented communities. They are looking for commercial fiction in the following genres: literary, romance, speculative fiction, historical fiction, and mystery. The submissions inbox is open to writers from anywhere. Read guidelines here.

Unnerving publishes Horror, Crime, Mystery, & Dark General Fiction novels and novellas. The finished products will need to be between 20,000 and 110,000 words in length. 50/50 net royalties split. No contract fees. 5-year publishing terms. Unnerving also publishes anthologies. Please read full guidelines here.

Haunted Doll House is an imprint of Agape Editions that publishes full-length novels and memoirs in print. "As our name suggests, we aren’t afraid of the dark: we live there. We want your horror stories, your mystery novels, your dark sf/f, your genre-resistant writing about the ecstasies, traumas, and terrors that took you to the very edges of yourself." Please read full guidelines here.

The Parliament House publishes Urban fantasy, Supernatural thriller, Paranormal romance, Dark fantasy, Horror and paranormal fiction with an emphasis on uplifting marginalized voices and unconventional narratives. "We strive to inscribe magic onto every page and to capture our passionate readership with the enduring power of storytelling. Our mission is not only to offer readers fantastical escapes, to make the impossible possible, but to share stories that are thought-provoking, evocative, and speak to the complexities of our lived reality." Read their submission guidelines here.

Android Press is a small press that publishes science fiction, fantasy, and the various -punk subgenres. "We love stories that are full of hope and optimism. We also love stories that hold up a mirror to our society and force us reexamine our past and our values in order to move forward and build a better future." Accepts novels, graphic novels, and novellas. Read submission guidelines here.

Starry Eyed Press: 224-Verse and Galactic Treks is seeking space opera, 2,000 words to novel length. Payment: Royalty split. Read guidelines here.

Red Dog Press is accepting crime, thriller, noir, cozy and mystery. "If you write thrillers, crime stories or mysteries with a unique voice, we want to hear from you. We'd love to find characters we haven't seen before and new angles on traditional crimes. Our small team are passionate about bringing the best stories to market, and our personal touch is aimed at bringing new voices to the crime and mystery world. We accept submissions from authors with or without agents, whether you're new to writing or already published. No standalone novels under 70,000 words, please." Read guidelines here.

Publishers With Regional Restrictions

Penguin Random House SEA was launched in October 2018 to bring local writing from the South East Asian region to a wider audience, breaking barriers of language and geographies. "As one of the world’s premier English-language publishers, we publish across a whole range of genres and are home to some of today’s most revered names in fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose. We are publishing and discovering new and established, local and international voices in English for adults and children primarily for Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. We have a strong fiction and non-fiction list across every genre including biography, travel, business, politics, history, religion and philosophy, lifestyle and self-help."

Text Publishing Australia accepts non-fiction and fiction manuscripts, including middle grade and young adult, from Australian or New Zealand residents.

Hachette Australia accepts work from Australian or New Zealand residents. They do not accept science fiction/fantasy, illustrated children’s books, illustrated books, cookbooks, poetry, self-help, screenplays or academic submissions.

Allen & Unwin accepts pitches for fiction and nonfiction manuscripts on Fridays. Please only apply to the Friday Pitch if you are currently living in Australia or New Zealand.

Lucent Dreaming is open to any genre, but has a preference for accessible literary, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative and/or surreal fiction. Word Limit: 40,000-80,000+ words, Pay Rate: Advance fee of £500, 20% royalties. You must be a UK resident for your work to be considered. They are especially looking for novel submissions from writers who are under-represented in UK publishing.

12 Mystery and Thriller Publishers Open to Submissions - No Agent Required

4/27/2021

Pixabay

Whodunnits never go out of style, and neither do pulse-pounding thrillers, so if you write mysteries or thrillers, you are in luck.

Here are a dozen mystery and thriller publishers that don't require an agent. All are traditional publishers. (No vanity presses) Make sure your manuscript is complete before you submit. None of these publishers accept proposals or partially completed work.
Happy submitting!

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Camel Press is the genre imprint of Coffeetown Press. (Coffeetown Press publishes memoir, nonfiction, some literary mysteries, and literary fiction). "Camel Press is a feisty little publisher with a mission: to be your trusted purveyor of popular literature—the stuff that makes you lie in the sun too long and read in bed until the cock crows, the urban chickens start clucking, or your neighbor leaves for her 6 am shift." Seeking: Genre fiction: mystery/suspense, cozy mystery, mystery thrillers, romantic suspense and romance (contemporary and historical). They also consider general fiction, historical fiction and westerns. Read their guidelines here.
Crooked Lane publishes mysteries, thrillers, and suspense. titles in both print and electronic editions. Crooked Lane Books is distributed through Legato Publishers Group, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Crooked Lane is also represented by Biagi Literary Management for subsidiary rights licensing in foreign and domestic markets, and their business relationships include Bookspan, home of the country’s largest book clubs, and Blackstone Audio, one of the nation’s largest independent audiobook publishers. Read submission guidelines here.

Dark Edge Press is the crime imprint of Usk River Publishing (UK). They are a digital first publisher. Dark Edge accepts Psychological, Crime, Legal, Medical, Techno, and Hard-boiled Action-packed Thrillers. Procedurals, Chillers, Grip-lit, and Domestic noir. Read submission guidelines here.

Fahrenheit Press exclusively publishes mysteries and thrillers. They accept self-published and previously published work, provided the author has all the rights. They offer a generous royalty rate of 50% on both eBooks & paperback editions for a 5 year contract. Read submission guidelines here.

Felony and Mayhem was launched in 2005, and now has more than 100 titles in print. Their focus is on literary mystery fiction. "We love wit, we love elegance, we love distinctive narrative voices. And while we may sound a little snotty, the truth is that we would love nothing more than to find your witty, elegant, distinctive manuscript in our inbox." The minimum length is roughly 75,000 words. Read submission guidelines here.

Hard Case Crime publishes old-fashioned, hard-boiled crime novels with "bare-knuckled" prose. They are unabashedly dedicated to "reviving the vigor and excitement, the suspense and thrills—the sheer entertainment—of the golden age of paperback crime novels, both by bringing back into print the best work of the pulp era and by introducing readers to new work by some of today's most powerful writers and artists. Determined detectives and dangerous women...fortune hunters and vengeance seekers...ingenious criminals and men on the run..." Read submission guidelines here.

Joffe Books is one of the UK’s leading independent publishers of crime and mystery novels. Many of their authors have topped the best-seller lists. They accept submissions from published authors and new writers, as well as authors who wish to relaunch their back-list titles. They are seeking mysteries, crime fiction, psychological thrillers, detective, thrillers, and suspense. Read submission guidelines here.

Level Best, a publisher of anthologies, has recently opened its doors to full-length manuscript submissions. They are seeking crime fiction novels in the following categories: mystery, thriller, suspense, historical, traditional, and contemporary. No works of erotica or science fiction at this time. Read submission guidelines here.

Lyrical Press, an imprint of Kensington, publishes suspense fiction, thrillers, and cozy mysteries. They have a penchant for romance. Submit to one editor only. (The list of editors includes the genres they are receiving.) Response time is three months. Read submission guidelines here.

Oceanview Press is an independent publisher of original mystery, thriller, and suspense titles. Oceanview Publishing’s titles have received many awards and award nominations. Read submission guidelines here.

Seventh Street Books--where fiction is a crime—is devoted to publishing quality mystery, thriller, and crime fiction. It is an imprint of Prometheus Books, an independent publisher of progressive nonfiction. A number of their debut titles have won prestigious awards, including the Edgar Award, the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and the Anthony Award. Read submission guidelines here.

Tule Publishing specializes in romance and mystery ebooks. In mysteries they are looking for Domestic suspense, Cozy mysteries, Private Investigators, Mystery stories with diverse characters, Detective mysteries with women sleuths, Police Procedural, Thrillers. Read submission guidelines here.

17 Publishers Accepting Dark Fiction and Horror - No Agent Required

6/11/2018

"First dates can be so awkward."

Here are seventeen publishers accepting dark fiction, horror, urban fantasy, military horror, and anything that goes bump in the night - including vampires. None require an agent, and all are traditional publishers.

Some of these publishers have been in business for a long time and have a great track record. Others are start-ups. Read their websites, look at the covers of the books they publish (do you like the art?), check out their authors on Amazon - in short, investigate before you submit your work. And be sure to read submission requirements carefully and follow them to the letter.

You can find additional speculative fiction publishers (including some horror) here: Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts. All of these are traditional publishers. (No vanity presses.)

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Arkham House published its first book, The Outsider and Others by H. P. Lovecraft, in 1939. Other writers published by Arkham House include Greg Bear, Michael Bishop, James Blaycock, David Case, August Derleth, John Kessel, Mary Rosenblum and many more. Submissions: Please submit a synopsis of your manuscript to: PO Box 546, Sauk City, WI 53583. Do not make submissions via email. Arkham House does not return submissions or acknowledge that they have received your manuscript. They will contact you only if they are interested in publishing your work. Snail mail only. Read guidelines here.

Bell Bridge Books / BelleBooks, Inc. BB is looking for dark, gritty, serious urban fantasy & horror. Vampires, werewolves, and other things that go bump in the night on the mean streets of contemporary life. "A book we've currently bought is an epic series about a clan of vampires. (Right, epic means the series spans centuries. You can never trust guidelines.) Read Laurell K. Hamilton, Robin McKinley (Sunshine), Patricia Briggs, Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, etc." Advance: Yes. Simultaneous submissions: No. Formats: Print and ebooks. Read guidelines here.

Black Bed Sheet Books. Black Bed Sheet Books specializes in publishing fiction of a dark nature: Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Suspense, Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller. Accepting novels, novellas, short story collections. Black Bed Sheet Books has published over 80 authors. Advance: No information. Formats: Print and ebooks. Read guidelines here.

By Light Unseen Media. "By Light Unseen Media is currently seeking outstanding and unique manuscripts in the area of vampire fiction and non-fiction. Authors are asked to query before submitting manuscripts. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be considered." Advance: $200; Formats: Print (POD) and ebooks. Read guidelines here.

Chaosium Fiction. Currently, the Chaosium fiction line primarily features works centered on the Cthulhu Mythos. "We will consider original novels, anthologies, single-author collections, and non-fiction. Our target length for book releases is 90,000 to 100,000 words, though we will consider longer or shorter works if the content is compelling. We will consider reprints." Chaosium is a professional fiction market, offering advances, royalties, and, for short fiction, a word rate in line with HWA and SFWA guidelines. Read guidelines here.
Cohesion Press is an award-winning press based in Australia. Seeking: Military horror, SHTF, apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic horror (there are too many bad zombie tales out there already, so if you have the shambling (or running) dead in your story, it better be damn good), Biological/Creature horror ie. beasties rising up against man, giant creatures devouring cities etc. ACTION is important. No romance, no thrillers based on tension, no subtle horror. ACTION is important. No romance, no thrillers based on tension, no subtle horror. Go here for complete submission details.

Cosmic Egg. Cosmic Egg is an imprint of John Hunt Publishers, a mid-list house located in the UK. The publisher offers traditional publishing deals as well as co-operative publishing for authors. The parent company publishes a total of 300 titles per year with global sales and a focus on physical stores. Worldwide distribution. Cosmic Egg imprint publishes speculative fiction: Vampires, Werewolves. Dragons and Faeries or Angels and Demons, Fantasy (including magical realism and spiritual fantasy), Metaphysical Cosmology, Horror or Science Fiction (including Steampunk). Advance: None. Royalties are 10% of net. Formats: Print and ebooks. Note: It has come to my attention that in some cases authors are expected to pay for some or all of publishing costs. Legitimate publishers do not require authors to pay for publishing their books under any circumstances. Read guidelines here.

Dark Hall Press. Dark Hall Press, a division of New Street Communications, LLC, was launched on October 31, 2011, "The Dark Hall list includes works of supernatural and non-supernatural horror, as well as cross-genre pollinations (sci-fi/horror, fantasy/horror, noir/horror, etc.) and experimental works." Formats: Print and Kindle. Read guidelines here.

Dark Regions Press is a small press specializing in dark fantasy, horror and science fiction. "Each book that is accepted for publication in Dark Regions Horror, Dark Regions Fantasy and Dark Regions Sci-Fi will have a Kickstarter/crowdfunding campaign associated with it. The campaigns will be created as a means for readers to preorder the book and to fully fund each project. Authors, artists, editors and everyone else involved in each book project will be asked to contribute to the campaign with videos, promotional efforts etc. Crowdfunding campaigns aren't always favored by authors, so it's important to know before thinking about submitting that if your manuscript is accepted for publication in Dark Regions Horror, Dark Regions Fantasy or Dark Regions Sci-Fi a crowdfunding campaign will be associated with it." Advance: Author will receive a base payment (or advance) in the amount of $500 and starting rates of 35% NET royalties (profit sharing) for trade paperback editions and 45% NET royalties (profit sharing) for ebook editions which can increase to 40% and 50%, respectively, based on sales thresholds being reached. Note: Books are crowd-funded. Please read guidelines here.

Elder Signs Press is looking for Dark Fantasy, Dark Fiction Thrillers, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction, and Supernatural Thrillers. Submissions: Send a synopsis of up to three pages. This should include information about your characters, major plot points, and how the book ends. Also send the first three chapters; a cover letter with your real name, the name you wish to publish under (if different), contact information (address, email), word (not page) count, publication history, and any specific knowledge/experience you have relating to the material. Electronic submissions only. Responds in 1-3 months to queries. Responds in 3-6 months to proposals. Read full guidelines here.

Flame Tree Press, an imprint of Flame Tree Publishing, specializes in speculative fiction, including horror. Flame Tree sells through all major wholesalers, retailers, and online outlets. In addition, foreign language co-editions and translation rights are sold to publishers in many countries around the world, including France, Germany, China and Brazil. They publish simultaneous hardcover, paperback and ebook editions to the trade market, online and retail stores, and library markets and pay industry standard royalties. Advances are modest. Read guidelines here.

Grinning Skull Press publishes novels, novellas, and anthologies. Terms: 50/50 split on royalties. Read full guidelines here. No simultaneous submissions.

Journalstone wants horror in all its forms—from literary to weird, Gothic to psychological, and (almost) everything in between. Standard royalties. (Advance not mentioned.) No reading or application fees. Read guidelines here.
Rainfall Books is a British publisher of fantasy, horror and science fiction, specializing in modern works inspired by the writing of H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith. Submissions: Rainfall has published 150 chapbooks over the past three or four years and have many more waiting in the wings. They are always looking for submissions for chapbooks in the form of poetry and short stories. They are happy to publish reprints. Please read guidelines here.

Severed Press. "Established in 2008 Severed Press is a leading independent publisher of horror and science fiction. Publishing trade paperbacks and E-Books. Severed Press has earned a reputation for excellence, quality and commitment to new and established authors alike. We are proud of the diversity of our authors and aim in continuing to build strong relationships worldwide. Authors include seasoned masters of horrors such as Tim Curran, Mark Tufo and Jake Bible to best selling newcomers David Achord and Joseph Talluto." Severed Press is currently accepting novel submissions in the following categories: Apocalypse/Survival Horror, Dark Humour, Sci-Fi Horror, Anything out of the ordinary. Advance: None. Pays royalties. Note: Promotion and marketing for novels locally in Australia. Please read full submission guidelines here.

Tartarus is a small British independent press founded in 1990. They specialize in collectible hardback
limited editions of literary supernatural/strange/horror fiction. They also publish paperbacks and ebooks. Tartarus has been the recipient of four World Fantasy Awards, and in 2010 received a "Stoker" from the Horror Writers Association. Submissions: Tartarus is looking for short story collections and novels of between 75,000 and 120,000 words. They are not interested in high fantasy, violent horror or young adult fiction. Electronic submissions should be sent to rosalieparker@btinternet.com as a Word or rtf attachment. Please send a synopsis or first two or three chapters/stories when first getting in contact. Additionally, they are now accepting single short story submissions for Strange Tales V. Please read full guidelines here.

Voodoo Press is primarily a German language publisher, but they have branched out into English. What they are looking for: Apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic, survival horror, traditional horror novels. No reprints or self-published. Terms: 50% share of the net profit plus 5 years of rights. Please read full guidelines here.

11 Literary Fiction Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts

9/5/2017

Image by Kathy Buckalew

Here are eleven publishers looking for literary fiction - no agent needed.

Make sure to read the submission requirements on the publishers' websites before submitting. (Submission guidelines for publishing houses are not the same as queries to agents.)

The difference between commercial and literary fiction can be subtle. In general, commercial fiction is formulaic, whereas literary fiction tends to experiment with form and style. Commercial fiction falls into genres - science fiction, chick lit, romance, etc. - whereas literary fiction may cross or blend genres, or depart from them entirely. Literary fiction also places greater value on the craft of writing, which is not to say that genre fiction can't be well written, but in the case of literary fiction, the writing is front and center.

NOTE: You can find more than 150 publishers accepting unagented submissions - broken down by genre - here: Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts
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8th House Publishing

8th House Publishing is a small company based in Montreal and New York. They publish poetry, literary novels, philosophy, and other "earnest work." Their list consists of 34 books by 26 authors.

Submissions: "What we like at 8th House: modern, radical, enduring, insightful, inventive... Whether it's an essay, a philosophy tract, or a novel, a book of verse." Send a sample of your work (2 or 3 chapters and a full table of contents) along with a query letter to : submissions@8thHousePublishing.com

Academy Chicago Publishers

Academy Chicago Publishers is a trade book publisher founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1975 by Anita and Jordan Miller. It was purchased by Chicago Review Press in 2014. Its titles have been released around the world and translated into more than a dozen languages. They do not publish fantasy, sci-fi, short stories, novellas, or YA fiction.

Submissions: ACP requires a proposal for fiction submissions. (See site for details.) Fiction proposals are considered on a quarterly basis - March, June, September, and December. Response time is the last day of the quarter.

BlazeVOX

BlazeVOX is an independent publisher based in Buffalo, New York in 2000. Blaze has published more than 350 books of poetry and prose, most of which fall within the sphere of avant-garde literature. BlazeVOX aims to "disseminate poetry, through print and digital media, both within academic spheres and to society at large," and to "push at the frontiers of what is possible." They publish works "regardless of commercial viability."

Submissions: Send the manuscript to editor@blazevox.org as an attachment in either a Microsoft Word doc, RTF, or even a PDF is fine. Blaze does not pay advances or arrange for book tours. Authors should be prepared to do marketing. Royalties are 10%.

Cedar Fort

Cedar Fort is an established house that publishes over 120 books a year. Their books are available nationally through major distribution companies including Ingram Content Group, Baker & Taylor, and ReaderLink as well as through major retail corporations like Deseret Book, Seagull Book, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sam’s Club, and Indigo in Canada. Cedar Fort is active in selling foreign language rights, and they attend the Frankfurt Book Fair every year to present their frontlist titles internationally.

Submissions: Cedar Fort accepts all manuscript submissions through Submittable. "Your submission is reviewed not just for its content, but as a business venture to which the publisher contributes significant capital investment. Your ability to actively support the promotion of your work and brand in the market is an important consideration during the process. Please include any audience or following you have built for your name or brand and on what platforms, if applicable."

City Lights Publishers

City Lights Publishers has launched several famous poets, including Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg, but this press also specializes in "cutting edge" literary fiction and nonfiction. City Lights publishes 12 books a year and has over 200 books in print. They do not publish children's literature or genre works such as romance, westerns, or science fiction.

Submissions: Submit a proposal only via snail mail. (See details on the site.)

Manic D Press

Manic D Press is an American literary press based in San Francisco, California publishing fiction novels and short stories, poetry, and graphic novels. It was founded by Jennifer Joseph in 1984 as an alternative outlet for young writers seeking to bring their work into print. Manic D Press books are distributed throughout the US by Consortium, Last Gasp, and wholesalers including Ingram and Baker & Taylor; in the UK and EU by Turnaround PSL; in Canada by Publishers Group Canada; and throughout the world by Perseus.

How to submit: Email submissions are preferred. Printed manuscripts are read twice a year, during the months of January and July ONLY. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, just let them know if your work has been accepted elsewhere or if (and where) it has been previously published. Read full guidelines HERE.

Mid-List Press

Mid-List Press publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books by new and emerging writers and by writers ignored, marginalized, or excluded from publication by commercial publishers. Mid-List is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit literary organization.

How to submit: Query first by regular mail with a few representative poems. They do not accept emailed or faxed queries. Read full guidelines HERE.

Milkweed Editions

Milkweed Editions is one of the nation’s leading independent, nonprofit literary publishers. Publishing fifteen to twenty books each year, they have some three hundred titles in print, and nearly four million copies of their books in circulation. Genres: Fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry collections. They do not publish romance, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, crime, or westerns.

Submissions: Milkweed Editions accepts unsolicited manuscripts from authors of all backgrounds, Submissions that do not initially meet the guidelines will not be considered. Please read full guidelines here. Please submit a query letter with three opening chapters (of a novel) or three representative stories (of a collection). Milkweed has one open submission period a year. (Last year it was in May.)

Persea Books

Persea Books is an independent, literary publishing house founded in 1975 by Michael Braziller and Karen Braziller, who still own and direct the company. Genres: Poetry, fiction, essays, memoir, biography, titles of Jewish and Middle Eastern interest, women's studies, American Indian folklore, and YA. Response time: Eight weeks for proposals and 12 weeks for requested manuscript. Submissions: Queries should include a cover letter, author background and publication history, a synopsis of the proposed work, and a sample chapter. Send queries and manuscripts to info@perseabooks.com or to the appropriate editor (Fiction or Nonfiction), Persea Books, 277 Broadway, Suite 708, New York, NY 10007.

Submissions: Read their submission guidelines here.

Red Hen Press

Red Hen Press is an independent, non-profit press that publishes about twenty books of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry every year. "We’re looking for novels, memoir, creative nonfiction, hybrid works, and story, essay, and poetry collections of exceptional literary merit that demonstrate a high level of mastery."

How to submit: Submissions can be made via snail mail or online through submittable ($20 charge). Read full guidelines HERE.

Seven Stories Press

Seven Stories Press publishes "uncompromising" political books, fiction, and poetry. The press is named after the first seven authors to publish with Seven Stories: Octavia E. Butler, Annie Ernaux, Gary Null, Project Censored, Charley Rosen, Vassilis Vassilikos, and the estate of Nelson Algren. They publish in English, in Spanish, in hardcover, and paperback, usually with simultaneous e-book editions in all major e-formats, books as long as 1,500 pages, and pamphlets or children’s books as short as 28 pages, for adults, for young adults and for children.

Submissions: Manuscript submissions, accompanied by a cover letter and two sample chapters only, with a SASE or postcard for reply, to:

Acquisitions
Seven Stories Press
140 Watts Street
New York, NY 10013

21 Young Adult Publishers Accepting Manuscripts - No agent required

8/10/2017

Young adult literature did not exist when I was growing up. There were children's books and books for adults, but there were no books specifically aimed at teens.

Since that dark period in our literary history, young adults (aka teenagers) have gained the power of the purse, and they want to read about themselves - their growing pains, their first forays into sexual (mis)adventure, love, friendship, and struggles with identity. These themes are the mainstays of young adult literature.

Perhaps not surprisingly, adults enjoy reading young adult literature almost as much as teenagers. YA literature, especially contemporary YA lit, is often humorous, snappy, and less demanding than many books geared to the adult market. (If adult literature were translated into music, it would be classical. And YA literature would be pop.)

For over 150 publishers looking for writers - no agent required - see: Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts

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Albert Whitman & Company

Albert Whitman & Company has been publishing award-winning children’s books since 1919. They have since expanded to include YA literature. Albert Whitman’s special interest titles address subjects such as disease, bullying, and disabilities.

Submissions: Albert Whitman and Company currently has an open submissions policy. They read and review unagented manuscripts and proposals for picture books, middle-grade fiction, and young adult novels. Email submissions only. Note: They will not review any submissions that do not follow their submission guidelines.

Blaze

Blaze is a new publishing venture started by Krystal Wade. "Krystal is on a mission to introduce readers to Books with Heart. They might be fantasy, contemporary, horror, or any genre really, but they’ll all have heart and a message waiting for readers to discover. At Blaze, we’re not looking for any particular genre. We’re looking for a message woven into the words of a well-written, young adult or middle grade novel. Your message can be inspiring, moving, sad, or make people change the way they view others around them. If you choose to package that up in a fantasy, horror, or sci-fi, so be it!"

Submissions: Manuscripts must be between 55,000 and 120,000 words. Send a query letter, first three chapters of manuscript (pasted in body of email), a couple sentences about the message your book contains, short Author Bio or experience and contact information. Read their submission guidelines here.

Cedar Fort

Cedar Fort is an established house that publishes over 120 books a year. Their books are available nationally through major distribution companies including Ingram Content Group, Baker & Taylor, and ReaderLink as well as through major retail corporations like Deseret Book, Seagull Book, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sam’s Club, and Indigo in Canada. Cedar Fort is active in selling foreign language rights, and they attend the Frankfurt Book Fair every year to present their frontlist titles internationally.

Submissions: Cedar Fort accepts all manuscript submissions through Submittable. "Your submission is reviewed not just for its content, but as a business venture to which the publisher contributes significant capital investment. Your ability to actively support the promotion of your work and brand in the market is an important consideration during the process. Please include any audience or following you have built for your name or brand and on what platforms, if applicable." Read their guidelines here.

Charlesbridge Teen

Charlesbridge Teen is a new imprint of Charlesbridge, a well known Watertown, Mass-based publisher of children's books. Fiction titles include lively, plot-driven stories with strong, engaging characters. Charlesbridge books are distributed by Penguin Random House. They are actively seeking debut authors.

Submissions may be sent via email to YAsubs@charlesbridge.com. Please send a detailed plot synopsis, a chapter outline, and three chapters of text. Read guidelines here.

Clarion

Clarion is an imprint of the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers Division. They have published a number of award-winning books and serials in all genres. HMH is one the the "Big 5" publishers.

Submissions: Your manuscript should be typed and submitted via mail. (They do not accept submissions by e-mail or fax.) Read their submission guidelines here.

Clean Teen

Clean Teen publishes books that are rated according to violence, language, romance, and drugs/alcohol. They don't believe in censorship, but they do want their readers to be informed.

Submissions: They are seeking YA (young adult) or NA (new adult) novels that are between 50,000 and 110,000 words. While they accept stand-alone books, their ideal submission would be the first two books in a series or a novel with a novella that is a prequel to the novel. Genres that they are specifically seeking include the following: horror, mystery, witches, fortune teller, psychic, magician, historical, escapism. When you submit to Clean Teen Publishing, your title may also be considered for one of their other imprints. This includes their new digital-first imprint— CTP Pulse. Read their guidelines here.

Curiosity Quills

Curiosity Quills Press is a publisher of hard-hitting dark sci-fi, speculative fiction, and paranormal works aimed at adults, young adults, and new adults. Refreshingly, they have a very detailed FAQs page that answers every question an author could have, including royalty rates, editorial process, length of time before publication. (Very few publishers offer this crucial information up front.)

Submissions: They are seeking sci-fi, fantasy, romance, horror, historical fiction, magical realism, and more. (Consult their Acquisitions Editors page for more detail.) Read their submission guidelines here.

Desert Breeze

Desert Breeze Publishing is a publisher of non-erotic romance fiction in a variety of sub-genres, as well as mainstream women's fiction either with or without romantic elements. They also publish both Christian romance and Christian women's fiction, and a variety of young adult and new adult fiction. In those books categorized as romance, romance should be the prevailing theme of your manuscript, not romantic elements.

Submissions: They are seeking manuscripts from novella length (between 25,000 and 35,000 words approximately) to super novel length (exceeding 100,000 words), with a preference for novels between 55,000 and 80,000 words. They accept queries on book series, and will consider a series concept when at least one book is completed, a second novel is at least partially complete, and the series has been thoroughly formulated. They are seeking to expand Sci Fi Rom/Futuristic Romance/Speculative Fiction Romance genres. Read their submission requirements here.

Dial Books

Dial Books for Young Readers is a hardcover division publishing approximately 70 titles per year for children of all ages, from preschool through young adult. It is currently a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

Submissions: Dial accepts a maximum of 10 pages.When submitting a portion of a longer work, please provide an accompanying cover letter that briefly describes your manuscript's plot, genre (i.e. YA novel), the intended age group, and your publishing credits, if any. Regular mail only. Read guidelines here.

Entangled Press

Entangled Press' young adult imprint, Entangled Teen publishes "swoon-worthy" romance in the following subgenres: contemporary, suspense, sci-fi, historical, paranormal and fantasy. (They require at least a romantic subplot.) Entangled’s titles are distributed by Macmillan, one of the largest book distributors in the world. Their royalties are generous. Digital-first releases receive up to 35% of cover price, while print royalties begin at 7.5% of cover price. When releasing simultaneously in print via brick and mortar bookstores, ebook royalties are 20% of cover price.

Submissions: Manuscripts should feature 16-19 year old protagonists. Length: 70k to 120k words in length for all genres, except contemporary romance, which they prefer remain under 90k. Read guidelines here.

Flux

Flux is an imprint of North Star Editions, a Minnesota-based house specializing in trade fiction. Flux specializes in "alternative voices." The editors believe that young adult novels are a "point of view," not a reading level.

Submissions: In addition to a query, and three chapters, Flux requires 3-5 comparative books published within the last 5 years with an explanation of how your book both ties into a trend in the Young Adult genre and offers something unique. Read their submission guidelines here.

Holiday House

Holiday House specializes in hardcovers, from picture books to young adult, both fiction and nonfiction for ages four and up.

Submissions: Holiday House only responds if they are interested in publishing your manuscript. Please send the entire manuscript. All submissions should be directed to the Editorial Department, Holiday House, 425 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10017. They do not accept submissions by email or fax. Read their guidelines here.

Hot Key Books

Hot Key Books (UK) publishes original and thought-provoking novels for teens and young adults. If you would like to submit your work for consideration please send your full manuscript along with a full synopsis to enquiries@bonnierzaffre.co.uk. They prefer Word and PDF files if possible and please note that we can only accept electronic submissions. "We read everything we’re sent but due to the high volume of submissions we receive we are only able to get back to writers we are interested in pursuing. Good luck!"

Read their guidelines here.

Ink Road

Ink Road is a new young adult imprint of Black & White Publishing, an established Scottish publisher with over 300 books in print across a variety of genres. Their books are distributed through GBS. Publishers Group UK (PGUK) provides sales representation. Seeking: Contemporary YA. Read submission guidelines here.

Jo Fletcher Books

Jo Fletcher Books (UK), part of the Quercus family, publishes science fiction, fantasy and horror, including all subgenres. "JFB authors are writing critically acclaimed, award-winning and unputdownable novels right across the fantastical spectrum, encompassing everything from crime to literary fiction. If you love chunky, engrossing epic fantasy or fast-paced dystopian thrillers, alternate history or paranormal romance, far-future SF or mythic fantasy, spine-chilling horror or heroic fantasy, you’ll them all here: just step through the portal into the wonderful worlds of Jo Fletcher Books."

Submissions: Jo Fletcher considers YA, but only if it can be classed as YA/Adult crossover. Previously self-published books are accepted, as long as the author is willing to let all rights revert to JF on signing a contract. See their guidelines here.

Jolly Fish Press

Jolly Fish Press is an imprint of North Star Editions, Inc., based in Minnesota. They publish trade fiction and select nonfiction books in the national and international market. Right now they are seeking middle grade and young adult titles in science fiction and fantasy with an epic and visual scope; thrillers with strong, carefully crafted characters and a unique voice; and unconventional love stories.

See their submission guidelines here.

Pajama Press

Pajama Press publishes picture books—both for the very young and for school-aged readers, as well as early chapter books, novels for middle grade readers, and contemporary or historical fiction for young adults aged 12+. Pajama Press is looking for manuscripts from authors of diverse backgrounds. Stories about immigrants are of special interest.

See their submission guidelines here.

Polis Books

Polis Books is an independent publishing company actively seeking new and established authors. They are currently acquiring titles in a wide variety of genres. While Polis primarily publishes books for adults, they also publish young adult novels.

Submissions: Novel-length submissions should be a minimum of 60,000 words. They only respond if interested. See their submission guidelines here.

Quirk Books

Quirk Books is a Philadelphia-based company that publishes just 25 books per year. Their titles are distributed through Random House. They are always on the lookout for "strikingly unconventional manuscripts and book proposals. A well-written novel with an off-the-wall editorial premise? That’s Quirk. A playful cookbook or craft book with cool photography or crazy illustrations? That’s Quirk, too. We publish across a broad range of categories—always with the goal of delivering innovative books to discerning readers. Put more simply, we publish books that are smart, original, cool, and fun."

Read submission guidelines here.

Skypony Press

Sky Pony Press is the children's book imprint of Skyhorse Publishing. They publish picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and YA fiction and nonfiction. "We’re open to any genre and style, and we’re always looking for something new and different. We love original concepts, fresh voices, and writing that knocks us off our feet."

See their submission guidelines here.

Tor Teen

Tor Teen is an imprint of Tor/Forge, which is an imprint of Macmillan. Tor is one of the top sci-fi/fantasy publishers in the world, but they also publish general fiction for young adults. Since Tor Teen launched in 2003, they have published fiction by Cory Doctorow, Brandon Sanderson, Kendare Blake, David Lubar, Veronica Rossi, Susan Dennard, and Kristen Simmons, among others.

Submissions: Tor's guidelines are quite detailed. Make sure you follow them to the letter, otherwise your submission will not be read. See their submission guidelines here.

10 Mystery and Thriller Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts

6/20/2017

Mysteries and thrillers have enjoyed widespread popularity ever since the advent of Sherlock Holmes. Perhaps it is a holdover from our days as hunter-gatherers, but the hunt - something that lies at the heart of every mystery story - has an appeal that is deeply ingrained in us.

If you write mysteries, crime novels, or thrillers, there are a number of respected publishing houses that are willing to accept manuscripts without an agent. All of the publishers on this list offer royalties and do not charge authors anything for editing, cover design, or distribution.

Be sure to read their submission guidelines carefully, and follow them to the letter. Don't give anyone an excuse to throw out your submission.

NOTE: For more than 150 publishers accepting unagented books in all genres go HERE.

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Alibi

Alibi is Random House's digital mystery and thriller imprint. Alibi books are edited by a Random House editor, and have a marketer and publicist assigned to them. (But Random House assumes the author will contribute to social media marketing.) They are interested in full-length works (40,000 words or more), and will accept previously published books as long as the author has full rights. Read submission guidelines here.

Brash Books

Brash Books was founded by Lee Goldberg and Joel Goldman, both Edgar-Award nominated, bestselling authors. Lee is the writer/producer of many successful TV series (including Diagnosis Murder and Monk) and is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 40 books. Joel traded his career as a practicing trial attorney to write the hugely successful and award-winning Lou Mason, Jack Davis, and Alex Stone thriller series. Brash Books publishes crime novels, psychological thrillers, murder mysteries, international espionage, and police procedurals from established authors as well as premiere books from new voices. If your book has been previously published, but is now out of print, they are willing to consider it. Read submission guidelines here.

Endeavour Press

Endeavour Press is a UK publisher looking for works of at least 25,000 words in length, as well as full length books, in the following genres: Crime Fiction and Thrillers, History and Historical Fiction, Romance and popular Women's Fiction. Read submission guidelines here.

Felony & Mayhem

Felony and Mayhem was launched in 2005, and now has more than 100 titles in print. Their focus is on literary mystery fiction. "We love wit, we love elegance, we love distinctive narrative voices. And while we may sound a little snotty, the truth is that we would love nothing more than to find your witty, elegant, distinctive manuscript in our inbox." The minimum length is roughly 75,000 words. Read submission guidelines here.

Hard Case Crime

Hard Case Crime publishes old-fashioned, hard-boiled crime novels with "bare-knuckled" prose. They are unabashedly dedicated to "reviving the vigor and excitement, the suspense and thrills—the sheer entertainment—of the golden age of paperback crime novels, both by bringing back into print the best work of the pulp era and by introducing readers to new work by some of today's most powerful writers and artists. Determined detectives and dangerous women...fortune hunters and vengeance seekers...ingenious criminals and men on the run..." Read submission guidelines here.

Henery Press

Henery Press publishes mysteries with a splash of chick lit. They focus on the cozier side of life: cozies with a hook, cozies with an edge, cozies with humor, cozies with adventure. Several of their books have hit the USA TODAY bestseller list, and many have won industry awards and garnered nominations for the Agatha, Macavity, Daphne, Anthony, and Golden Heart. All books are available in ebooks, trade paperbacks, and hardcovers. They pay royalties and offer editorial guidance, cover artwork, and a structured social media strategy. Read submission guidelines here.

Joffe Books

Joffe Books is one of the UK’s leading independent publishers of crime and mystery novels. Many of their authors have topped the best-seller lists. They accept submissions from published authors and new writers, as well as authors who wish to relaunch their back-list titles. They are seeking mysteries, crime fiction, psychological thrillers, detective, thrillers, and suspense. Read submission guidelines here.

Lyrical Press

Lyrical Press, an imprint of Kensington, publishes suspense fiction, thrillers, and cozy mysteries. They have a penchant for romance. Submit to one editor only. (The list of editors includes the genres they are receiving.) Response time is three months. Read submission guidelines here.

Level Best Books

Level Best, a publisher of anthologies, has recently opened its doors to full-length manuscript submissions. They are seeking crime fiction novels in the following categories: mystery, thriller, suspense, historical, traditional, and contemporary. No works of erotica or science fiction at this time. Read submission guidelines here. If you write crime short stories set in New England, you will want to check out their anthology guidelines here.

Seventh Street Books

Seventh Street Books--where fiction is a crime—is devoted to publishing quality mystery, thriller, and crime fiction. It is an imprint of Prometheus Books, an independent publisher of progressive nonfiction. A number of their debut titles have won prestigious awards, including the Edgar Award, the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and the Anthony Award. Read submission guidelines here.

17 Publishers Accepting Unagented Short Story Collections

3/22/2017

Getting collections of short stories published is not as easy as publishing a novel. That does not mean it is impossible, but it does mean you have to publish your short stories in literary magazines first. (Very few publishers will take on collections from completely unpublished writers.)

The more prestigious literary magazines, like Ploughshares and Tin House, will give you the greatest advantage, but they are hard to get into. Second tier magazines (those that pay for stories - however little), are preferable over journals that either pay nothing, or have very few subscribers. Journals run by MFA departments of universities are quite desirable, even if they only make a token payment.

Here is a great resource for finding paying markets: 296 Paying Markets for Short Stories, Poetry, Nonfiction. And if you write speculative fiction go here for over 100 science fiction and fantasy markets. You should also check the Poets & Writers database, which contains circulation and payment information.

Once you have published at least a dozen stories, or roughly the equivalent of 150 - 225 manuscript pages, you can begin submitting your collection to publishers. Remember to put your strongest story first! Most editors begin with the first story, so if you don't make a memorable impression with the first, they will never make it to the second.

Note: These publishers do not charge a reading fee to submit manuscripts. However, there are a number of other presses that publish short story collections through annual competitions, for which there is an entry fee. (Those are not included in this list.)

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Bellevue Literary Press

Bellevue Literary Press is devoted to publishing literary fiction and nonfiction at the intersection of the arts and sciences because we believe that science and the humanities are natural companions for understanding the human experience. With each book we publish, our goal is to foster a rich, interdisciplinary dialogue that will forge new tools for thinking and engaging with the world.

Submissions: Bellevue Literary Press publishes literary fiction and narrative nonfiction geared toward a general readership. We do not publish poetry, single short stories, plays, screenplays, memoir, or self-help/instructional books. If you are unsure whether your manuscript would be a good fit for our list, you may send a query email, using the same subject line as for a submission. See guidelines HERE.

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Black Bed Sheet Books

Black Bed Sheet Books specializes in publishing fiction of a dark nature: Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Suspense, Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller. Accepting novels, novellas, short story collections. Black Bed Sheet Books has published over 80 authors. Advance: No information. Formats: Print and ebooks. Read guidelines here.

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Black Mountain Press
"Black Mountain Press is a literary press for outstanding emerging writers publishing several different genres of books annually. For the next six years from 2014 through the end of 2021 our focus will be in collections of poetry, memoir, novels and collections of short stories. Our editors are looking for the highest quality literary fiction, creative non-fiction and poetry that combines a distinct voice and vision." Genres: Book-length literary fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry.

Submissions: Manuscripts accepted via regular mail only. Send one hard copy of your finished, book-length manuscript, along with a cover letter containing contact information, and relevant biographical information. Manuscripts should be typed on one side of the page only. Read full guidelines HERE.

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BlazeVOX [books]

BlazeVOX [books] is an independent small press publisher located in Buffalo, New York. To date, BlazeVOX has published 280 books and over 1000 writers in their online journal and other publishing outlets. They are seeking poetry, short stories, experimental fiction, literary criticism (including companions, studies and histories), women authors. They pay 10% royalties on fiction and poetry books, based on net receipts. This amount may be split across multiple contributors. No advance. Submissions: Read guidelines HERE.

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Coffee House Press

Coffee House Press publishes emerging and midcareer authors. Nearly all CHP authors have had works published in literary magazines or other publications (a resume including a list of prior publications can strengthen your submission). Although prior publications are important, they are not a requirement; part of our mission is to present promising debut authors alongside those who have been previously published. Coffee House Press publishes literary novels, full-length short story collections, poetry, creative nonfiction, book-length essays and essay collections, and the occasional memoir. CHP does not accept submissions for anthologies. CHP also does not publish genre fiction, such as mysteries, Gothic romances, Westerns, science fiction, or books for children. CHP currently publishes eighteen trade titles annually.

Submissions: The next open reading period will begin September 1, 2017. If you plan to send your work, please do so early. The review process for full-length manuscripts can take up to 4–6 months, or longer in some instances. Manuscripts that seem appropriate for Coffee House Press are given several careful readings, and the final decision rests with our publisher. Read guidelines HERE.

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Manic D Press

Manic D Press is an American literary press based in San Francisco, California publishing fiction novels and short stories, poetry, and graphic novels. It was founded by Jennifer Joseph in 1984 as an alternative outlet for young writers seeking to bring their work into print. Manic D Press books are distributed throughout the US by Consortium, Last Gasp, and wholesalers including Ingram and Baker & Taylor; in the UK and EU by Turnaround PSL; in Canada by Publishers Group Canada; and throughout the world by Perseus.

Submissions: Email submissions are preferred. Printed manuscripts are read twice a year, during the months of January and July ONLY. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, just let them know if your work has been accepted elsewhere or if (and where) it has been previously published. Read full guidelines HERE.

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Milkweed Editions

Milkweed Editions publishes 18-20 books per year of nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and translation. "We believe that literature has the potential to change the way we see the world, and that bringing new voices to essential conversations is the clearest path to ensuring a vibrant, diverse, and empowered future."

Submissions: Milkweed Editions will be open to manuscripts of fiction (novels, novellas, and short story collections) from May 1–31, 2017. They do not publish romance, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, crime, or westerns. Please submit a query letter with three opening chapters (of a novel) or three representative stories (of a collection). See guidelines HERE.

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Persea Books

Persea Books is an independent, literary publishing house founded in 1975 by Michael Braziller and Karen Braziller, who still own and direct the company. The aim of the press is to publish works that endure by meeting high standards of literary merit and relevance. They publish poetry, fiction, essays, memoir, biography, titles of Jewish and Middle Eastern interest, women's studies, American Indian folklore, and revived classics, as well as works in translation. They do not publish genre fiction (romance, fantasy, science fiction, thrillers), self-help, textbooks, or children's books.

Submissions: Queries should include a cover letter, author background and publication history, a synopsis of the proposed work, and a sample chapter. Please indicate if the work is simultaneously submitted. See guidelines HERE.

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Queen’s Ferry Press

Founded in 2011 as an independent publisher, Queen’s Ferry Press specializes in literary fiction. Inspired by a Scottish coastal estuary through which crossings have occurred for over a thousand years, the press seeks to publish works that convey via structuring and interpretation. At Queen’s Ferry Press, physical crafting and emotional connection are celebrated. The press currently releases 6–12 titles a year, many from debut authors, and is the publisher of Shadows of Men, the 2013 recipient of the TIL Steven Turner Award for Best Work of First Fiction. Queen’s Ferry Press is proud to extend its mission of providing a venue for fine literary collections by branching into other genres of fiction.

Submissions: Reading periods unknown. Check submission manager for open calls.

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Rainfall Books

Rainfall Books is a British publisher of fantasy, horror and science fiction, specializing in modern works inspired by the writing of H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith.

Submissions: Rainfall has published 150 chapbooks over the past three or four years and have many more waiting in the wings. They are always looking for submissions for chapbooks in the form of poetry and short stories. They are happy to publish reprints. Please read guidelines here.

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Red Hen Press

Red Hen Press is an independent, non-profit press that publishes about twenty books of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry every year. They are looking for novels, memoir, creative nonfiction, hybrid works, and story, essay, and poetry collections of exceptional literary merit that demonstrate a high level of mastery.

Submissions: Writers may submit either the full manuscript or a sample of between 20 and 30 pages. Please keep in mind that full manuscripts take longer to review. All manuscripts should include page numbers on every page. Read guidelines HERE.

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Small Beer Press

Small Beer Press is a small press located in Easthampton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 2000 and is run by Gavin J. Grant and Kelly Link. They publish 6-10 books per year. They pay a small advance and standard royalties. Their ebook royalty rate is 40% of net receipts.

Submissions: Please send a query with a synopsis and the first 10-20 pages of the book (not the full manuscript) in standard manuscript format, and an SASE (with a Forever Stamp or an international reply coupon) by mail. No email queries. See full guidelines HERE.

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Tartarus

Tartarus is a small British independent press founded in 1990. They specialize in collectible hardback limited editions of literary supernatural/strange/horror fiction. They also publish paperbacks and ebooks. Tartarus has been the recipient of four World Fantasy Awards, and in 2010 received a "Stoker" from the Horror Writers Association.

Submissions: Tartarus is looking for short story collections and novels of between 75,000 and 120,000 words. They are not interested in high fantasy, violent horror or young adult fiction. Electronic submissions should be sent to rosalieparker@btinternet.com as a Word or rtf attachment. Please send a synopsis or first two or three chapters/stories when first getting in contact. Additionally, they are now accepting single short story submissions for Strange Tales V. Please read full guidelines here.

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Uncial Press

Uncial Press is seeking submissions of complete manuscripts. "Our present needs are for futuristic, contemporary, paranormal and historical romance, other fantasy and paranormal stories; cozy and traditional mysteries; Science Fiction; and nonfiction how-to books and humor. Please feel free to query us about stories in other genres, because the list of what we would like to see is far too long to include here. We will consider both book-length works (at least 50,000 words) and superlative shorter fiction (at least 5,000 words.)" Read submission guidelines HERE.

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Academic Presses

Arte Público Press

Arte Público Press, affiliated with the University of Houston, specializes in publishing contemporary novels, short stories, poetry, and drama based on U.S. Hispanic (Cuban American, Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and others) cultural issues and themes. Submissions: Arte Público uses an online submission form. See submission guidelines HERE.

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Northwestern University Press

Prestigious authors first published by Northwestern University Press have been the recipients of numerous prizes, including the Nobel Prize in Literature and the National Book Award. Publishes sixty books per year. Read submission guidelines HERE.

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University of Nebraska Press

The University of Nebraska Press publishes scholarly and trade publications. Founded in 1941, they publish scholarly monographs, literary works, and general interest books in select areas. Read submission guidelines HERE.

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6 Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishers Accepting Manuscripts from Writers

3/8/2016

Here are six science fiction and fantasy publishers that don't require an agent. Several offer competitive advances and royalties.

In publishing, as with all businesses, it is "brand recognition" that counts, and some of the names on this list are very well known.

If you don't know where to start, I would recommend beginning with Pyr.

Related posts:

3 Major Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts

Top 5 Sites for Science Fiction Writers

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Angry Robot

Angry Robot normally accepts submissions via an agent, but every so often they have an open submission month. The last open submission period ended January 31, 2016. (Go ahead, kick yourself - or me.) The next one, they say, will be in 2017. So, check their website every so often.

What they are looking for: SF/F "and a little pinch of WTF." Note that they are looking for full-length novels, not short stories, novellas, epic poems, comic book scripts, etc. Angry Robot books are aimed at adults, so no middle grade or young adult themes at this time.

Terms: Competitive advances and royalties. English print versions in the UK, US and Australia plus region-free ebooks globally.
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Back Hall Press

Back Hall Press is aimed at niche markets.

What they are looking for: All subgenres including speculative, dystopian, apocalyptic, and dark fantasy stories. Unconventional concepts, world-building and diverse characters are always a plus.

Terms: Authors receive 30% of profits on their titles, paid quarterly. They do not pay advances. Specific details on rights, royalties and payments will be discussed before any agreements are signed.

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Edge Publishing

This is a small Canadian press.You do not have to be Canadian to submit your work, they accept manuscripts from any nationality worldwide. They have a distribution throughout North America.

What they are looking for: Science Fiction and Fantasy between 75,000 and 100,000 words. Adult audience (20 and up).

Terms: Advance and royalties. "We rarely ever negotiate the royalty percentages and/or advances that we offer, and if we do so, then only with previously published writers."

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Enigmatic Books

What they are looking for: Urban fantasy / paranormal fiction only, with a strong focus on series — no standalone titles. Books may fall within the categories of paranormal romance, mystery, thriller, fantasy, horror, and/or teen fiction

Terms: "We buy World rights… and we give them all back to you in 3 years if you ask us to. We publish your books in a reasonable time (no 18-month wait here). We offer a $200 advance, along with an extremely competitive royalty percentage (40-50%). We create e-book and paperback versions of all our full-length books, and are working on attaining paperback distribution. Our novellas and short stories are e-book only. We only take on books and authors we believe in."
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Montag

"We are a micro-niche, nano publisher currently slated to offer about 10 titles a year. We are based upon a collective structure that enables editors to personally select projects and become Project Leads as the editor in charge. This means that starting with your acceptance, you'll have one person that is completely invested, from editing, through design and into publicity, in your project."

What they are looking for: "Books worth burning." Dark Fantasy, Steampunk, Urban Fantasy.

Terms: Montag Press retains a 70/30 share (net) with the author for worldwide primary and secondary rights including digital, options, film and video production, and print rights, which is exclusive for 10 years from the date of publication.

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Pyr

Pyr is the scifi and fantasy imprint of Prometheus Books. They have international distribution.

What they are looking for: "We are not currently looking for short story collections, anthologies, novellas, or nonfiction. We prefer novels in the 100,000 to 130,000 word range. For science fiction, we do not consider material under 85,000 words in length. For fantasy, we do not consider material under 95,000 words in length. We are also looking for speculative Young Adult fiction in any subgenre. These manuscripts may be shorter."

Terms: Advance, plus royalties.

HarperOne Accepts Unagented Manuscripts for Digital-First Fiction Imprint

11/17/2015

San Francisco, CA (November 10, 2015) – HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, today announced HarperLegend, a new line that seeks to discover and publish new authors of visionary and transformational fiction in the digital-first format. HarperLegend will publish visionary fiction from new voices that communicates wisdom, insight, and/or personal growth with an overarching theme of transformation. Submissions will be accepted online via www.HarperLegend.com beginning today.

For nearly four decades, HarperOne has been publishing books that transform readers, institutions, and culture. Though the bulk of these books have been non-fiction, HarperOne has helped to create a unique genre of transformational or visionary fiction with such titles as The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, The Screwtape Letters and The Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma, Buddha by Deepak Chopra, and Life's Golden Ticket by Brendon Burchard.

'Call them visionary fiction, spiritual novels, or just stories of change; these are books that not only move us, but transform and illuminate,' said Mark Tauber, senior vice president and publisher of HarperOne. 'We have seen the success of this type of fiction as we watch our sales grow and our authors' influence widen. As we can see from our colleagues at Avon Impulse, and often hear from our readers, digital-first fiction is growing.'

Submissions will be handled digitally via HarperLegend's online system and reviewed by the line's editorial team. If accepted, authors will obtain royalties for the e-book publication of their novels, access to HarperCollins's individualized editorial direction, and custom marketing and publicity guidance. Visit www.HarperLegend.com for more information.

What are they looking for?

"We want to read your visionary fiction. If you have a novel (or a trilogy or a series) that communicates wisdom, insight, transformation and/or personal growth, bring them on. We want fresh voices, great characters, compelling storylines, and original ideas and approaches. These novels may have many different stripes and flavors including Christian, Eastern, or general spirituality, personal growth, wisdom literature, fables, historical fiction, fantasy fiction even paranormal fiction as long it is transformational."

Bottom line

Pros: You get an editor, and you can say you've been published by an imprint of HarperCollins.

Cons: HarperLegend royalties start at 25% and rise to 50% after the first 10,000 copies are sold, which is not wonderful. They do not pay advances. As a financial deal this might be worth it if HarperLegend did any marketing or promotion. However, the most they offer is a packet to help you build your platform, distribution on ebook retail sites (Amazon, B&N, etc.), and the tantalizing possibility of perhaps offering your book in print if it does well.

7 Horror Publishers Accepting Manuscripts Directly from Writers - No Agent Required

10/8/2015

'Tis the season to be scared to death.

Now is the time to put that plastic skeleton back on your lawn (or a real one), and dig out that horror story you wrote and never submitted anywhere.

Also see: 5 Horror and Dark Fiction Publishers Accepting Unsolicited Manuscripts

Bell Bridge Books / BelleBooks, Inc.

BB is looking for dark, gritty, serious urban fantasy & horror. Vampires, werewolves, and other things that go bump in the night on the mean streets of contemporary life. "A book we've currently bought is an epic series about a clan of vampires. (Right, epic means the series spans centuries. You can never trust guidelines.) Read Laurell K. Hamilton, Robin McKinley (Sunshine), Patricia Briggs, Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, etc."

Advance: Yes

Simultaneous submissions: No

Formats: Print and ebooks
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Black Bed Sheet Books

Black Bed Sheet Books specializes in publishing fiction of a dark nature: Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Suspense, Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller. Accepting novels, novellas, short story collections. Black Bed Sheet Books has published over 80 authors.

Advance: No information

Formats: Print and ebooks
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By Light Unseen Media

"By Light Unseen Media is currently seeking outstanding and unique manuscripts in the area of vampire fiction and non-fiction. Authors are asked to query before submitting manuscripts. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be considered."

Advance: $200

Formats: Print (POD) and ebooks
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Cosmic Egg

Cosmic Egg is an imprint of John Hunt Publishers, a mid-list house located in the UK. The publisher offers traditional publishing deals as well as co-operative publishing for authors. The parent company publishes a total of 300 titles per year with global sales and a focus on physical stores. Worldwide distribution.

Cosmic Egg imprint publishes speculative fiction: Vampires, Werewolves. Dragons and Faeries or Angels and Demons, Fantasy (including magical realism and spiritual fantasy), Metaphysical Cosmology, Horror or Science Fiction (including Steampunk).

Advance: None. Royalties are 10% of net.

Formats: Print and ebooks

Note: Authors are expected to help with marketing, and in some cases may be required to pay for publishing. While John Hunt is not a vanity press, requiring authors to pay for publishing costs is not the norm for legitimate publishers.
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Dark Hall Press

Dark Hall Press, a division of New Street Communications, LLC, was launched on October 31, 2011, "The Dark Hall list includes works of supernatural and non-supernatural horror, as well as cross-genre pollinations (sci-fi/horror, fantasy/horror, noir/horror, etc.) and experimental works."

Formats: Print and Kindle
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Dark Regions Press

Dark Regions is a small press specializing in dark fantasy, horror and science fiction. "Each book that is accepted for publication in Dark Regions Horror, Dark Regions Fantasy and Dark Regions Sci-Fi will have a Kickstarter/crowdfunding campaign associated with it. The campaigns will be created as a means for readers to preorder the book and to fully fund each project. Authors, artists, editors and everyone else involved in each book project will be asked to contribute to the campaign with videos, promotional efforts etc. Crowdfunding campaigns aren't always favored by authors, so it's important to know before thinking about submitting that if your manuscript is accepted for publication in Dark Regions Horror, Dark Regions Fantasy or Dark Regions Sci-Fi a crowdfunding campaign will be associated with it."

Advance: Author will receive a base payment (or advance) in the amount of $500 and starting rates of 35% NET royalties (profit sharing) for trade paperback editions and 45% NET royalties (profit sharing) for ebook editions which can increase to 40% and 50%, respectively, based on sales thresholds being reached.

Note: Book expenses are crowd-funded.
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Severed Press

"Established in 2008 Severed Press is a leading independent publisher of horror and science fiction. Publishing trade paperbacks and E-Books. Severed Press has earned a reputation for excellence, quality and commitment to new and established authors alike. We are proud of the diversity of our authors and aim in continuing to build strong relationships worldwide. Authors include seasoned masters of horrors such as Tim Curran, Mark Tufo and Jake Bible to best selling newcomers David Achord and Joseph Talluto."

Severed Press is currently accepting novel submissions in the following categories: Apocalypse/Survival Horror, Dark Humor, Sci-Fi Horror, Anything out of the ordinary.

Advance: No. Pays royalties only.

Note: Promotion and marketing for novels locally in Australia.

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