Resources
From Category: Publishers
new words {press}
new words {press} publishes trans* and gender-expansive poets. They appreciate hybrid and experimental work, as well as more traditional forms and free verse. "We want to see how queerness is influencing process, diction, syntax, and craft." They publish chapbooks and a thrice-yearly literary journal. See their website for special anthology calls and submission period dates.
Sibylline Press
Sibylline Press is a small press with a marketing co-operative that is dedicated to publishing novels and memoirs by women over 50. They are LGBTQ-friendly and trans-inclusive. One could consider them a hybrid publisher in that they require the author's financial investment in the marketing budget. Their website is modern and their book covers look professional.
Tenebrous Press
Tenebrous Press, a small press specializing in New Weird Horror, is open year-round for pitches of novels, novellas, and graphic novels. They offer a modest advance and royalties. Books in their catalogue include Your Body Is Not Your Body, an anthology of trans body horror, and Green Inferno, an anthology of climate-change and environmental horror.
Great Place Books
Founded by novelists Alex Higley and Emily Adrian and literary agent Monika Woods, Great Place Books seeks to publish "rigorous, weird, beautiful books" of literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translations. Authors in their catalog include Emma Catherine Perry, Julia Hannafin, and Pilar Fraile (translated by Lizzie Davis). They accept un-agented submissions.
Random House Canada
Random House Canada announced in 2023 that they would be open year-round to unagented submissions of adult fiction manuscripts from authors who are LGBTQ, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous or People of Color), and other under-represented communities. Editors say, "Our hope is that this will go a small way toward removing some of the barriers that have existed for writers developing their craft outside of traditional avenues of literary exposure. In particular, our editors are looking for high quality commercial fiction in the following genres: literary, romance, speculative fiction, historical fiction, and mystery. Please note that we do not currently accept screenplays, stage plays, young adult fiction, children's fiction, or picture book queries." No strict length limits; novels are typically 70,000-100,000 words. Follow formatting guidelines on website to submit your query letter, synopsis, and opening chapters by email.
Broken Sleep Books
Broken Sleep Books is a small literary press in Wales that publishes poetry and nonfiction chapbooks ("pamphlets" in UK parlance) and full-length poetry collections. See website for their submission windows for each genre. Editors say, "We particularly wish to encourage more working-class writers, LGBTQ+, and BAME writers to submit. Politically we are left-leaning." Authors in their catalog include Angela Cleland, Pádraig ó Tuama, and U.G. Világos.
Milkweed Editions: Multiverse Literary Series
An imprint of Milkweed Editions, a well-regarded literary press, the Multiverse series publishes neurodivergent poets. Its creator, Chris Martin, says that Multiverse is "devoted to different ways of languaging" and seeks innovative literary styles that "emerge from the practices and creativity of neurodivergent, autistic, neuroqueer, mad, nonspeaking, and disabled cultures." Poets in their catalog include Hannah Emerson and Adam Wolfond. Read Brian Gresko's article about Multiverse in the July/August 2022 Poets & Writers.
SelfMadeHero
UK-based independent literary publisher SelfMadeHero specializes in graphic novels and visual narratives. Their catalog includes graphic novel versions of classics such as Pride and Prejudice, Don Quixote, and Victor Hugo's The Man Who Laughed; graphic biographies of notable figures such as George Orwell and Agatha Christie; and original illustrated fiction and nonfiction.
Metonymy Press
Based in Montreal, Metonymy Press specializes in queer, feminist, and social justice literature. They seek to promote literary fiction and nonfiction authors with underrepresented perspectives. Their motto: "We want to keep gay book lovers satisfied." See their contact page for submission guidelines.
20.35 Africa
20.35 Africa is a resource institution and publisher for African poets, particularly younger and emerging writers across the continent. They began in 2017 with their annual electronic anthology series featuring African writers aged 20-35. Newer features on the website are the Conversations series of interviews about the role of poetry in Africa today, and the New Poets series showcasing individual writers.
Interlink Books
Based in Northampton, MA, Interlink Publishing is a literary small press with a cosmopolitan perspective. They publish literary fiction, history, contemporary politics, art, cultural guides, international cuisine, and illustrated children’s books from around the world. Interlink has a special interest in introducing Americans to topics and areas of the world often ignored by the Western media. Their list includes many thought-provoking works by Palestinian and Middle Eastern authors.
Book Publishers Who Specialize in Diversity and Inclusion
Here Wee Read is a book blog for parents and educators. This A-Z list profiles small presses and specialty imprints that promote multicultural literature for children and adults.
Global City Press
An offshoot of Global City Review, this NYC-based press aims to be a "literary metropolis of the imagination". Their first title, publishing in early 2020, is The Escapist by David Puretz, which follows a young anti-hero on a quest for his missing father while grappling with his sexuality, substance addiction, and childhood traumas. Multicultural Review calls Global City "a rich treasury of contemporary social thought and artistic expressions, defending a humanistic view of the individual in a complex society."
Microcosm Publishing
Microcosm Press specializes in nonfiction DIY (Do-It-Yourself) goods that focus on the reader and teach self-empowerment. They publish books from people with both expertise and lived experience, on topics such as magic and herbalism, punk music and culture, queer erotica, travel, self-care, comics journalism, and "the bicycle revolution". Illustrated work is strongly encouraged. Browse sample titles on their website and send them a pitch that follows their detailed guidelines. Editors say, "We do not publish books that would primarily be described as poetry, fiction, travel stories, or memoirs, unless the work is more substantially about a nonfiction topic than the author's life and experiences. If your book contains more than 20% personal stories, we are not the right publisher for you."
Jewish Storyteller Press
Founded in 2007 by filmmaker and author Scott Hilton Davis, Jewish Storyteller Press is an independent small press that uses print‑on‑demand and e‑book technology to bring English translations of 19th-century Yiddish writers to 21st-century readers. They publish new translations, adaptations, and original stories based on the works of once-famous Yiddish writers such as Sholem Abramovitsh (Mendele Moykher Sforim), Jacob Dinezon, I.L. Peretz, and Sholem Aleichem.
Torrey House Press
Based in Utah, Torrey House Press is a nonprofit publisher of literary fiction and nonfiction, with a mission to encourage conservation by telling compelling stories about wilderness and nature. Titles include Scott Graham's mystery series set in America's National Parks and an anthology fundraiser to protect Native American sacred lands.
Enchanted Lion Books
Enchanted Lion Books is a Brooklyn-based publisher of children's picture books. "Independent and family owned, we love books, well-told stories, and illustrations that open up the visual world and deepen a child's sense of story."
Honeysuckle Press
Brooklyn-based Honeysuckle Press is a small literary press affiliated with Winter Tangerine Review. Their mission statement says they are "committed to expanding and redefining human truths by prioritizing the narratives of unsung communities." The press accepts queries year-round for full-length poetry collections and short story collections, and also offers a free contest for prose and poetry chapbook manuscripts.
Tincture
Lethe Press is a well-regarded small press with an interest in queer literature. Their imprint Tincture is dedicated to publishing LGBT authors of color. Books in their catalog include the anthologies From Macho to Mariposa: New Gay Latino Fiction and Walking the Tightrope: Poetry and Prose by LGBTQ Writers from Africa, as well as individual titles by Nathan Goh, Rigoberto Gonzalez, Timothy Wang, and others.
Twisted Road Publications
Twisted Road Publications is an independent literary press founded in 2013 by Joan Leggitt. They publish up to four books a year, with a special interest in work by or about marginalized groups (e.g. people of color, LGBTQ people). The press accepts un-agented manuscripts. Authors in their catalog include Pat Spears, Nance Van Winkel, and Glenda Bailey-Mershon. "We seek to publish gifted writers whose works are under-represented by corporate marketing. We are partial to the writer who possesses a gift for compassionate, sharp-eyed truth-telling, rendering fully formed characters and stories that get under our skin. Ones that push hard to discover the kind of truth that exposes the reality of our deepest humanity."
Wilgefortis Press
Launched in 2016, Wilgefortis Press publishes the Good News Children's Book Series, a line of religious picture books that feature and affirm children and families who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and genderqueer. The press is sponsored by Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco. Debut titles by Megan Rohrer, pastor at Grace Lutheran and the first openly transgender pastor ordained in the Lutheran church, include Faithful Families (co-authored with Pamela Ryan and Ihnatovich Maryia), which teaches that God loves all types of families, and What to Wear to Church, celebrating diverse gender expressions. Read a profile of the press at Jesus in Love Blog.
Flamingo Rampant
Flamingo Rampant is an independent publisher of feminist, racially diverse, LGBTQ-positive picture books for children. They publish six titles a year, which must be ordered as a box set. Other forthcoming projects include resource sheets for parents and educators.
Tu Books
Tu Books, an imprint of Lee & Low, publishes diverse middle-grade and young adult novels. Their motto is "Where fantasy and real life collide". Science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and genre-bending works are welcomed. Editors say, "Tu Books was created for a specific reason. The present and the future belong to everyone and to limit this reality is a fantasy. Adventure, excitement, and who gets the girl (or boy) are not limited to one race or species. The role of hero is up for grabs, and we mean to take our shot."
Unbridled Books
Founded in 2003, Unbridled Books publishes fiction of high literary quality that also appeals to a broad audience. In an interview at the literary journal Ploughshares, editors Fred Ramey and Greg Michaelson expressed a preference for books that exude a spirit of hope and survival, not excluding dark subject matter but not ending in a place of despair. Authors in their catalog include Elise Blackwell, Ed Falco, Marc Estrin, Emily St. John Mandel, and Richard Kramer.
Fireship Press
Fireship Press, based in Tucson, AZ, publishes e-books and print-on-demand books of nautical and historical fiction and nonfiction. They publish a wide range of works from Age of Sail, Medieval and Renaissance histories, to Westerns and Civil War fiction. The press's Cordero imprint publishes fantasy, murder mysteries, thrillers, biographical and instructional books.
TOON Books
TOON Books publishes high-quality comic books for children, designed to teach verbal and visual literacy in a more engaging format than traditional books for first readers. Editorial Director Françoise Mouly is the Art Editor of The New Yorker magazine. Notable contributors include Art Spiegelman, Hilary Knight (creator of Eloise), and Neil Gaiman.
YesYes Books
YesYes Books publishes books of innovative contemporary poetry, prose, and visual art, as well as the online journal Vinyl Poetry. See website for their Pamet River Prize, for a first or second full-length book of poetry or prose by a female-identified or genderqueer author. Writers in their catalog include Rebecca Hazelton, Danez Smith, and Ocean Vuong.
Orison Books
Orison Books publishes spiritually-engaged poetry, fiction, and nonfiction of exceptional literary merit. Editors say, "In our view, spiritual writing has little to do with subject matter. Rather, the kind of work we seek to publish has a transcendent aesthetic effect on the reader, and reading it can itself be a spiritual experience. We seek to be broad, inclusive, and open to perspectives spanning the spectrums of spiritual and religious thought, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation." Anthology proposals and fiction and nonfiction manuscripts are accepted year-round. There is an open reading period for poetry manuscripts in the spring and a contest in the winter with a large cash prize and prestigious judges. See website for online submission guidelines.
Blue Heron Book Works
Blue Heron Book Works is an independent small press founded by novelist Bathsheba Monk. Their main focus is literary memoirs, but they will also consider fiction if it is in a series. Books are published as e-books and print-on-demand editions. The press bears the up-front costs of editing, formatting, copyrights, and ISBN numbers, and they work with the author to create a marketing plan. Monk says they are looking for "unusual stories, or ordinary stories unusually well-told...Great story trumps stylistic virtuosity. No recovering addict stories unless the author joined the circus to recover...so to speak. No cured from cancer stories unless author went on to join a convent and feed the poor...ditto." Their catalog includes Paul Heller's Last Call, a #1 Kindle bestselling memoir about caring for a parent with dementia.
Open Road Integrated Media
Open Road Integrated Media is a digital publisher and multimedia content company. Open Road creates connections between authors and their audiences by marketing its e-books through a new proprietary online platform, which uses premium video content and social media. Their mission is to give publishing's "vibrant backlist" fresh exposure in the digital marketplace. Open Road has published e-books from legendary authors including William Styron, Pat Conroy, Jack Higgins, and Virginia Hamilton, and has launched new e-stars like Mary Glickman. Their current projects include reviving out-of-print LGBT classics for e-book readers.
Sibling Rivalry Press
Founded in 2010 in Little Rock, Arkansas, Sibling Rivalry Press is a well-regarded independent publisher of poetry and literary fiction. In addition to publishing award-winning poetry collections, SRP is home to Assaracus, a journal of poetry by gay men; Jonathan, a journal of gay fiction, and Adrienne, a journal of poetry by queer women. Writers of all identities are welcome to submit to the press. Authors in their catalog include Wendy Chin-Tanner, Collin Kelley, Megan Volpert, and Julie R. Enszer.
Fig Tree Books
Launched in 2014, Fig Tree Books publishes and promotes high-quality, commercially viable literary works that chronicle and enlighten the American Jewish Experience. They encourage submissions from both new and established writers. Fig Tree Books will also be re-publishing works that have fallen out of print or were not previously available as e-books. The press began with a focus on literary novels; as of 2015, they are also open to memoirs, graphic novels, and young adult literature.
Welcome Table Press
Welcome Table Press publishes anthologies of contemporary and classic literary essays, and the periodical pamphlet series Occasional Papers on Practice & Form, which features transcripts of lectures on writing and teaching the essay form. See website for free downloads of excerpts from these publications, as well as an annual contest judged by Robert Atwan, series editor of The Best American Essays.
Valancourt Books
Founded in 2005 by partners James Jenkins and Ryan Cagle, Valancourt Books is an independent small press dedicated to the rediscovery of rare, neglected, and out-of-print fiction. They specialize in gay titles, Gothic and horror novels, and literary fiction.
Safer Society Press
Founded in 1982, Safer Society Press is a nonprofit press dedicated to providing resources for the prevention and treatment of sexual abuse. Their titles include fiction for youth and adults, and memoirs by abuse survivors, as well as scholarly books and clinical pamphlets.
Plain View Press
Founded in the 1970s, this independent small press in Austin, TX publishes poetry and literary prose. Editors say, "Our books result from artistic collaboration between writers, artists and editors. Over the years we have become a far-flung community of activists whose energies bring humanitarian enlightenment and hope to individuals and communities grappling with the major issues of our time: peace, justice, the environment, education and gender. This is a humane and highly creative group of people committed to art and social change." Query by email first, and wait for a response before sending the full manuscript. Email queries should include a link to a website that features a selection of your work and information about you, or a short selection of work pasted into the message (no attachments).
Demeter Press
Based in Toronto, Demeter Press is an independent feminist press specializing in books about mothering and motherhood. They publish peer-reviewed scholarly work, fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction by and about mothers, mothering and family issues. Demeter Press is the publishing arm of the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement.
Dalkey Archive Press
This independent publisher in Champaign, Illinois specializes in bringing translations of world literature to the US market. Their website features author interviews, information for bookstores and reviewers, critical essays on contemporary literature, and other resources of interest to translators.
Folded Word
Independent literary press with a special interest in adapting short written works into a variety of electronic media. One of their projects is Shape of a Box, the first YouTube poetry journal, which features videos by poets such as Ellaraine Lockie, Dan Nowak, and Pris Campbell.
Zephyr Press
Zephyr is a nonprofit press committed to cross-cultural exchange. It publishes American, Russian, Slavic and East Asian poetry and prose. Works of translation are a specialty. Zephyr collaborates with Adventures in Poetry, a small press that began as a mimeographed "little magazine" in 1968. AIP has published Frank O'Hara, Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman.
TinFish Press
An adventurous small press in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Founded in 1995 by Susan M. Schultz, TinFish publishes experimental poetry and prose from the Pacific, including Hawaii, New Zealand/Aotearoa, Australia, California and western Canada. "Tinfish uses recycled materials, including tarpaper, weather maps, proof sheets, and hamburger sleeves to cover its always un-recycled poetry and prose." Bestsellers include Sista Tongue by Lisa Linn Kanae and Living Pidgin: Contemplations on Pidgin Culture by Lee "Da Pidgin Guerilla" Tonouchi. Read an article about TinFish in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
theNewerYork
tNY is interested in new, forgotten, and experimental literary forms of short fiction: aphorisms, flash-fiction, user's manuals, surveys, lists, punctuationless stories, upside down stories, inside out stories, lipograms, faux press releases, fake book reviews, dialogues, scriptcerpts, epigrams, and other absurdities. They publish an annual chapbook-sized anthology, as well as the Electric Encyclopedia of Experimental Literature, a somewhat searchable online collection of unusual flash prose and artwork.
Telling Our Stories Press
This publisher showcases the art of literary personal narratives and encourages storytelling via reflection and self-analysis. They accept submissions of memoirs from 100 words to 50 pages, for inclusion in anthologies or publication as a stand-alone chapbook.
Tachyon Publications
This San Francisco-based small press specializes in science fiction and fantasy, with titles by James Morrow, Thomas M. Disch, Peter S. Beagle, Charles de Lint, and other leading authors in that genre, as well as "steampunk" and "cyberpunk" anthologies.
Squircle Line Press
Founded by award-winning poet and artist Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingde, Squircle Line Press is a boutique press that publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and whatever else strikes their fancy. Their catalog includes a series of illustrated broadsides with text by notable writers such as Dan Chiasson, Dean Young, Ilya Kaminsky, Amy Gerstler, Forrest Gander, Dan Beachy-Quick, Michael Ryan, Steven Cramer, Orlando Menes and John Wilkinson. Visit their website for submission guidelines for poetry prizes honoring Gertrude Stein and Octavio Paz, and anthologies on unique themes like "pincushion cupcake" and "sandwich wallism".
Small Press Database at Poets & Writers
Poets & Writers Magazine offers this free online database featuring submission guidelines for over 100 small literary presses. The database is searchable by name, keyword, genre, openness to simultaneous and electronic submissions, geographic region and more. A very useful service.
Small Beer Press
This independent press based in Western Massachusetts was founded in 2000 by the husband-and-wife team of Gavin Grant and Kelly Link, award-winning authors and editors of The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror anthology series. The press publishes an eclectic mix of magical realist and literary fantasy and science fiction, as well as the Working Writer's Daily Planner, an attractive and useful datebook that includes contest announcements and writing advice.
Salmon Publishing
One of Ireland's leading poetry publishers, Salmon is a standard-bearer in publishing work by women and promoting writers who are outside the literary mainstream.
Rose Alley Press
This small press has a special interest in publishing verse that is attentive to meter and rhyme. Editor David Horowitz has also written several useful guides to marketing your poetry book, available here.
Ragged Sky Press
Ragged Sky Press was founded in 1992 by poet and publisher Ellen Foos of Princeton, NJ, and publishes quality works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. See website for submission guidelines for their themed anthologies. Authors in their catalog include Elizabeth Socolow, Anca Vlasopolos, and Carlos Hernández Peña.
