Some publishers open and close their doors to submissions on a routine basis. It can be hard to determine if they are open or shut to submissions, and when you should submit. The following 14 publishers, however, are always open to submissions from writers without agents or previous publishing experience. They are all respected publishers with good reputations, and are listed here in no particular order. All of our reviews link to the publishers’ submission guidelines.
Harlequin
Many famous romance writers, got their start at Harlequin. They were acquired by Harper Collins a number of years ago. Their submission process is very user friendly. To read our full review, go here.
Workman Publishing
Workman Publishing is a large independent publishing company that now includes a number of separate imprints. The imprints include large established companies like Algonquin Books. The original Workman imprint is open to un-agented submissions. They focus on publishing exclusively nonfiction books for children and adults, as well as calendars. They do not accept unsolicited picture book submissions. To learn more, go here.
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Founded in 1911 and located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company is an independent publisher of religious books. They have a large range, including academic books and reference works in theology, biblical studies, and religious history to popular titles in spirituality, social and cultural criticism, as well as literature. They are primarily a print publisher with excellent distribution. My local independent bookstore regularly carries a number of their titles. To learn more, go here.
Gibbs Smith
Gibbs Smith is an established publisher with good distribution and a focus on cook books, interior design and architecture books, and board books for children. They have published a number of bestsellers, including a board book version of Pride & Prejudice. To learn more, go here.
Nelson
Nelson focuses on publishing work aimed at community college and university students. They have published textbooks on a vast number of subjects, from automotive technology to family law. They publish both academic books and books aimed at specific trades. To learn more, go here.
The Quarto Publishing Group
The Quarto Publishing Group is an international publishing house known for its illustrated books. They publish most of their work through a number of niche imprints each with their own focus. All of their US imprints are distributed by Hachette. Read our full review here.
Lyrical Press
Lyrical Press is an electronic only imprint of Kensington, a large independent publisher. Kensington and Lyrical both publish mainstream novels and seem to put a fair amount of pressure on the authors to promote their books. They publish a large number of books per year. To learn more, read our full review here.
Persea Books
This is a respected publisher of fiction, nonfiction and poetry manuscripts, and literary young adults novels. The work they publish receives good distribution, particularly in academic circles. To learn more, read our full review here.
Seven Stories Press
Seven Stories Press is an independent, highly respected publisher that has been around for more than 20 years. Their books are distributed by Random House. They take their name from the seven authors whose work has influenced and impacted Seven Stories Press the most. To learn more, read our review here.
Andrews McMeel
Andrews McMeel is a large publishing house that publishes up to 300 books a year. They are one of the largest publishers that will read proposals by authors that have not been previously published and do not have an agent. To learn more, read our review here.
Peachtree Publishers
Peachtree Publishers is a well-respected independent publisher with good distribution. They are based out of Atlanta, Georgia, and specialize in publishing children’s books, young adult books, self-help titles for parents and educators, and guides to the American south. They also publish books on gardening and cookbooks, but usually only with a southern focus. To learn more, read our review here.
Baen Books
Baen is one of the best known publishers of science fiction and fantasy. They are an independent company with good distribution. To learn more, read the full review.
ABDO Books
ABDO Books is a publisher that focuses exclusively on educational books for children between ages 4-12. They sell a lot of books to schools and appear to be rather good at niche marketing. To learn more, read the full review.
Shadow Mountain
Shadow Mountain is an imprint of Deseret Books. Both publishers are Mormon, but Deseret Books focuses more on producing faith-based content. Shadow Mountain publishes primarily fiction and they have published a number of New York Times bestselling books. Because the company is Mormon run, books have to be approved by in-house censors in order to be published. They are very firm about publishing “clean books only”. However the authors need not be Mormon. Read our full review more here.
Bio: Emily Harstone is the pen name of an author whose work has been published internationally by a number of respected journals. She is a professional submissions adviser. You can follow her on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/emilyharstone/
