January 29, 2024

102 Traditional Poetry Manuscript Presses Who Do Not Charge Reading Fees

Most traditional poetry manuscript publishers charge their readers a fee to submit. You can read about why that is the case here. This article focuses on a number of poetry manuscript publishers who do not charge submission fees to writers, which is good news for poets. This is the longest and most accurate list of…

January 25, 2024

Brink Literary Journal: Now Seeking Submissions

Brink is a print journal of hybrid and cross-genre writing. They publish both emerging and established writers, and they especially like to showcase authors who don’t fit within the boundaries of traditional disciplines. In doing this, they hope to create a community that connects people and ideas that were otherwise divided: “By providing space primed…

LSU Press: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries & Proposals

LSU Press was founded in 1953 by Louisiana State University to help support the work of the university. They publish scholarly and general interest books, mostly about Louisiana and the south. According to their site, their current areas of interest include:

12 Ways Authors Can Use Instagram Reels to Increase Engagement

By Ishitta Nigam Picture this. You enter a café for your morning cup of coffee. There’s a queue, and you are patient enough, but your stomach grumbles in disagreement. You finally reach the counter and begin to recite your order, “Hi, I would like to have a cappuccino and a…” “…a croissant du beurre with…

January 22, 2024

40 Magazines Publishing Literary Fiction

These magazines publish literary fiction; most also accept other genres, like nonfiction and poetry. Many, but not all, of them are open for submissions now, or have announced their upcoming reading periods. Some of them pay. They are listed in no particular order. West BranchThey accept fiction (up to 30 pages), creative nonfiction, poetry, and…

January 18, 2024

The Courtship of the Winds: Now Seeking Submissions

UPDATED  Jan 26th, 2024: They are now closed for submissions. The Courtship of the Winds is an online literary journal that published their first issue in 2016. They have a lovely website, with a clear and distinct title that goes along with their name. They publish two issues a year, and the work they publish…

Double Dagger Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Updates July 31st, 2024: They are overtly redirecting submitters via email from their traditional publishing arm, to their new hybrid/vanity imprint. We do not recommend working with a vanity publisher or a hybrid publisher. We also feel that redirecting submissions to a paid-for-publishing opportunities crosses a clear ethical boundary. Double Dagger Books is a small…

The Other Side of the Desk: Megan Fishmann

Most writers don’t have a clear idea of what it’s like to work in publishing. The many professionals who make publishing possible often work very hard, without much credit. Our goal with this article, and all of the articles in this series, is to give writers a more realistic idea of what it is actually…

Writing For Solace

By Ruth Wilson Writers write for a variety of reasons – as a creative endeavor, to clarify or share an idea, as a source of income, to respond to a muse, to play with words, etc. I sometimes write for solace. Journals I’ve kept for over 30 years include entries about sadness, anxiety, disappointments, and…

January 15, 2024

22 Manuscript Publishers Always Open to Submissions

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 publishers, however, are always open to submissions from writers without agents or previous publishing experience. All of these publishers meet our…

January 11, 2024

Between The Lines Press: Now Accepting Proposals

This small Canadian press’s motto is “Books without bosses since 1977”. Please do not confuse them with Between the Lines Publishing, which is fiction-focused and which we have not reviewed. They only publish nonfiction books in these subject areas: “politics and public policy, social issues, activism and social movements, development studies, critical race studies, Indigenous…

Flame Tree Publishing: Accepting Submissions for Three Anthologies

Flame Tree Publishing is an established press that is distributed by Hachette UK, which is also now a shareholder. (You can learn more about the company and their imprints here.) They occasionally have calls for themed anthologies. Currently, are accepting submissions for three fiction anthologies, part of their new Myths, Gods & Immortals series. “Each…

Encephalon: Now Seeking Submissions

Encephalon is a new, youth-led literary journal that aims to create a bridge between creative writing and neuroscience. In addition to fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, they also publish research essays from a variety of academic disciplines. At the core of their mission is the goal of championing neurodiversity: “Encephalon strives to combat ‘neurophobia,’ celebrate…

Ramping Up My Short Story Success

By Deb Stark My first publication credit was a poem in my high school yearbook. Only eight lines, it was a bittersweet tale about my teddy bear and the angst of aging. The poem was placed on the inside corner of a left-hand page and may have been selected more because of its size than…

Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Authors: January 2024

This list of publishers meet our guiding principles, but are only open to free submissions from historically underrepresented writers or focus on publishing content produced by historically underrepresented writers. Some of these publications are open to a wide range of writers including writers of color, gender non-conforming and LGBTQ+ writers, and those living with disabilities….