All of the presses on this list meet all of our guiding principles, but most of them have such a specific focus that we cannot justify writing a full review and sending it to our full list of subscribers. But they are still good publishers.
Instead, we have compiled this list of mini-reviews. I have also added a few links to reviews of some of the specialized publishing companies we have reviewed in the past.
There is no particular organization to this list. Not all of the publishers on this list are currently open to submissions.
Cinco Puntos Press focuses on the U.S. / Mexico border region, the Southwest and Mexico, they publish some books outside of this focus, as well, but they have a very different querying process. Before you submit you must call their editor. Their books have gorgeous covers.
SFK Press seeks book-length fiction by authors with a Southern accent. They want to publish a wide variety of “Southern voices”.
Woodbine House specializes in books about developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome and autism. The books they publish are written for and about children with certain disabilities.
aunt lute is a multicultural women’s press. Their priority is to publish work by women, both transgender and cisgender, particularly women of color.
Dalkey Archive Press specializes in the publication and re-publication of avant-garde works of fiction and translation.
Cune Press publishes work with roots in the Middle East but also West Coast authors, and works with a social conscience.
Eraserhead Press is a small publisher based out of Portland, Oregon that focuses on publishing Bizarro fiction. Be sure you are familiar with the genre before submitting. They are not interested in any work cannot be categorized as Bizarro. They are a print and e-Book publisher.
Timber Press is an established and respected publisher of gardening books. They are an imprint of Workman Publishing.
Microcosm Publishing is a Portland based publisher that focuses on nonfiction DIY (Do-It-Yourself) goods that focus on the reader and teach self-empowerment. The work they publish ranges from Magick how-to to Punx.
Bellevue Literary Press publishes work that explores the intersection between arts and science, through fiction and nonfiction.
Manifold Press is a UK LGBTQIA+ publisher that focuses on Queer Historical work.
Torrey House Press is interested in well-crafted work with environmental, natural history, or natural landscape themes, and writing which explores the value of well-managed public lands and the transformative power of wilderness focusing on the inter-mountain west.
Kaya Press publishes literature being produced throughout the Asia Pacific Diaspora.
Haymarket Books publishes manuscripts that connect with progressive and radical political activists, while being useful to an academic audience.
Versify is an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books and their goal is to publish risky, unconventional books for children.
Harvard Square is a small press that publishes literary novels and novellas about environmental issues.
Inanna Publications and Education Inc. is a Canadian feminist press that was founded in 1978 and is open to international submissions, they publish fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and essay collections.
Uproar Books only publishes epic fantasy and science fiction for adults and young adults, and they are only interested in publishing series of books (although only the first one needs to be completed when you submit).
Blood Bound Books is a publisher of dark fiction, they are best known for publishing extreme horror novels but they also publish supernatural and crime fiction, and most other genres that can be categorized as dark.
Third World Press is an African-centered press that is focused on publishing work that is “life-giving and life-daving to the community, and other communities on the Diaspora. They were founded over forty years ago.
duopress is a publisher of innovative nonfiction books and gift books. They publish a large variety of non-traditionally formatted books for children, including board books that fold out, flash cards, and sticker books.
The Feminist Press was established as an independent nonprofit literary publisher in 1970. The Feminist Press is the oldest women’s publishing house in the world. They are open to submission from female/female identifying, and non-binary authors.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, The 2019 Guide to Manuscript Publishers, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The Authors Publish Guide to Children’s and Young Adult Publishing.
She occasionally teaches a course on manuscript publishing, as well as a course on publishing in literary journals.
