This list focuses on nine publishers that are open to submissions this month. Some are only open for a short period of time, others will be open the whole month and beyond. At least four of these are presses we have not covered previously.

Please note that if a publisher doesn’t have a specific submission window they can close at any time, and publishers that use Submittable can close at any point because of submission caps (although these publishers generally reopen to submissions at the end of the month).

If a publisher has closed to submissions unexpectedly, please send us an email at support@authorspublish.com.

Please read the full review, which we link to in the publish name, and carefully consider fit before submitting work. I can not stress enough that you should only submit to presses that are a good fit for your work, and that you should carefully read and follow submissions guidelines before submitting that work. Over the past year we had several presses ask to be de-listed because they were deluged by submissions, even after moving to this format. Still more presses have had to temporarily close to submissions because of an influx of inappropriate submissions.

Epic Ink
Epic Ink is an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group. Epic Ink focuses on publishing entertainment or pop culture books that are visually striking. You can see books they’ve previously published under this imprint here. On their imprint-focused page here they particularly highlight the Bucket List Series, which includes this book. They also mention the “Inspiring Life Series” but while I found a lot of biographies and fan-focused work on the site, I didn’t see anything with that series linked to it. They also mention their collaboration with the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Cicada Books
Cicada Books is a children’s book publisher based in London. Initially focused on producing books for adults around art and design, they have now pivoted to fully focusing on publishing children’s books. The books they publish are well-designed, and beautifully printed and intended for kids ages 4-11. They publish activity books, picture books, and nonfiction. All have an illustrated component. They do not publish very many books per year. They say this about the books they publish: “We aim to publish books that are a little bit anarchic, a little bit out-of-the-ordinary and very, very beautiful.”

Mandrake of Oxford
This UK-based publisher describes themselves as “Independent publisher of essential occultural books”. They are open to submissions of work on mysticism, Esotericism, Magick, Paganism, Erotica and Fetish, Shamanism, Culture, True Crime and Ripperology, as well as work related to Yoga Ayurveda, and Tantra, and other related topics, like ancient mysteries and UFOlogy. In terms of fiction they accept submissions about the occult and myths, as well as Sci-Fi, and Erotica. To see their complete list, go here. To see what they have recently published, go here. They are not interested in submissions of work that are not related to their niche.

The Whumpy Printing Press
If you are familiar with fan-fiction the title of this press alone, might help you know if your work is a good fit for it or not. They only publish work in the Whump genre. Whump is a genre that emphasizes trauma, and can go fully horror or lean more towards hurt/comfort (which is to say there is trauma, but also support at the end. As they make clear on their website, “Whump stories are usually character-driven and often (but not always) contain graphic violence.” If you want to learn more about the genre, there is a whole fandom wiki focused on it here.

August Books
August Books is one of the three main imprints of Canelo, a UK-  based press that was established in 2015. Their books are well- distributed and you can learn more about the company as a whole here. We have previously reviewed Hera Books, which is now an imprint of Canelo. You can read that review here.

Pajama Press
Pajama Press is a publisher of books for children and young adults. They focus on publishing literary works. They publish books that fall into a wide range of categories including: picture books, board books for the very young, middle grade fiction, young adult novels, and non-fiction for all juvenile categories.

Afterglow Books
Afterglow Books is a new imprint of Harlequin. You can read our review of Harlequin, and their digital imprint Carina, if you want to learn more about the company as a whole. Their tagline for Afterglow books is: “From showing up to glowing up, these characters are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way.” This is how the editors describe what the new imprint is seeking: “Depth, relatability and sizzling spice, too: these characters are determined to live their best lives — and find the romance that makes them feel seen, unapologetically. In the pages of Afterglow Books, characters from all walks of life, all types of diverse identities, will pursue their dreams and discover love isn’t far behind. Because everyone deserves a happily ever after that’s true to who they are.”

Sea Crow Press 
Their motto is “Stories Rooted In Place  •   Writing Meant To Linger”. This small press based in Cape Cod, Massachusetts focuses on publishing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry with a clear focus on eco-literature, regional writing, and climate-aware storytelling. It is a woman-owned press, and you can see their full masthead by scrolling down here.

Harlequin Presents (M&B Modern)
Harlequin Presents (M&B Modern) has a word count limit of 50,000 words. They describe themselves by saying that what they are looking to publish is “bold, outrageous, addictive and escapist. We want to see the drama and intensity dialed right up to eleven! In Presents, you’ll often find stories featuring pregnancies, marriages of convenience, royals, forbidden romances, enemies becoming lovers, revenge schemes, workplace/office romances, and Mediterranean settings. How can you combine some of these themes in a thrilling and unique way? “

Also Generous Press is open to submissions from BIPOC authors only. Generous Press publishes “lush, high-caliber, and inclusive romance fiction: books so well written that every sentence is a delight to read aloud. “