In 1966 Arbeiter Ring Publishing was founded initially as a workers’ collective. They started by publishing a few Marxist-leaning and left- leaning books each year. Over time they have come to operate as ARP Books although their official name is Arbeiter Ring Publishing Ltd. They currently say this is their mandate: “To publish a dynamic combination of non-fiction, literary fiction, essay, poetry, and other writing that cannot be constrained by genre categories while encouraging innovative new writing.” They are based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. You can learn more about their history and vision here. You can see what they have recently published if you scroll down here. They are distributed by the University of Toronto Press.
Because they are based in Canada they do focus on Canadian-authored books in particular those based in Treaty One and the Métis Homeland in Manitoba. They do still consider Foreign-authored titles but say “we are limited in the number we can publish”. If you are not Canadian, please factor that into your decision to submit.
They also stress, “We prioritize and amplify authors and collaborators that are and work in support of anti-colonial Indigenous, Black, racialized, LGBTQQ+, people living with disabilities, and other marginalized groups in an inclusive and consultative manner. Works that fulfill this publishing mission are more likely to be considered for publication.”
They also have this whole section focused on what they do not publish which states, “WE DO NOT PUBLISH: science fiction or fantasy, genre fiction or “mainstream” fiction, books for children, young readers, or young adults, business books, self-help titles, cookbooks, personal memoirs, travel books, military histories, family or community histories, “quick and dirty” takes on current events, and books that claim to have a singular solution to complex problems. It is unfortunate, but the submissions in these genres will be unread and will not receive a reply or acknowledgment of delivery.”
Submissions must be made via email and must be PDF formatted. They do not acknowledge receipt submissions. Their complete guidelines are here, please follow them carefully.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2026 Guide to Manuscript Publishers. She regularly teaches three acclaimed courses on writing and publishing at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. You can follow her on Facebook here.
