Written by Emily Harstone January 13th, 2022

AK Press: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

AK Press is a worker-managed, independent publisher and book distributor that focuses on publishing and distributing radical left and anarchist literature. They were founded in Scotland in 1990, but are now largely based in Chico, California.

Outside of nonfiction they also publish speculative fiction including science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, horror, and mystery works of 25,000 to 55,000 words, under their Black Dawn Imprint, inspired by Octavia Butler. You can learn more about that imprint here.

Their distribution, both for themselves and others, is excellent, and they’ve distributed work by major authors, like Yaa Gyasi and Rutger Bregman. AK Press has released spoken word albums by figures such as Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and Arundhati Roy, and they’ve published and reprinted many respected radical texts. To learn more about their current catalogue go here. To learn more about the press in general go here.

This is what they have to say about what they are seeking and the work they publish in general:

“As an anarchist collective, we’re largely interested in works that reflect the rich traditions within anarchism (theory, history, art, culture, economics, labor) and related historical and contemporary movements. That said, we don’t solely publish anarchists—but we do steer clear of anything advocating electoral politics or that looks to the State or capitalism for solutions. We make an effort to provide materials of use to activists, academics, and individuals in pursuit of intellectual self-defense and revolutionary social/economic change. Further, we welcome the opportunity to work with authors from diverse backgrounds.”

They prefer emailed submissions, but also accept mailed submissions. Their full nonfiction guidelines are available here. Please read the guidelines carefully before submitting.

 

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