Android Press is a new small press based in Eugene, Oregon. This is how they describe their mission: “uplifting author and creator voices from marginalized communities and the Global South, Android Press publishes science fiction, fantasy, and light horror specializing in climate fiction and the various -punk subgenres. We love stories that are rooted in hope and optimism, as well as stories that hold up a mirror to our society, forcing us to reexamine our past and our values in order to move forward and build a better future.”
Android Press published their first book in August 2022. So they are on the newer end of presses we will review. But they have been steadily publishing books since then, as well as Solarpunk Magazine. They have also launched Imagitopia, a fantasy fiction digital zine and podcast. Solarpunk has used Kickstarters for funding, but I’m not sure the other projects have.
According to their submission guidelines they will remain open to submissions till they have filled their publishing schedule through 2024. They are asking for first world English, electronic, print, and audio rights. They pay royalties of 30% but do not specify if it is off gross or net. I could not find a distributor. Their covers are generally great.
If you are interested in submitting to them, please spend time with their editors manuscript wishlists, as well as their shop, and their submission guidelines.
They also add:
“We love climate fiction as well as rebellious and revolutionary -punk genres.
In addition, we would love to see the following in our submission inbox:
- Stories written by Indigenous, BIPOC, womxn, immigrant, and LGBTQIA2+ authors that bring their valuable cultural perspectives and experiences to the science fiction and fantasy worlds, and to solutions for building a better world.
- Stories that have protagonists from marginalized communities and plots that center those communities.
- Stories that take place in non-Western geographic and cultural settings.
- Stories of unlikely allies that have at least some focus on the complexities of that difficult relationship.
- Stories set in far-flung, distant futures and/or set in space in which the characters are connected to Old Earth through myths or legends that are important to their communities and worlds.
- Stories in which nature becomes a character in its own right.
- Stories that center nonhumans and that depict humans learning to relate to nonhumans in ways not rooted in domination and power dynamics.”
Please only submit to them if you think your work is a good fit in terms of what they have previously published and expressed interest in. Also make sure you spend time with their list of hard no’s, which at the time of updating include:
- First books in a series that don’t work as standalone stories.
- Stories with solutions that are greenwashing, capitalist, or rooted in uncritical consumerism.
- Stories depicting monarchies, colonialism, imperialism, fascism, or other forms of authoritarianism in an uncritical way.
- Stories depicting racism, white supremacy, sexism, cis-heteronormativity, ableism, or fatphobia in an uncritical way.
- Gratuitous violence, especially if is targeted against any marginalized group.
- Gore. If it’s truly integral to plot or character and it only occurs sporadically, then we might consider it.
- Porn or erotica. Eroticism and sex that is in service of the story is fine, but if it’s the focus of your manuscript or takes up an inordinate amount of space, there are other publishers out there who publish such work.
- Picture books or Middle Grade novels. It’s not that we won’t ever publish these, but if we do, it’ll probably be by solicitation only.
- Epic/Sword and Sorcery Fantasy. Again, it’s not that you won’t see books like this from us, but it’s not something we’ll take open submissions for.
They are currently open to query proposal submissions for novellas, novels, comic books, and graphic novels, and closed to submissions of short story anthologies and collections.
To learn more, please visit their submission guidelines here.
Please read their submission guidelines carefully before submitting and please follow all their guidelines.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2023 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.
