Articles by Emily Harstone

Emily Harstone is the pen name of a published writer. Her work has been published in ten countries, four continents, by over fifty different journals. She is a professional submissions adviser and editor. If she owned a dog it would be named Wystan.

35 Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions of Speculative Fiction

Speculative fiction is generally defined as a genre of fiction where the setting is not in the world as we know it because of supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements. Three genres are covered by this umbrella term: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. This term is used to cover work that doesn’t fit exactly in one…
Manuscript Publishers Special Issue

Ten Manuscript Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in June 2025

This list focuses on ten publishers that we are excited about 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…
Issue Six Hundred Twenty Seven

27 Literary Journals with Fast Response Times

It is good to start out by submitting your work to literary journals that have fast response times. It is rewarding to hear back from journals within a month, rather than a year later, when you have forgotten all about them. Submitting to journals with fast response times helps keep you motivated. All of these…
Special Issue

Guppy Books: Accepting Contest Submissions

Guppy Books is a respected publisher of children’s fiction. Founded in 2019 by Bella Pearson, the books they have published have been finalists and winners of a number of awards. They also have excellent distribution. You can learn more about the company and their track record, here. They are based in the UK, and generally…
Children's Books Fiction Manuscript Publishers

Saqi Books: Seeking Fiction & Nonfiction Manuscript Queries

Saqi Books was founded in London in 1983. The roots of Saqi Books are in Lebanon and they focus on publishing trade and academic books on the Middle East and North Africa written by authors based all around the world. They publish around 20 titles a year. They have been awarded the British Book Industry…
Academic Literary Fiction Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

Biteback Publishing: Accepting Book Proposals

Biteback Publishing is based in London, England, and is focused on publishing work on political and current affairs titles. They also publish history, memoir, espionage, sport and general nonfiction, and they do not publish fiction of any kind. You can get a good feel for what they are currently publishing by seeing their new releases…
History Manuscript Publishers Memoir Non Fiction

Redleaf Press

The motto for Redleaf Press is “Exceptional Resources for Early Childhood Professionals”. Established in 1973, they are a nonprofit publisher of curriculum, management, and business resources for early childhood professionals. They are not interested in any work outside of the context of their focus. They are a division of Think Small, a nonprofit organization. Proceeds…
Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

Great Place Books: Accepting Manuscript Queries

This small press publishes literary fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and work in translation, at the rate of about one to two books per year. They state: “Our mission is to be a home for rigorous, weird, beautiful books—and their readers. These books are imperiled by the stratification and commercialization of publishing. Against the grain of the…
Literary Fiction Manuscript Publishers

57 Literary Journals that Pay Their Authors

It is a sad fact about our culture that a poet can earn much more money writing or talking about his art than he can by practicing it. – W.H. Auden As someone who makes their living writing about writing and publishing, I can attest to how truthful Auden’s quote is. It is hard making…
Special Issue

Game Over Books: Accepting Manuscript Submissions

A small press based out of Boston, Game Over Books was founded in 2017 and has funded their small press through a mix of Kickstarter fundraising, Patreon, and book sales. Their staff page is here, if you want to learn more about their team. Their covers are generally excellent, and all of the books they’ve…
Issue Six Hundred Twenty Three Literary Fiction Manuscript Publishers Poetry

9 Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in May 2025

This list focuses on nine publishers that we are excited about 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…
Issue Six Hundred Twenty Two

26 Approachable Literary Journals

Some journals accept a lot more submissions than others. Acceptance rates change all the time, so realize that over time these journals may become harder to get into. These are not the only publishers that are easy to get into, but they are a good place to start if your sole goal is to get…
Special Issue

Evidence: Now Seeking Manuscript Submissions

Evidence is the Thriller/Suspense/Mystery focused imprint of Enchant of Entwined Publishing, which we have reviewed here. They is how they describe what they are looking for: “submissions that weave intricate plots, deliver heart-pounding tension, and keep readers guessing until the very end. If your story features cunning detectives, unsolved mysteries, or nail-biting suspense, we want…
Mystery Romance

Page & Vine: Seeking Manuscript Queries

Founded in 2022, Page & Vine describes themselves as a “boutique romance imprint” (although, honestly they do not appear to be an imprint, but their own independent company). They specialize in “bringing BookTok and social trending titles to bookshelves internationally.” They were founded by #1 NYT bestselling author Meredith Wild. They are distributed by Simon…
Manuscript Publishers Romance

Everything With Words: Now Seeking Manuscript Queries

Everything With Words is an independent  publisher based in the UK. They focus on publishing literary fiction for children and adults. Their books have been featured in major UK-based newspapers and online, and have won or been shortlisted for industry prizes. You can get a good feel for what they publish here. Please spend time…
Children's Books Literary Fiction Manuscript Publishers Young Adult

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