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.

Ten Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in June 2026

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 Seventy Nine Manuscript Publishers Special Feature

Wizard’s Tower Press

Wizard’s Tower Press specializes in publishing within the science fiction and fantasy genre. They are a small press based in South Wales. They are currently also accepting submissions for an anthology called “They Are Still Here”, which you can learn more about here. It is a paying opportunity. Outside of the anthology call they are…
Fantasy Science Fiction

Harlequin Presents (M&B Modern)

Harlequin Presents (M&B Modern) is an imprint of Harlequin Romance, which is an imprint of Harper Collins. We have also reviewed a number of their other imprints previously, including Afterglow Books, Carina Press, Mills & Boon, Love Inspired & Love Inspired Suspense, Special Edition,  Harlequin Historical, Harlequin Heartwarming, Harlequin Medical Romance, Harlequin Romantic Suspense, and…
Manuscript Publishers Romance

Pen & Sword Books

Pen & Sword Books is an established and respected publisher of nonfiction. They are based in the UK. They are also the majority shareholder for Script Publisher Services, which is a major distributor. Pen & Sword Books has excellent distribution, primarily in the UK. They are best known for publishing specialist military history books, under…
Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

Queerteen Press

Queerteen Press is an imprint of JMS Books which we’ve reviewed here. Please read our full review of JMS Books, alongside this review, as there is some helpful context there. Queerteen Press accepts and publishes gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender fiction which is focused on a younger readership. The books they publish feature main characters…
Manuscript Publishers Romance Young Adult

58 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

81 Publishing Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (May 2026)

This list of publishers meet our guiding principles, but are only open to free submissions from historically underrepresented writers or focus on publishing content produced by historically underrepresented writers. Some of these publications are open to a wide range of writers including writers of color, gender non-conforming and LGBTQ+ writers, and those living with disabilities….
Issue Six Hundred Seventy Seven Special Feature Uncategorized

28 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

27 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

Nine Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in May 2026

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 Seventy Five Uncategorized

The History Press: Seeking Manuscript Proposals

The History Press is based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Their name is pretty self explanatory, they publish historical nonfiction, as well as general nonfiction. They do consider memoirs. They do not consider direct submissions of poetry or fiction, so please do not submit it to them. You can learn more about the company here. You…
History Manuscript Publishers Memoir Non Fiction

49 Traditional Children’s Book Publishers Seeking Submissions (No Agent Required)

All of the publishers on this list publish children’s books. Some just publish picture books, some publish only middle-grade fiction, and some publish a wide variety of genres aimed at adults as well. Some are looking for educational work, others are open to anything. A number of these publishers are large and established. Others are…
Special Issue

Micromance Magazine: Now Seeking Submissions

Micromance Magazine is a Substack based publication focused on publishing “flash” Romance. Which is to say that they publish only stories firmly rooted in the Romance genre that are of varying lengths, but all under 1,200 words. They also publish Romance poetry. If you do not write Romance this is not the right literary journal…
Issue Six Hundred Seventy Three Literary Journals

Slashic Horror Press

Slashic Horror Press is an LGBTQ+ horror press. They welcome submissions from allies, but LGBTQ+ voices come first and foremost. They also state that “if you only have a gay character on page 50 and they don’t do anything except re-affirm stereotypes… then you aren’t an ally. ” They are only interested in work that feature…
Horror LGBTQ+

Dreamsphere Books

Dreamsphere Books publishes fantasy, science fiction, horror, thriller, and mystery books. They focus on publishing genre work, but are not interested in YA romance or adult romance as other imprints, Deep Hearts YA and Deep Desire focus on these genres. Dreamsphere is an imprint of Story Perfect Books which you can learn more about here….
Fantasy Manuscript Publishers Mystery Science Fiction Speculative Fiction Thrillers Westerns

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