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.

How to Find Publishers Open to Direct Submissions

Over two years ago we stopped releasing a new review of a publisher every week. We still review the same amount of publishers a month, but we release the four to five new publisher reviews as links on a longer list. This has helped decrease the amount of submissions publishers receive and the amount of…
Special Issue

Five Minutes: Accepting Submissions

Five Minutes is a nonfiction only online literary journal with an unusual premise. They only publish 100-word pieces that explore five minutes of the author’s life. These are very much “micro memoirs” (and in the past they ran a micro memoir marathon). The five-minute limit is not particularly literal, what they say about it is…
Creative Non Fiction Issue Six Hundred Ninety Seven Literary Journals

Ten Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in October 2026

This list focuses on ten publishers 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 doesn’t have a specific submission…
Issue Six Hundred Ninety Six

Alchemical: Seeking Submissions

Alchemical is a new online journal focused on publishing speculative works with literary merit, or as they put it “Our mission is to broaden the horizon of literary fiction, raise the bar for speculative fiction, and curate stories that open our minds to great possibilities while striking the human chord at its most resonant. There…
Creative Non Fiction Electronic Fiction Issue Six Hundred Ninety Six Literary Journals

27 Respected Literary Journals

The literary journals and magazines on this list reject the vast majority of what is submitted to them. Sometimes established authors’ works are rejected for years, decades even, before they receive an acceptance. But these literary journals are respected and trusted. Most have a large readership and good distribution in libraries and bookstores. Many of…
Special Issue

77 Publishing, Grant, and Fellowship Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (September 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 Ninety Four Special Feature

100 Manuscript Publishers with Geographic Limitations

We generally only review presses that accept work without geographic limitations on who can submit, but this list includes many publishers who do have geographic requirements. We have never fully reviewed most of these presses because of their geographic limitations, but they are still good presses. Most of the presses on this list accept work…
Special Issue

Keeperton

Launched in August 2024 by Australian author T L Swan, Keeperton is a new press with good distribution. You can learn more about its launch here. They describe their publication by saying, “Keeperton is a publisher that takes immense pride in our commitment to prioritizing authors at every step of the publishing journey. We understand…
Children's Books Manuscript Publishers Mystery Thrillers

Political Animal Press

Political Animal Press is a nonfiction publisher that was founded in January 2015. Political Animal Press is distributed by University of Toronto Press. They are based out of Chicago and Toronto, according to their website. The publisher of Political Animal Press is Lewis Slawsky, who is based out of Chicago according to his LinkedIn profile….
Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

Sweet Hearts Press

This press is a part of Moore Street Media, alongside Rockpool Publishing, which we have reviewed here. Even though all their submission guidelines are on the same page, each of the Moore Street Media imprints is distinctly different, which is why we are reviewing them separately. Moore Street Media and all of their imprints are…
Gift Books Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

Ten Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in September 2026

This list focuses on ten publishers 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 doesn’t have a specific submission…
Issue Six Hundred Ninety Two Special Feature

Arndell: Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Updated September 28th, 2026: They are still open to submissions but have changed the perimeter of their imprint Arndell to include commercial fiction. This used to be a separate imprint. We have updated both reviews accordingly, but moving forward will only focus on the Keeperton one in terms of updates.Launched in August 2024 by Australian…
Manuscript Publishers Romance Uncategorized

ARP Books: Accepting Manuscript Queries

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…
Literary Fiction Manuscript Publishers

Plumleaf Press: Accepting Manuscript Proposals

Plumleaf Press is a small press based in Oakville, Ontario. They started publishing work in 2015. Their books are represented by Ampersand Inc, and are distributed by the University of Toronto Press, which is good. They were founded by editor Maggie Goh. This is how she describes the name: “The name Plumleaf Press combines my…
Children's Books Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction Women's Fiction

Gelding Street Press: Accepting Manuscript Proposals

Gelding Street Press is a part of Moore Street Media, alongside Rockpool Publishing, which we have reviewed here. Even though all their submission guidelines are on the same page, each of the Moore Street Media imprints is distinctly different, which is why we are reviewing them separately. Moore Street Media and all of their imprints…
Manuscript Publishers Memoir

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