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.

Supernova Books: Now Accepting Book Proposals

Supernova Books is the nonfiction imprint of Aurora Metro Publications, an established independent publisher in London. They are run by Cheryl Robson and they now have over 300 titles in print. They are made up of three imprints, Aurora Metro Books (fiction), Supernova Books (nonfiction), and Amber Lane Press (plays). This review will focus primarily…
Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

Soaring Kite Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Updated September 2025: They are now an imprint of Learner Books and appear to no longer be open to direct submissions.Soaring Kite Books’ tagline is “uplifting diverse stories”. They were founded by Ceece Kelley in 2020. Kelley has a background in brand marketing and creative services as well as a Master of Liberal Arts from…
Children's Books Manuscript Publishers

8 Literary Journals Open to Longer Fiction

Many literary journals are only interested in publishing short stories that are up to 5,000 words or so in length. Some place the cut off point even lower at 3,000 words. It can be harder for someone who wrote a longer short story to place it in a good home, unless they are publishing a…
Issue Five Hundred Seventy Seven

77 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Authors in June 2024

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 Five Hundred Seventy Seven

Nine Manuscript Publishers Open to Direct Submissions This June, 2024

This list focuses on nine publishers 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. Please note that if a publisher doesn’t have a specific submission window they can close at any time, and…
Issue Five Hundred Seventy Six Manuscript Publishers

25 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

5 Paying Literary Magazines to Submit to in June 2024

These magazines publish fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They’re a mix of literary and genre magazines. Not all are open through the month.   The Journal of Compressed Creative ArtsThey publish fiction, nonfiction, and prose poetry, as long as it is compressed in some way.Deadline: 15 June 2024Length: Up to 600 wordsPay: $50Details here.(And, Canadian literary…
Issue Five Hundred Seventy Five

What Novelists Should Do After Rejection

Having taught novel writing for many years now, one of the most common emails I receive from students and subscribers goes something like this: “Dear Emily, My novel has been through years of revisions now, and I’ve shopped it around to most agents and publishers. I could revise it one more time, but I’m not…
Issue Five Hundred Seventy Five Special Feature

How to Find Publishers Open to Direct Submissions

This article links to all of the websites I know of that list or link to manuscript publishers. I use these resources to find publishers to review, in addition to spending a lot of time at libraries and bookstores, finding publishers there. Note that a lot of the publishers you’ll turn up at the following…
Issue Five Hundred Seventy Four Special Feature

Fourteen Famous Authors Who Didn’t Get Published Until Their Fifties (Or Older)

Often people tell me they are too old to become a writer. Sometimes these people are in their thirties or forties, sometimes they are in their fifties and sixties. But the fact remains the same, no matter how old you are, you are not to0 old to become a writer. Many authors started writing later…
Issue Five Hundred Seventy Four Special Feature

Arcadia Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Quercus Publishing, an imprint of Hachette, is re-branding their speculative fiction imprint Jo Fletcher Books as Arcadia Books. It will remain the only imprint of Quercus that accepts unsolicited submissions and it will stay open to submissions of science fiction, fantasy, and horror manuscripts for adults. They will also now consider YA/Crossover books as long…
Issue Five Hundred Seventy Three Manuscript Publishers Science Fiction

30 Mystery Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions

  “Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. Theyread it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’tbuy anymore. The first page sells that book. The lastpage sells your next book.”MICKEY SPILLANE Mystery is one of those genres that over the years has managed to accumulate a huge number of…
Manuscript Publishers Special Issue

TWB Press: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Updated October 10th, 2024: They are currently closed to submissions. Do Not Query. TWB Press’s tagline is “Electronic Publishing for the 21st century.” They have an additional tag line on their main page that says “TWB Press publishes stories of human conflict and redemption through a variety of world views that reflect humanity at its…
Issue Five Hundred Seventy Two Manuscript Publishers Mystery Paranormal Romance Science Fiction

August Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Updated January 2025 August Books is one of the three main imprints of Canelo, a UK  based press that was established in 2015. Their books are well distributed and you can learn more about the company as a whole here. We have previously reviewed Hera books, which is now an imprint of Canelo. You can…
Historical Fiction History Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

Bullshit Lit:

Updated September 2025: They plan to reopen to book submissions in 2026 Bullshit Lit describes itself by saying they are,​”Inspired by a stack of silly poems, Bullshit Lit is the antithesis to those flowery submissions calls for, like, “the deepest echo in your heartcanyon.” We don’t take ourselves too seriously.​ We like to see your worst….
Fiction Manuscript Publishers Poetry

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