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.

Victory Belt Publishing: Now Accepting Book Proposals

Updated July 31st, 2024. While their website is still active they don’t appear to be actively publishing or promoting books anymore. I would not submit. Victory Belt Publishing is distributed by Penguin Random House, and is one of the biggest publishers in terms of the Ketogenic and Paleo diets, and have published a number of…

63 Manuscript Publishers with Geographic Restrictions

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…

Gibson House Press: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Updated February 8th, 2024: They did not publish any books in 2023, and have yet to publish any books in 2024, so I’m not sure if they are still active. Gibson House Press is an independent publisher that publishes 1-2 books a year. They have good covers, and a clear easy to navigate website. Although…

Why and Where You Should Start Submitting Your Writing This September

 “I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged… I had poems which were re-written so many times I suspect it was just a way of avoiding sending them out.” — Erica Jong Starting to submit your work to literary journals is a hard task. Before…

Nourish: Now Accepting Book Proposals

Nourish is an imprint of Watkins Publishing, which was established in 1893. It is a UK based press with good distribution through Penguin Random House. Nourish focuses on publishing work related to “food and drink”, whereas Watkins as a whole focuses on ” mind, body & spirit”. Watkins Publishing is not currently open to submissions…

How to Find the Right Agent for Your Book

Researching agents can be a time-consuming process, but I would never submit to an agent without first doing significant research. To me, research is the most important step of the submission process. It is vital because there is no point going through all the work of writing your manuscript and submitting, just to end up…

Lantern Publishing & Media: Now Accepting Book Proposals

September 9th, 2025. Lantern Publishing & Media has a bit of unusual history, as they were initially founded as Lantern Books in 1999, which was a traditional for-profit press that was focused on the “principles of living with a greater depth and commitment to the preservation of the natural world”. Lantern Publishing & Media describes…

Talon Review: Now Seeking Submissions

Talon Review is an online publication based out of the University of North Florida. They are funded by the Amy R. Wainright Endowment. They started out focused only on publishing student work, but since 2018 they have been open to submissions from anyone.  They publish stories, essays, poems, and hybrid work as well as art,…

Hatherleigh: Now Accepting Manuscript Proposals

Hatherleigh is a nonfiction publisher focused on publishing books about health and wellness, fitness and exercise, living with chronic diseases, as well self help books and books focused on sustainability and green living. They are distributed by Penguin Random House. They accept both ideas and proposals from authors, but unless you have an existing platform…

Punk Monk Magazine: Now Accepting Submissions

Punk Monk Magazine is an online zine published by Punk Monk Press, which is based in Canada. They are a specialized publication focused primarily on publishing feminine writing with an edge. They are open to submissions from all genders, but this is their primary preoccupation. It’s really easy to get a feel for what they…

A New Ruse by Publishers to Make Authors Pay to Publish

Since 2020 there are more authors than ever trying to publish. This has impacted both the self publishing and publishing industry in profound ways. I’m only going to talk about the shift that has happened that is most worrying to me — as a reviewer of traditional publishers, as an author myself, and as an…

37 Wonderful International Literary Journals

The bulk of the journals we review are based in North America, with a smattering in the UK. Although we sometimes seek out and include international journals, the bulk of the journals we’ve reviewed are in these two regions. All of the journals in this list are not in either of these regions. They span…

Monarch Educational Services: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Updated March 2025: They keep updating their website, and it’s very unclear if they are still publishing new books. The review below reflects the version of the website that existed in March 2024. They do not currently have a submission guidelines and if they are still active they do not seem interested in un-agented submission….

Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers this August

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….

No Starch Press: Now Accepting Book Proposals

No Starch Press is a small press that focuses on publishing work on technology, particularly work with “a focus on open source, security, hacking, programming, alternative operating systems, LEGO®, science, and math.” Their motto is “the finest in geek entertainment.” They are distributed by Penguin Random House. You can get a good feel for what…

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