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.

Zondervan: Now Accepting Nonfiction Submissions

Zondervan is one of the largest and most established Christian media companies. They are based in Grand Rapids Michigan, but have an international presence. They are now owned by HarperCollins. They are a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. They only have two imprints that are open to direct submissions: Zondervan Reflective books aim…

95 Traditional Poetry Manuscript Presses Who Do Not Charge Reading Fees

Most traditional poetry manuscript publishers charge their readers a fee to submit. You can read about why that is the case here. This article focuses on a number of poetry manuscript publishers who do not charge submission fees to writers, which is good news for poets. This is the longest and most accurate list of…

Psychonaut Press: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Update August 2023, they now charge 5 dollars to submit, so they no longer qualify for a listing with us. Psychonaut Press is currently hosting an open reading period for full-length speculative fiction novels. We do not review brand new publishers without track records, but even though Psychonaut Press has yet to publish any books,…

Art/Books: Now Accepting Book Proposals

Art/Books is an independent UK based publisher of books on art, architecture, design, photography, and contemporary culture. They were founded in 2012. You can get a feel for what they are currently publishing by visiting this page. It’s important to note that they appear to have published very few books during the peak of the…

Paperbag: Now Seeking Submissions

Paperbag is an electronic literary journal now reading submissions for its 15th issue. They publish previously unpublished poetry, visual art, music/sound, and hybrid work. Their website is sleek, well designed, and poetry focused. It’s easy to engage with the work they present. On the main issue page, you can get a feel for that they…

An Argument for Writing Short Stories

“Write a short story every week. It’s not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row.’ — Ray Bradbury “A good [short story] would take me out of myself and then stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit.” — David Sedaris Writers who are serious about improving and developing their…

Oxford University Press: Now Accepting Proposals and Manuscript Submissions

Oxford University Press, like most university presses, is open to direct submissions. It has much better distribution systems than most university presses. They publish nonfiction with an academic focus on a wide range of subjects. They are open to proposals and manuscripts. Their website is much more thorough in terms of helping outline how the…

30 Literary Fiction Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions – No Agent Required

Literary fiction is one of the harder genres to get published in without an agent. There are smaller presses that specialize in it, but unfortunately more and more of those presses are now charging reading fees. However, there are still good options for authors who are unagented and averse to paying reading fees. The manuscript…

Enchanted Lion: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Updated March 4th, 2025 Enchanted Lion is a children’s book publisher based in Brooklyn that was founded in 2003. You can learn more about their team here. Their books are well designed, engaging, and have great covers. Many of the books they have published have been featured in the New York Times, and won awards….

BearManor Media: Now Accepting Manuscript Proposals

Updated July 30th 2024: They appear to no longer be publishing books. In fact most of their announced catalogue for 2023 was never published. They have not published anything in 2024 that I could find. I would steer clear. BearManor Media is a independent press that focuses on publishing nonfiction books about the entertainment industry….

14 Myths About Writers

What does it mean to be a writer? People have strong opinions. Many of them are true, many are wrong. There are so many false assumptions, clichés, and myths out there surrounding writers. Some of these myths contain some level of truth, others are nothing but rumors and a singular memorable example. Here are 14…

22 Respected Literary Journals and Magazines

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…

Dancing Lemur Press: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Dancing Lemur Press is a small US Press that has been actively publishing work since 2009. They are based in North Carolina and seem to regularly participate in local events. They don’t have active distribution, which is to say that although they are distributed with Ingram, Ingram is not actively involved in placing their books…

Opportunities Open to Submissions From Historically Underrepresented Voices This December

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….

22 Approachable Literary Journals

If you are just starting to submit your work to literary journals, or perhaps you just want to avoid rejection, this list is for you. All of the literary journals in this list accept between 20 and 50% of what is submitted to them, and a few have a higher acceptance rate. So the odds…

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