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.

City of Light Publishing: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Updated, July 2024: They have always made it difficult to discover what is actually new on their website in terms of books. I have become increasingly convinced, that they weren’t publishing books regularly, but it was hard to make a call. This time I realized that by reading the summer catalogue here, and checking all…

19 Memoirs Every Aspiring Memoir Author Should Consider Reading

As a writer, I’m a firm believer that you should also be a reader. I think the best way to learn the craft of writing is to read. I also believe that it’s important to be well-read in your chosen genre. It’s easier to pick up the tools of that genre if you are reading…

Liminal Space Magazine: Accepting Submissions

Liminal Space Magazine is a new journal interested in publishing flash fiction, short stories, novel excerpts, poems, art, music, and anything else that suits their fancy. They have published one issue in the past, which you can read for free here. Current submissions will be considered for their Fall 2022 issue. The founding editors, Alex…

Severn River Publishing: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Severn River Publishing “was founded by military veterans and family members who shared a love of story.” They were founded in 2018, and initially focused on publishing thrillers and mysteries. Now they publish a lot of historical fiction as well, primarily focused on the military and set during WWII (although there are exceptions).  They also…

Lost Colony: Now Accepting Submissions

This new literary journal focuses on publishing mid-length (between 10,000 and 25,000 words) Science Fiction and Fantasy. The editor, M.E. Pickett, is an author themselves, who struggled to find markets that were open to accepting submissions of this length. They are a very new journal, but they are paying authors ($50 per story, regardless of…

Seven Exciting New Literary Journals

In my experience, there are many reasons to seek publication in journals that have been around for less than a year. When a literary journal is new, the editors tend to be a lot more passionate. I have gotten handwritten thank you cards from editors of new publications, something that has never happened when my…

Flashpoint Publications: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Flashpoint Publications used to be called Regal Crest Enterprises, and it has now been re-branded. Regal Crest Enterprises historically specialized in publishing books of interest to lesbian readers but their focus expanded a while ago to include LGBTQ+ work. They have been using their re-branded name of Flashpoint Publications for over a year now.  They…

Cemetery Gates Media: Now Seeking Novellas

Cemetery Gates Media was founded in 2015 by longtime friends John Brhel and Joe Sullivan and focuses on publishing fantasy and supernatural fiction. Cemetery Gates Media is based in Binghamton, New York. They have published a number of anthologies that seemed to do well, and they have paid all contributors. The anthologies reflect a wide…

49 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…

Headpress: Now Accepting Manuscript Proposals

Updated September 24th, 2025: Their website has been down for at least a week, because they appear to have exceeded their bandwidth. Headpress was established in 1991 although the publishing arm wasn’t active till 1992, according to their FAQ. Headpress focuses on publishing nonfiction. The subject matter they publish varies widely. They say “When Headpress…

Michael O’Mara Books: Now Accepting Nonfiction Manuscript Queries

Michael O’Mara Books (also known as MOM Books) is a UK based publisher of nonfiction, and publish a wide range of books including history, popular science, language, sport, lifestyle and biography. Outside of traditional books they also publish coloring books, activity and puzzles books, and stationary. You can get a feel for what they publish…

28 Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions of Science Fiction or Fantasy Novels

Most of these publishers are interested in science fiction and/or fantasy. Some publish just one of these genres. Others publish many genres and types of books, science fiction and fantasy just being one genre among many. Some are small companies, others are imprints of major publishing houses. They are not listed in any particular order….

Bala Kids: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Bala Publications is an imprint of  Shambhala Publications, an independent publishing company based in Boulder, Colorado. They are distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services. Shambhala Publications was founded in 1969 and “is dedicated to creating books, audio, and immersive courses aimed at improving lives—in ways big and small—in the hope of contributing to the…

Zephyr Review: Now Seeking Submissions

Zephyr Review is a brand new quarterly online literary journal. Writers can submit up to three stories or poems. Stories have to be no more than 1,500 words. They publish poetry, prose, fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction, and artwork. I’ve never seen prose and fiction separated into categories like this, and they never clarify the difference…

Quirk Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Updated July 7th, 2025: Quirk Books, has put a temporary pause on their publishing program, which is to say they will not be acquiring or developing new books for six months. They laid off a number of employees. This happened right after unionization, so there were questions raised around that which the founding editor and…

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