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.

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…
Special Feature

Flashpoint Publications: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Updated February 13th, 2026: They appear to be really behind in their publishing schedule. I’m not sure if they are still actively publishing work.  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…
Fiction Issue Four Hundred Sixty Manuscript Publishers

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…
Issue Four Hundred Fifty Nine Manuscript Publishers

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…
Paying Market Special Issue

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…
Issue Four Hundred Fifty Eight Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

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…
Issue Four Hundred Fifty Seven Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

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….
Special Issue

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…
Children's Books Issue Four Hundred Fifty Six

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…
Creative Non Fiction Fiction Issue Four Hundred Fifty Six Literary Journals Paying Market Poetry

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…
All Genres Issue Four Hundred Fifty Five Manuscript Publishers Mystery Young Adult

The Importance of Knowing What You Want from a Publisher

Authors seeking to get their first manuscript published all have different goals. For some authors, any press will do, even if they have to pay for publication to happen (although I highly encourage you to self-publish through Amazon or another print-on-demand company, if that is the case). Other authors are interested in presses that have…
Issue Four Hundred Fifty Five Special Feature

Opportunities Open to Submissions From Historically Underrepresented Voices this February

This is a new list we are trying, consisting of publishers that otherwise meet our guiding principles, but are only open to free submissions from historically under-represented 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. Some…
Issue Four Hundred Fifty Five Uncategorized

18 Literary Journals with Fast Response Times

It is good to start out by submitting your work to literary journals that have fast response times. It is rewarding to hear back from journals within a month, rather than a year later, when you have forgotten all about them. Submitting to journals with fast response times helps keep you motivated. All of these…
Special Issue

11:11 Press: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

11: 11 Press is an independent literary publisher based in Minneapolis, MN that was founded in 2018. They publish a wide range of literature but are currently only open to submissions for their fiction series Nothing Exists Alone. This is how they describe the series: “Expanding on our catalog of risk-taking work, this fiction series…
Issue Five Hundred Eleven Manuscript Publishers

Two New Resources to Find Literary Journals to Submit to

If you are seeking different literary journals to submit to, there are two great new places to find journals to submit to. One of these is a database, and the other is a Substack newsletter. A database: chill subs chill subs is a new sortable database of places one can submit to. As the name…
Issue Four Hundred Fifty Four Special Feature

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