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.

The Innovation Press: Seeking Manuscript Queries

The Innovation Press is a small children’s book publisher with major distribution through Baker and Taylor. My children own a number of their books, and I regularly encounter books they have published at the library and bookstores. Some of their best known books are the Zoey and Sassafras series, and the picture book, My Name…
Children's Books Manuscript Publishers

30 Literary Journals Focused on Limited Demographics

This list focuses on a wide variety of journals that are seeking specific kinds of writers, including older writers, writers attending university, working class writers, the incarcerated, veterans and their families, women writers, and Southern writers. Some of these limitations are geographic, some are not. Some publications have stricter guidelines than others. Not all are…
Uncategorized

Ten Manuscript Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in July 2025

This list focuses on ten publishers that 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. At least four of these are presses we have not covered previously. Please note that if a publisher…
Issue Six Hundred Thirty One Manuscript Publishers

Inkubator Books: Manuscript Query Guidelines & Information

This Dublin, Ireland-based press focuses on publishing crime fiction, mystery, and thrillers. They do not publish work outside of this genre, and they do not publish work outside of Amazon. Most of the work they publish do very well on Amazon through Kindle Unlimited. The books they publish are not just available digitally, they also…
Manuscript Publishers Mystery

Watertower Hill Publishing: Manuscript Query Guidelines & Information

Updated August 19th 2025: Based on this FB post they are going on an indefinite hiatus. I would not submit to them at this time. They have unfortunately not updated the submission page on their website to indicate that. A small press founded in 2020 by Joshua L. Daughrity, who publishes his work under the…
Children's Books Christian Fantasy Manuscript Publishers Memoir New Adult Non Fiction Romance Science Fiction Speculative Fiction Young Adult

Subtle Body Press: Manuscript Query Guidelines & Information

Subtle Body Press is a small press that publishes a schizo-philosophical / countercultural journal series called Seven Story Hotel and a short fiction focused literary journal called Body Shots, both of which are currently open to submissions. They are also seeking a novella-length work of fiction or creative nonfiction to publish this year.  This is…
Manuscript Publishers Novellas

Windhorse Publications: Manuscript Proposal Guidelines & Information

Windhorse Publications is an independent publisher of English-language nonfiction books on Buddhism, meditation and mindfulness. The work they publish is for Buddhist practitioners of all stages as well as for non-Buddhist readership. They also say, “We are also interested in books exploring new directions in Buddhist scholarship.” Like most faith-based publications, they are only interested…
Manuscript Publishers Spirtual

Harlequin Medical Romance: Manuscript Query Guidelines & Information

Harlequin Medical Romance is an imprint of Harlequin Romance, which is an imprint of Harper Collins. We have also reviewed a number of their other imprint previously, including Afterglow Books, Carina Press, Mills & Boon, Love Inspired & Love Inspired Suspense, Harlequin Historical, Harlequin Heartwarming, and Harlequin Intrigue. All of the different imprints have clear…
Manuscript Publishers Romance

22 Young Adult Publishers that Accept Unagented Submissions

One of my favorite genres to read now is young adult (YA) fiction, even though when I was a teenager, I struggled to find good books. These days the YA genre is profitable, diverse, and covers a wide variety of genres, from science fiction to romance and everything in between. A lot of YA publishers…
Young Adult

81 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (June 2025)

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 Six Hundred Twenty Nine

53 Literary Journals Seeking Genre Fiction

Most literary journals are interested in literary work, by which they mean, not genre work (although this is changing a little). The definition of genre is a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. However, in the context of writing, genre can refer to…
Special Issue

35 Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions of Speculative Fiction

Speculative fiction is generally defined as a genre of fiction where the setting is not in the world as we know it because of supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements. Three genres are covered by this umbrella term: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. This term is used to cover work that doesn’t fit exactly in one…
Manuscript Publishers Special Issue

Ten Manuscript Publishers Open to Direct Submissions in June 2025

This list focuses on ten publishers that 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. At least four of these are presses we have not covered previously. Please note that if a publisher…
Issue Six Hundred Twenty Seven

27 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

Guppy Books: Accepting Contest Submissions

Guppy Books is a respected publisher of children’s fiction. Founded in 2019 by Bella Pearson, the books they have published have been finalists and winners of a number of awards. They also have excellent distribution. You can learn more about the company and their track record, here. They are based in the UK, and generally…
Children's Books Fiction Manuscript Publishers

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