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.

Scribble: Now Accepting Submissions

Scribble is a bi-monthly electronic literary journal. They were founded in 2018 and are known for their vibrant and creative covers. Scribble is a member of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP). They are always open to submissions of flash fiction and short stories. Even the short stories they publish are not particularly…
Always open to submissions Fiction Issue Three Hundred Fifty Nine Literary Journals

Felony Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

UPDATED MARCH 2021: They have not published a new book for over a year. I would not submit. Felony Books is a publisher of urban fiction. Urban fiction is also called street lit or street fiction. It’s fiction based in an urban setting and it usually deals with socio-economic realities and leans towards the gritty….
Fiction Horror Issue Three Hundred Fifty Eight Manuscript Publishers Mystery Romance

5 Paying Literary Markets to Submit to in April 2020

These outlets pay for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. There are both genre and literary markets in this list. Translunar Travelers Lounge The editors of this speculative fiction magazine want fun stories. Their guidelines say, “A fun story, at its core, is one that works on the premise that things aren’t all bad; that ultimately, good…
Calls for Submissions Issue Three Hundred Fifty Eight

Covid-19 and Publishing

As our long time readers are well aware, we tend to steer clear of any “news” related updates. Once a year I write a general update on the state and changes in the literary world and we publish it in December. I’m sure most, if not all of you, are tired of timely updates about…
Issue Three Hundred Fifty Eight Special Feature

Inanna: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Inanna Publications and Education Inc is a Canadian feminist press that was founded in 1978 and is open to international submissions, they publish fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and essay collections. Some of what they publish is academic, but much of what they publish is not. If you are curious as to how they define the…
Fiction Issue Three Hundred Fifty Seven Manuscript Publishers Memoir Non Fiction Poetry

31 Manuscript Publishers with Geographic Restrictions

All of the presses on this list meet all but one of our guiding principles. All of these presses only accept work from writers with a specific geographic region or nationality. Because of that, we have never reviewed these presses, but they are still good presses. This is our update of the initial list, which…
Special Issue

The Importance of Reading Debut Novels

A debut novel is the first novel published by a writer. When one is attempting to find an agent and publisher for their own first novel, it is very important to read debut novels by other writers to see what is being published now. Older, established novelists like Margret Atwood and John Irving are going…
Issue Three Hundred Sixty Nine Special Feature

Open Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

UPDATED May 29th, 2024: We have continued to hear feedback that they are offering hybrid contracts. but have one tier of publications that is traditional. I haven’t heard from anyone in the traditional tier, and this is a highly unusual approach. To be a traditional press in good standing one cannot direct from traditional publishing…
Fiction Historical Fiction Issue Three Hundred Fifty Six Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

The Importance of Trope Awareness

Over the last decade, the word trope has come to be used to describe commonly recurring motifs, clichés, and rhetorical devices in a wide range of creative works. Once you become aware of tropes, and how they’re used (and misused), they can become a useful tool in your writer’s toolkit. Tropes: in characters and stories…
Issue Three Hundred Fifty Six Special Feature

30 Non-Fiction Publishers Open to Direct Submissions

The following publishers all focus on publishing non-fiction books. Most focus in on one or two aspect of non-fiction, such as history books, memoir, or cookbooks. Some are more broad in their interests. All of them are open to unsolicited submissions directly from authors. No agent required. Almost all of these publishers open to proposals,…
Special Issue Uncategorized

The Feminist Press

Last Updated September 2025 The Feminist Press was established as an independent nonprofit literary publisher in 1970.  The Feminist Press is the oldest women’s publishing house in the world. They are open to submission from female/female identifying, and non binary authors. They publish literary fiction and works of nonfiction. It is easy to get a…
Fiction Issue Three Hundred Fifty Five Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

22 Specialized Manuscript Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions

All of the presses on this list meet all of our guiding principles, but most of them have such a specific focus that we cannot justify writing a full review and sending it to our full list of subscribers. But they are still good publishers. Instead, we have compiled this list of mini-reviews. I have also…
Special Issue

Excession Press: Seeking Manuscript Submissions Until April 5th, 2020

Excession Press is a small press focused on horror, science fiction, weird western, or dark fantasy with literary merit. The books they publish are between 30,000 and 60,000 words in length. They say they have a few hundred words worth of wiggle room on either end of that guideline, but that is it. Excession Press…
Fantasy Horror Issue Three Hundred Fifty Four Manuscript Publishers Science Fiction Westerns

Brother Mockingbird Publishing: Actively Seeking Manuscript Queries

Updated February 2025 Brother Mockingbird Publishing is a small independent press that describes itself as “committed to the discovery of talented writers with original stories”. They publish a wide range of genres including, Action/Adventure, Chick Lit, Commercial, Contemporary, Crime/Detective/Cozies, Historical, Horror, Humor/Satire, Literary, Multicultural, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction,  Suspense, Thriller, Upmarket, Western, Women’s Fiction, Young…
Fantasy Fiction Historical Fiction Horror Issue Three Hundred Fifty Three Literary Fiction Manuscript Publishers Romance Southern Fiction Young Adult

What To Consider Before Writing Your Novel

When I first started writing, I went with the tried and true method of putting one word after the other. I was thirteen at the time. Now that I have spent a great deal of time and effort advising others on how best to publish their novels, I have a different perspective. Some of it…
Special Issue

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