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.

John Blake Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Updated March 16th 2020, They are no longer open to direct submissions. John Blake Books has been publishing bestselling books since 1991. They focus on non-fiction, particularly on mass-market autobiographies/memoirs. They also have a music imprint, a children’s Dinosaur imprint and an imprint dedicated to history, art, humor and gift books. They are a British…
Gift Books Issue Three Hundred Forty Four Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

The Importance of Writing and Exercise

Phillip Roth often said that he walked a mile for every page he wrote. He also wrote those pages standing up. Hemingway was also known for standing while he wrote, and many modern writers from John Green to Susan Orleans have been known to use a treadmill desk. The science fiction writer Kevin J. Anderson…
Issue Three Hundred Forty Four Special Feature

How To Find the Right Agent

Researching agents can be a time-consuming process, but I would never submit to an agent without first doing significant research. To me, research is the most important step of the submission process. It is vital, because there is no point going through all the work of writing your manuscript and submitting, just to end up…
Special Issue

Next Chapter Press: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Updated April 1st, 2023: There is now another press using a similar name. It is a totally separate press and this is not a review of that press. This is a review of a now defunct imprint. Updated March 26, 2021 : Their website is still operating but they have not published a new book…
Issue Three Hundred Forty Three Manuscript Publishers Memoir Self Help

Literary Journals: A Great Way to Promote Your Book

A literary journal is an online or print periodical devoted to literature. Literary journals usually publish short stories, poetry, and essays. Most focus on general literature, but there are others with more specialized interests such as science fiction, children’s literature, horror, and mystery. Some are just focused on a specific subject matter. For example there…
Issue Three Hundred Forty Three Special Feature

9 Exciting New Literary Journals

In the last 6 months the following journals opened their metaphorical doors for the first time. A number of magazines on this particular list have specific focuses and areas of interest. It is great to submit to new journals as the editors tend to have more energy and enthusiasm. They also tend to be more…
Special Issue

The Sea of Tranquility: A Self-Publishing Success Story

The Sea of Tranquility was initially self-published by Katja Millay in 2012. Within only three weeks of being self-published, the novel was picked up by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. It went on to win the American Library Association’s Alex Award and A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. She…
Issue Three Hundred Forty Nine Special Feature

Unnamed Press: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Updated February 2025 Unnamed Press is an independent publisher of literary fiction and nonfiction, based in Los Angeles and founded in 2014. They have excellent distribution, their books have been reviewed in most major publications, and they know how to promote the books they publish. The books they publish focus on challenging conventions and assumptions….
Issue Three Hundred Forty Two Literary Fiction Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

Jam & Sand: Accepting Submissions Year Round

Jam & Sand is a new electronic literary journal based out of Canada. They are open to international submissions. They publish poetry, flash fiction, and short stories. They also publish interviews, book reviews, and other articles, but they ask that you pitch those first. They have a beautiful online presence and the images they choose…
Issue Three Hundred Forty Two

The 10 Major Publishing Trends of 2019

I am starting off this article with a disclaimer. This article is not going to tell you what publishing trends are up and coming. I don’t know whether books about fairy pirates are going to be the new children’s book trend or not. That isn’t my area of expertise, and it is not where my…
Calls for Submissions Special Issue

Blue Moon Publishers: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Updated March 26, 2021: Their website is still operating but they have not published a new book in almost a year, I would not recommend submitting to them. Blue Moon is a boutique Canadian Publisher. They focus on publishing Literary Fiction and Women’s Fiction, as well as Young Adult and Middle Grade works. The stories…
All Genres Issue Three Hundred Forty One Literary Fiction Manuscript Publishers Science Fiction Women's Fiction Young Adult

Schaffner Press: Open to Manuscript Queries

Schaffner is an established press with distribution through IPG. They publish literary fiction, short fiction collections, and crime fiction. They also publish a wide variety of non-fiction including memoir, autobiography, biography, journalistic expose or narrative, true crime, art, culture, pop culture, world history, current events, science, and music. Schaffner Press is owned and managed by…
Fiction Historical Fiction Issue Three Hundred Forty Manuscript Publishers Memoir Mystery Non Fiction

Author Platforms: One Size Does Not Fit All

An “author platform” is your position as a writer, not just in terms of social media, but in terms of real-life connections and associations. More publishers and agents are asking for writers to talk about their author platforms as part of the query letter, and more small presses and agents are approaching authors that already…
Issue Three Hundred Forty Two Special Feature

17 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…
Special Issue

Three Rooms Press: Open to Submissions

Updated March 7th, 2024 Three Rooms Press is an independent press that is inspired by “Diversity, Dada, Punk, and Passion”. They were founded in 1994. They have good distribution and I’ve encountered their books in libraries and bookstores. You can learn more about their history here. They stress that. “Our press is inspired by diversity,…
All Genres Fiction Issue Three Hundred Thirty Nine Literary Fiction Manuscript Publishers Memoir Mystery

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