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.

Ad Lumen Press : Seeking Manuscript Submissions Through August 15th

Ad Lumen Press was founded at American River College in Sacramento, California in 2013. The founder is author and professor Christian Kiefer. They are the only university-style press based out of a community college in the United States. Because they are part of a college, the press is actually used in part as a tool…
Issue Three Hundred Twenty Three Literary Fiction Manuscript Publishers Memoir

20 Literary Journals Always Open to Submissions

Most literary journals are open to submissions for a window of time each year. Sometimes it is a very long window. Sometimes it is more than one window. But it can be frustrating to visit their website and realize that they just closed to submissions. It is particularly hard during the summer, when the majority…
Special Issue

Flame Tree Press: Now Seeking Manuscript Submissions

Update December 8th, 2023: Hachette UK recently announced that they became a shareholder of Flame Tree Publishing. Hachette UK has been the companies distributor for a while now. Flame Tree Press is an imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Flame Tree Press focuses on publishing speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, horror and crime fiction. They have…
Fantasy Fiction Issue Three Hundred Twenty Two Manuscript Publishers Science Fiction

42 Writers’ “Rules for Writing”

Most writers have their own special “rules for writing,” even if they don’t talk about them. I find other writers’ rules fascinating, even when I don’t agree with them. A lot can be learned by reading about other authors’ approaches to writing. The New York Times and The Guardian have published famous author’s answers to…
Special Issue

Sapere Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

They are accepting submissions of crime fiction, mystery, thrillers, romantic fiction, women’s fiction, historical fiction, history, and historical biographies, as well as action and adventure books. You can submit unpublished manuscripts or out-of-print titles. They are a digital first publisher with a focus on thorough editing, good covers, and a fair royalty rate. They also…
Issue Three Hundred Twenty One Manuscript Publishers

Chandra Press: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Updated January 2022: Because of lack of website updates and book publications they appear to be defunct. Do not submit Chandra Press is a digital first press that focuses on publishing science fiction. They do offer print versions of all their books. They have a detailed staff page that is very different than most publishers,…
Issue Three Hundred Twenty Manuscript Publishers Science Fiction

Seven Exciting New Literary Journals

The following is a list of 7 new literary journals. All of these journals have been around for less than six months. In my experience, there are many reasons to seek publication in these journals. When a literary journal is new, the editors tend to be a lot more passionate. I have gotten handwritten thank…
Literary Journals Special Issue

Fahrenheit Press: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Fahrenheit Press is a publisher that focuses on publishing thrillers and crime novels. They are not interested in any books outside of these genres. They are a print and eBook Publisher. It is important to note that they don’t mind re-publishing self-published books, as long as all the rights belong to the author. They are…
Issue Three Hundred Nineteen Manuscript Publishers Mystery

Penmore Press

Updated July 2025: They have reopened and have a new website here. They are actively publishing work and appear to have fully returned to a traditional contract. I still would very much approach with caution and please read all of the updates below first. Updated October 2023: A reader brought it to my attention, that…
Fiction Issue Three Hundred Eighteen Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

The Problem of Traditional Publishers With Vanity Presses

Vanity presses have been around for a long time. They charge writers significant amounts of money to get a book published, offering services such as editing, design, and marketing, often for many thousands of dollars. I have many problems with vanity presses in general. More recently, there has been a recent trend of vanity presses…
Issue Three Hundred Eighteen Special Feature

33 Romance Publishers Open to Direct Submissions

In 2018 and 2019, after a sustained period of growth, the romance publishing market started to see a number of changes, mostly in terms of romance publishers going out of business. A year ago this list had 40 publishers on it. It now has 33. Part of this is because of diminished eBook sales and…
Special Issue

Aethon Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Updated July 6th, 2023: They recently updated their submission guidelines and are now open to Thrillers of all types, though with an emphasis on Action, Political, and Military Thrillers. Aethon Books is a print and eBook publisher that focuses on Science Fiction and Fantasy. They are open to all sub-genres within these genres including Hard…
Fantasy Issue Three Hundred Seventeen Manuscript Publishers Mystery Science Fiction

The Rupture: Now Seeking Poetry, Fiction, and Non-Fiction

The Collagist is a literary journal published by Dzanc Books. It was very recently re-named The Rupture. They also got a comprehensive re-design. They are an electronic publication. They publish short fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. They are open to submissions until July 31st. They reopen to submissions in October. They publish one issue every two…
Creative Non Fiction Fiction Issue Three Hundred Seventeen Literary Journals Poetry

On Pen Names

I am writing this using a pen name. I write poetry, prose, and nonfiction, and only my prose is published under my legal name. That said, there are plus and minuses to pen names. I don’t think they are for everyone, and after using the same one for almost a decade I wouldn’t chose another…
Issue Three Hundred Seventeen Special Feature Uncategorized

17 Mystery Publishers Open to Manuscript Submissions

“The crime novel is the great moral literature of our time.” JEAN-PATRICK MANCHETTE “Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.” MICKEY SPILLANE Mystery is…
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