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.

How to Get Your Writing Published in 2020

I was a writer for over a decade before I realized the important role submissions play in being a writer. I don’t know why I expected an editor to arrive at my door with a request for my work. In fact, if an editor or publisher you don’t know approaches you in order to publish…

Bedazzled Ink: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Updated January 31st 2020: They have temporarily closed to submissions. Check their website (link at the bottom) for updates.  They are a small press that focuses on publishing women and women-identifying authors. The books they publish are on female protagonists and the female perspective. Their mission statement is as follows: “Bedazzled Ink is dedicated to…

12 Publishers That Accept Memoir Submissions (No Agent Required)

Memoir publishers that don’t require an agent to submit are few and far between. However, there are still options out there.  Some are old and respected, others are new and still figuring things out. Not all the publishers on this list are currently open to submissions, but most are. Persea Books Persea Books is an…

Haymarket Books: Now Accepting Book Proposals

Haymarket Books is an established nonfiction publisher with excellent distribution. They are interested in publishing manuscripts that are accessible to a wide range of progressive and radical political activists. These books should also be useful to an academic audience. They do not publish dissertations. They have published very established authors, including the journalist Naomi Klein,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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….

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…

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…

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…

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