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.

11 Approachable Literary Journals

If you are just starting to submit your work to literary journals, or perhaps you just want to avoid rejection, this list is for you. All of the literary journals in this list accept at around half of what is submitted to them. So the odds of your work being accepted just went up. These…
Special Issue

Three Themed Calls for Submission Closing in August

All of the following themed calls for submissions end in August. Other than that, they have little in common. Halfway Down the Stairs: Fortune Halfway Down the Stairs publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and book reviews. Every issue has a theme. They are currently accepting submissions for their September issue, which will be themed Fortune….
Issue One Hundred Sixty Seven

Desert Breeze: Now Seeking Romance Manuscripts

UPDATED October 2019: They are defunct. Desert Breeze is an ePublisher that primarily publishes romance novels although they do dabble in other genres such as women’s fiction and Christian fiction, with or without romantic elements. Much of the romance they publish is cross-genre and incorporates elements of various genres ranging from steam punk to modern…
Christian Issue One Hundred Sixty Seven Manuscript Publishers Romance Women's Fiction Young Adult

How to Start Submitting Your Work to Literary Journals

Literary journals are wonderful magazines that focus on publishing creative writing. Some are digital. Others are print. Some only publish literary work. Others focus on genre. We have published a lot of articles about literary journals at Authors Publish. We review one literary journal every week.  We also feature calls for submissions, and have compiled…
Issue One Hundred Sixty Seven Special Feature

One of the Most Devastating Myths About Self Publishing

There are many myths about writing. Most seem innocuous at first, but many of these myths can negatively effect your chances of publication. Here’s one of the most devastating myths that has risen to prominence in recent years: The idea that you have to self publish in order to find a traditional publisher, with or…
Issue One Hundred Sixty Six Special Feature

Merit Press: Seeking Young Adult Manuscripts

Permanently Closed: Adams Media in late 2016 was purchased by Simon & Schuster. They are no longer accepting direct submissions “It’s all in the name. When we envisioned what a new Young Adult imprint should be, we recalled the books that changed our lives, the kind readers don’t see so much anymore — enduring, exciting,…
Issue One Hundred Sixty Six Manuscript Publishers Young Adult

Thirteen Literary Journals that Publish Novel Excerpts

Literary journals are one of the best ways to build a publication history. They give agents and publishing houses a reason to take your manuscript submission seriously. However, most literary journals publish short stories, poems, non-fiction, and flash fiction, not novel excerpts. That is fine as many novelists also write other work. Some do not….
Special Issue

Tule Publishing: A Romance and Mystery Publisher

Updated September 2025 Tule Publishing started out as Romance Publisher. Many of their books have sold well on Amazon. Most books they have published have at least 25 positive reviews. They have published bestselling and award winning authors. They publish a wide variety of romance including western, paranormal, and holiday. They have since branched out…
Erotica Issue Three Hundred Eight Manuscript Publishers Mystery

The Shame List: Manuscript Publishers Who Always Charge to Submit

All of the publishers included on this list are traditional publishers. They are not vanity or assisted presses that charge their authors in order to publish their books. Many are respected publishers with good distribution. Most primarily publish poetry manuscripts. We have written at length before about why this problem effects poets the most. We…
Issue One Hundred Sixty Five Special Feature

Holiday House: Now Seeking Children’s Books

Holiday House is an established and reputable children’s book publishers. Holiday House was founded in 1935. They publish picture books as well as books aimed at children grades 1-3, grades 4-6, and grades 7 and up. They are based out of New York City. They have published many well known books and authors, including Kenneth…
Children's Books Issue One Hundred Sixty Four Young Adult

Hohm Press: Now Accepting Book Queries

Updated September 17, 2025 A small print publisher based out of Arizona, Hohm has been around for many years. They are a respected press that has published a number of well-known authors. They generally focus on health and wellness. They are not interested in fiction or short story collections. Their website was updated in the…
Children's Books Issue One Hundred Sixty Three Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction Poetry

Two Themed Calls for Submissions

The following two literary journals are looking for creative writing about specific and very different themes. All submissions are due July 15th. Paralysis The poetry journal Whirlwind is seeking poetry submissions on the theme of paralysis. This is what they have to say about the theme in their call for submission “The theme of this…
Issue One Hundred Sixty Three

How To Create A Publication History

One of the complaints I so often hear from new authors or authors that are new to publishing is that every agent and editor they submit their manuscript to wants to see a history of publication. It is one of the most important elements of the query letter that you send agents and /or editors….
Issue One Hundred Sixty Three Special Feature

The Top 25 Publishers for New Authors

Updated October 20th, 2020 The writing market can be overwhelming, particularly for new authors who do not have a history of past publication. It is important to note that no legitimate established presses specifically look for unpublished authors. The presses on this list were chosen because they have published a number of debut books before….
Manuscript Publishers Special Issue

Christopher Hewitt Awards: No Fee Contest

A&U (America’s AIDS Magazine) is hosting the 4th annual Christoper Hewitt Awards. This is a fee free contest with awards given in four categories: Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Creative Nonfiction. The Deadline is July 15th, 2016th. The prize is $50. The winners work is featured in the summer issue of A&U. A&U is a national…
Issue One Hundred Sixty Two No Fee Contest

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