Updated March 1st 2024: It’s hard to tell because of the organization of their website and the second edition of books but I don’t think they have acquired a new book in years. I would not submit for that reason.
Blue River Press is a publisher based in Indianapolis. They released their first book in 2004 and have now published over 200 titles, mostly nonfiction, and now appear to be open to fiction submissions. They have distribution through the Cardinal Publishers Group, and their books are available in bookstores, libraries, as well as gift shops. I’ve encountered a number of their books over the years, particularly books in their All About series, which is a series of books for kids about famous individuals.
Their book covers range from good to dated. Their website is clear and easy to use although their new releases section is a little out of date, other pages like their blog makes it pretty clear that they are still actively publishing.
To get a good feel for what they’ve published in the past, go here.
They accept submissions via proposals. Your manuscript need not be complete. To learn more about their proposal process, go here and click on the link to the PDF guidelines. According to their PDF they are also open to fiction proposals. Although based on their guidelines and their website it’s hard to get a feel for what kind of fiction they are looking for. Do not submit unless you feel like your book would be a good fit.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2022 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.
She regularly teaches three acclaimed courses on writing and publishing at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. You can follow her on Facebook here.
