» Manuscript Publishers

Jessica Kingsley Publishers: Open to Proposals

Jessica Kingsley Publishers (JKP) is an established UK Press (with a US office) that was purchased by John Murray Press/Hachette UK in 2017. You can read more about this acquisition here. JKP focuses on publishing high quality books for professional and general readers on a variety of subjects. They are best known for their books…

Nightfire: Temporarily Open to Manuscript Submissions

Nightfire, the horror imprint of Tor/Forge, is open to submissions of novellas (20,000-40,000 words) and novels (40,000-200,000 words) for a very brief period this June (2020). It opened on the 15th and will close on the 22nd. Tor/Forge is a science fiction and fantasy imprint of McMillan and you can learn more about them here….

Horror Issue Three Hundred Sixty Nine Manuscript Publishers

Legend Press: Accepting Manuscript Queries

Updated February 2025 Legend Press is a UK based independent press open to direct and agented submissions. They publish contemporary fiction and crime fiction (largely psychological and political thrillers). They now also publish historical fiction. You can get a good feel for what they publish by visiting their website here. They’ve published some very popular…

Fiction Issue Three Hundred Sixty Eight Manuscript Publishers Mystery

SmartPop Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Update July 27th 2022: You must now pitch to them through the main BenBella site. SmartPop Books is an imprint of BenBella Books, an established and respected non-fiction publisher. According to their website, SmartPop is “actively looking for smart, quirky, engaging non-fiction titles on television, books, and film.” They are open to anthologies, as well…

Issue Three Hundred Sixty Seven Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

Owl Canyon Press: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Owl Canyon Press is an independent publisher based out of Boulder, Colorado. They were founded in 2011. They publish fiction, nonfiction, young adult fiction, and works in translation. It’s easy to get a feel for what sort of work they publish by browsing their catalog. They have local distribution, but outside of Colorado, I suspect…

Issue Three Hundred Sixty Four Literary Fiction Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction Young Adult

Kane Miller: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

UPDATED August 2024: They have not been open to unsolicited submissions for over two years now. Their phrasing implies they may reopen someday, but we are removing them from the guide and they will not be added to lists going forward. Kane Miller is an award winning publisher of educational children’s books. In 2019 they…

Children's Books Issue Three Hundred Sixty Three Manuscript Publishers

Big Sky Publishing: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Big Sky Publishing is an Australian based publisher that focuses on publishing nonfiction books for adults. They also publish children’s books, although they are only open to children’s book submissions at certain times. They focus on publishing manuscripts focusing on the following areas: History, Military History, Self-help, Autobiography, Business, Careers, Environment, How to/Practical Guides, Health,…

Children's Books Issue Three Hundred Sixty Two Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

Plough Publishing Company: Open to Queries

Plough Publishing House was founded in 1920. They are an independent publisher of books on faith, society, and spiritual life. They are primarily based in Walden, New York, with additional branches in the United Kingdom and Australia. Plough is the publishing house of the Bruderhof, which is according to the site “an international movement of…

Christian Issue Three Hundred Sixty One Manuscript Publishers

City Owl Press: Accepting Queries

Updated January 2025 In early March 2024, Strauss at Writer Beware published a blog post about City Owl which you can read here. It’s a complex ongoing situation and one we are monitoring but I wouldn’t submit to City Owl without spending time reading the post and all the comments first. Some of the comments…

Accept Previously Published Work Issue Three Hundred Sixty New Adult Paranormal Romance Speculative Fiction

Incentive Publications: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

World Book, the established publisher of encyclopedias and other works of nonfiction, is the parent company of Incentive Publications. Incentive is open to direct submissions and focuses on publishing work for children. They are only interested in educational books. The books they publish seem designed to use in classrooms, so that’s important to keep in…

Issue Three Hundred Fifty Nine Manuscript Publishers

Felony Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

UPDATED MARCH 2021: They have not published a new book for over a year. I would not submit. Felony Books is a publisher of urban fiction. Urban fiction is also called street lit or street fiction. It’s fiction based in an urban setting and it usually deals with socio-economic realities and leans towards the gritty….

Fiction Horror Issue Three Hundred Fifty Eight Manuscript Publishers Mystery Romance

Inanna: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

Update: They are shuttering their book publishing operations. They announced in June 2024, you can read the details here: https://www.inanna.ca/2024/06/11/notification-for-the-inanna-community/ Inanna Publications and Education Inc is a Canadian feminist press that was founded in 1978 and is open to international submissions, they publish fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and essay collections. Some of what they publish…

Fiction Issue Three Hundred Fifty Seven Manuscript Publishers Memoir Non Fiction Poetry

Open Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Queries

UPDATED May 29th, 2024: We have continued to hear feedback that they are offering hybrid contracts. but have one tier of publications that is traditional. I haven’t heard from anyone in the traditional tier, and this is a highly unusual approach. To be a traditional press in good standing one cannot direct from traditional publishing…

Fiction Historical Fiction Issue Three Hundred Fifty Six Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

The Feminist Press

Last Updated February 2025. The Feminist Press was established as an independent nonprofit literary publisher in 1970. The Feminist Press is the oldest women’s publishing house in the world. They are open to submission from female/female identifying, and non binary authors. They publish literary fiction and works of nonfiction. It is easy to get a…

Fiction Issue Three Hundred Fifty Five Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction

Excession Press: Seeking Manuscript Submissions Until April 5th, 2020

Excession Press is a small press focused on horror, science fiction, weird western, or dark fantasy with literary merit. The books they publish are between 30,000 and 60,000 words in length. They say they have a few hundred words worth of wiggle room on either end of that guideline, but that is it. Excession Press…

Fantasy Horror Issue Three Hundred Fifty Four Manuscript Publishers Science Fiction Westerns