Manuscript Publishers

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…

The Feminist Press

Last Updated September 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…

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…

Brother Mockingbird Publishing: Actively Seeking Manuscript Queries

Updated February 2025 Brother Mockingbird Publishing is a small independent press that describes itself as “committed to the discovery of talented writers with original stories”. They publish a wide range of genres including, Action/Adventure, Chick Lit, Commercial, Contemporary, Crime/Detective/Cozies, Historical, Horror, Humor/Satire, Literary, Multicultural, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction,  Suspense, Thriller, Upmarket, Western, Women’s Fiction, Young…

Uproar Books: Accepting Submissions

UPDATED July 27th 2022, they have a pretty permanent looking closed to submissions. Uproar Books was founded in 2018 by Rick Lewis, who has a background in marketing, not publishing. Uproar books published its first book in early 2019. They only publish epic fantasy and science fiction for adults and young adults, and they are…

Fairlight Books: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Updated September 2025: Website being updated. Not currently functioning.Fairlight Books is a publisher of literary fiction based in Oxford. They were founded in 2017 and started publishing in 2018. The company is run by an ex-energy chief, Louise Boland. Their goal is to promote literary fiction, particularly by new authors, in the UK. You can…

Blood Bound Books: Now Accepting Novella Submissions

UPDATED NOVEMBER 11TH 2020: They appear to be closed to general submissions for the foreseeable future. Blood Bound Books is a publisher of dark fiction, they are best known for publishing extreme horror novels but they also publish supernatural and crime fiction, and most other genres that can be categorized as dark. They publish eBooks…

Familius: Now Accepting Manuscript Submissions

Familius is a newer publisher, established in the last few years, but the head editor is established and has a good track record of working at other publishing companies. They were also recently acquired by the established publisher Workman, which already has a number of other imprints in this market. Workman has excellent distribution. Familius…

duopress: Now Accepting Manuscript Proposals

Updated October 9th 2023: They appear to have been acquired by Source Books, and are not currently open to direct submissions. duopress is a publisher of innovative non-fiction books and gift books. They publish a large variety of non-traditionally formatted books for children, including board books that fold out, flash cards, and sticker books. They…

Farrar, Straus and Giroux: Open to Submissions

Updated on April 21st, 2020 – They have closed to unsolicited submissions. We will update if this changes at any point, but I don’t think this is a temporary change. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is open to direct submissions. They are an imprint of Macmillan, one of the Big Five publishers. They focus on…

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…

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…

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…

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….

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