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Persea Books: Accepting Book Manuscript Queries

Persea Books is an independent book publisher based out of New York that was established in the 1970s. Since then they have gained a reputation for publishing thoughtful books in a variety of literary genres. They have an extensive catalog and fairly good distribution. You can often find their books in bookstores, libraries, schools, and…

The Case for Chapbooks

Chapbooks are very small books, usually no more than 30 pages in length, 50 at the most. They frequently have no spine and are often bound with staples. They have been around for a long time, at least since the 16th century, when they were associated with fiction, but now they almost always function as…

Issue Sixty Four Publishing Guides Special Feature

Oneworld Publishing: Accepting Book Proposals

Updated October 2020 Oneworld Publishing is an independent print publisher. They were founded in 1986 by husband and wife team Juliet Mabey and Novin Doostdar, at the time they only published non-fiction. Now they publish over 100 books a year. They still publish non-fiction, but they also publish literary fiction. Their books are widely available…

Fiction Gift Books Historical Fiction History Humor Issue Sixty Three Literary Fiction Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction Publishing Guides Self Help

4 Anthologies Accepting Submissions

Below are a number of publications with calls for submissions. Only the basics are listed here, not full reviews, but we try to give enough information to pique your interest. One of the reasons we started this new series is because placing your work in anthologies are a great way to get your foot in…

Issue Sixty One Publishing Guides

How to Find the Right Traditional Publisher for Your Book

Your book is done and now you’re ready to launch it into the world with the help of a publisher. The template query letter you’ve written is burning a hole in your computer waiting for those subtle finishing touches that will captivate an editor and make them drool over your masterpiece. But where do you…

Issue Sixty One Publishing Guides Special Feature

Red Flags: A Guide to Avoiding the Wrong Publishers

Updated February 20th, 2016 This article is all about how to avoid signing a book contract with the wrong publisher. It is hard to find good publishers, and it involves a lot of research just to find a legitimate publisher that accepts work if you do not have an agent. However, there are great options…

Issue Fifty Eight Publishing Guides Special Feature

Gemma Media: Open to Query Letters

Updated March 13th, 2020 GemmaMedia is an independent publisher that has managed to get a fair amount of distribution. GemmaMedia focuses on niche markets. They publish “cultural memoir for young people and adults, literary fiction from beloved Irish authors, and current affairs publishing with diversity at the heart of the story”. They are not interested…

Fiction Issue Fifty Seven Manuscript Publishers Non Fiction Publishing Guides Young Adult

10 Common Misconceptions About The Publishing World

The face of publishing has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. As budding writers, most of us stored away bits of information about the publishing world as we dreamed of our next story. Now, many of our early conceptions are being challenged and changed. Don’t get caught living in the past – get up…

Issue Fifty Seven Publishing Guides Special Feature

10 Literary Journals that Pay Their Writers

Last Updated August 20th, 2017 “It is a sad fact about our culture that a poet can earn much more money writing or talking about his art than he can by practicing it.” W.H. Auden As someone who makes their living writing about writing and publishing, I can attest to how truthful Auden’s quote is….

Issue Fifty Six Publishing Guides Special Feature

Finishing Line Press: Accepting Manuscripts

Updated 2024: Mark Danowsky wrote a great Substack on the state of FLP now. I’d very much encourage anyone to read it here. Finishing Line Press is a publisher of poetry chapbooks (a chapbook is a small book, generally of poetry, generally containing between 15-30 pages of writing). Finishing Line Press runs a number of…

Issue Fifty Six Manuscript Publishers Poetry Publishing Guides

We’re Taking a Stand Against Literary Journals that Charge Submission Fees

I have submitted my work to well over 300 different journals in the past two years, and many more before that. When I first started submitting four years ago, one or two journals charged writers a couple of bucks to submit their work for consideration. This fee did not cover anything else. It did not…

Issue Fifty Five Publishing Guides Special Feature

6 Literary Award Competitions

The big debate ranging right now is whether or not book awards and award contests actually do what they promise – give you added publicity and help you sell your books. The short answer is it depends. Just like anything else in the writing and publishing industry, if you’re considering submitting your book for a…

Issue Fifty Four Publishing Guides Special Feature

Writing A Great Synopsis: The Key to Publishing Your Book

How many of you are like me? You’re a first-time author, you’ve finished your manuscript and polished it to the best of your ability, and you’re convinced that it has the potential to do very well. But then you are faced with the requirement to write a synopsis of your work. All of a sudden…

Issue Fifty One Publishing Guides Special Feature

8 Tips for Navigating Assisted Publishing

Standing before the publishing crossroads, at the completion of an edited manuscript, we are faced with two options: traditional or self publishing. The problem is each choice then leads to more paths that only distort what we thought was a clear choice. Suddenly small publishers, micro-publishers, printing presses, vanity presses, DIY options (bulk printing or…

Issue Fifty Publishing Guides Self Publishing Special Feature

Under the Covers: advice about cover art for self-publishers

You know those designer beds in department stores all decked out with multi-layered sheets, patterned duvets, and heaps of pillows – don’t you want to just dive in and snuggle down? It’s the same way with books. What makes readers want to dive under the covers with you is a visual promise, an enticement that…

Issue Forty Nine Publishing Guides Self Publishing