Last Updated October 2023
Chicago Review Press was founded over 40 years ago. They are an established independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction and memoir. They also publish books for children (but not picture books). They are only open to non-fiction in terms of unsolicited submissions.
They were founded by Curt Matthews and his wife, Linda Matthews. Curt was the former editor of the literary journal the Chicago Review.
What was once a basement operation is now large and established. They publish about 60 books a year under a number of imprints. They employ a number of publicists as well as editors.
They publish print and electronic editions of all of their books. Their website is easy to navigate. Their books have good distribution, which is not surprising because they own the distribution company.
Their submission guidelines are both very extensive and very helpful. They go into details about how their publicists work. What their authors are expected to do, and what they are not. They also have information about their various editors. They are very specific about what they are interested in. You can read their submission information here. Please review it carefully before submitting.
They are currently seeking the following categories of nonfiction:
- music, film, pop culture
- history
- feminism
- LGBTQ+ interest
- true crime
- outdoor and nature
- African American history and the Black experience
- parenting
- children’s and YA history, science, literature, and art
They stress the submission of a very specific proposal instead of a query. They outline what the proposal must contain on their site.
It is very helpful to visit their website and browse the books that they have previously published. You can visit their website here.
