Updated October 9th 2023, They are currently open only to agented submissions. I’m not sure if this is a permanent change or a temporary one.
Cleis Press is the largest independent sexuality publishing company in the United States, and they focus on LGBTQ, BDSM, romance, and erotic writing for all sexual preferences.
They publish LGBTQ+ nonfiction as well as nonfiction on the topic of sex and sexuality, including self-help, sexual guides, LGBTQ+ and/or women’s studies, feminism, dating and relationships, sexual health, and memoir.
They also publish erotic fiction. You can see their complete back catalogue here. Their covers run the gamut from good to genre appropriate, to amateurish.
They have detailed and specific submission guidelines that you must follow in order to submit. You can read them here. If you have not heard from them 10 weeks after submitting, assume rejection. All submissions must be made via email.
I originally published this review when Absolute Writes was down, but it is now back up, and it’s clear Cleis has had serious issues in the past, and as of 2018, did not have an ideal contract. To learn more go here.
To get a feel for what they are releasing right now, go here.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2021 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.
