Update August 2023: They did not reopen to submissions in April as expected.
They publish poetry, short stories, novellas, novels, plays, and works of creative nonfiction. They are a small press. They were founded in 2008 but initially, the founding editors Neal and Betsy Delmonico mostly published family and friends. Publications were sporadic. That shifted in 2017, and since then they’ve been progressively publishing more work.
At the top of the submissions page, the date is 2016 which was when the page was first established, but it has been updated since then. They re-opened to submissions recently (the scheduled date was October 18th, but the actual opening was delayed by two weeks).
I find their website hard to navigate, and I wasn’t able to find that much about their company elsewhere online. Their distribution is through Ingram, which is not a particularly good sign (it means brick and mortar bookstores could order it for a customer directly, but are unlikely to do so for the shelves).
One of the poetry books they published in 2019 was recommended by Ms. Magazine. They mention that one of their 2020 books, The Shadows of 1915, was liked by NPR’s Fresh Air, but this was in fact three sponsored spots.
They ask that you submit a query letter and a sample. They don’t mention any strict limits in terms of the sample.
This is what they have to say about marketing —
“You should know that we are a small press with a very small promotional budget. We send out 10-15 copies with press releases to various newspapers, journals, and magazines for review; we get the book into our distributor’s catalogue, and maintain a web presence. But we depend on the authors to do any further PR. Several have done amazing jobs in promoting their work, organizing readings and signing events at their local libraries or bookstores, reading their works on radio shows or at other public events, getting their works reviewed in local papers or literary journals. Authors do get 20 free copies to use for promotion or to show or just give to friends.”
They also have an unusual royalties system, and one I’m not entirely comfortable with. But they are up front about it, which is a good sign. According to their website they only start paying royalties once the “distribution threshold” has met — which is to say after they’ve sold 200 copies in most cases (including eBooks).
Royalties start at 25%, but books with higher sales numbers increase royalty percentages. They don’t specify if it’s of gross or net (gross is always preferable).
Please only submit if you feel like your work fits within the parameters of their current catalogue, and follow their submission guidelines carefully.
To learn more or to submit, go here.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2020 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.
