Plumleaf Press is a small press based in Oakville, Ontario. They started publishing work in 2015. Their books are represented by Ampersand Inc, and are distributed by the University of Toronto Press, which is good. They were founded by editor Maggie Goh. This is how she describes the name: “The name Plumleaf Press combines my father’s surname, Lee (李), which means plum, and my mother’s surname, Ye ( 葉), which means leaf. In Chinese tradition, the plum, which blossoms even in the deepest winter, is a symbol of tenacity and integrity. A green leaf signals renewal and hope.”
She says she created Plumleaf Press in order to publish “books to linger over”. You can get an impression of what she means by that by spending time with Plumleaf’s catalog here. Their covers are generally good and genre-appropriate.
The website is generally well designed and organized, although I found their submission guidelines to be poorly presented, as it is rather hard to read them. They are presented in a small font, and enlarging the font only makes the text blurry. They say on their website that “they will consider all manuscripts but we particularly welcome books geared towards women and children”. They go on to say, “We are interested in all genres, including poetry, literary fiction, and nonfiction and cookbooks”. They do have a history of publishing all the genres listed there although most of what they have published is children’s books, reprints of classic titles, and cookbooks. One of their biggest hits was Twelve in a Race, which received a lot of publicity.
They also stress that they want to encourage submissions from authors from historically underrepresented communities.
They are asking that the following material be included in the proposals they receive:
1. A brief overview of the work (including a working title, subtitle; author bio and credentials; category of book
2. Proposed table of contents and sample chapter(s)
3. Intended audience (demographic; why this book will appeal)
4. Market analysis (exiting market; gaps in existing market that your book will fill)
Submissions can be shared via email or via post.
If you have not heard from them after six months, assume rejection. If you are not comfortable with that, do not submit.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2026 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.
