This list focuses on ten publishers that we are excited about that are open to submissions this month. Some are only open for a short period of time, others will be open the whole month and beyond. At least four of these are presses we have not covered previously.

Please note that if a publisher doesn’t have a specific submission window they can close at any time, and publishers that use Submittable can close at any point because of submission caps (although these publishers generally reopen to submissions at the end of the month).

If a publisher has closed to submissions unexpectedly, please send us an email at support@authorspublish.com.

Please read the full review, which we link to in the publish name, and carefully consider fit before submitting work. I can not stress enough that you should only submit to presses that are a good fit for your work, and that you should carefully read and follow submissions guidelines before submitting that work. Over the past year we had several presses ask to be de-listed because they were deluged by submissions, even after moving to this format. Still more presses have had to temporarily close to submissions because of an influx of inappropriate submissions.

The Quarto Publishing Group
The Quarto Publishing Group is an international publishing house known for its illustrated books. They publish most of their work through a number of niche imprints each with their own focus. All of their US imprints are distributed by Hachette.

Michael O’Mara Books
Michael O’Mara Books (also known as MOM Books) is a UK-based publisher of nonfiction, and publish a wide range of books including history, popular science, language, sport, lifestyle and biography. Outside of traditional books they also publish coloring books, activity and puzzles books, and stationary. You can get a feel for what they publish here.

August Books
August Books is one of the three main imprints of Canelo, a UK  based press that was established in 2015. Their books are well distributed and you can learn more about the company as a whole here. They are only open to non-fiction submissions in the following categories: History, Popular Culture, Popular Science, Health, and True Crime.

Headpress
Headpress was established in 1991 although the publishing arm wasn’t active till 1992, according to their FAQ. Headpress focuses on publishing nonfiction. The subject matter they publish varies widely. They say “When Headpress first started, much of this was considered the counterculture. Now it is pop culture.” They publish work on cult film, strange music, pulp literature, fanzines, conspiracy theories, sex and gender, occult and folklore, true crime, etc. It is still run by one of the three founders, David Kerekes.

Able Muse
Able Muse is a small literary press that has one free reading period every year, from the 1st May through 15th July. They also publish a literary journal, and they host a number of contests every year. They publish poetry and fiction primarily, and they will consider nonfiction as long as you query first. Most of the fiction they publish is short story collections and unlike other small presses, some of what they publish is genre work.

Watertower Hill Publishing
A small press founded in 2020 by Joshua L. Daughrity, who publishes his work under the pen name Joshua Loyd Fox. It started out as a self publishing operation, but expanded from there into anthologies. Watertower Hill held their first open reading period for manuscripts in 2023. They are transparent about how many authors they signed during open reading periods, on their About page. You can see their complete masthead here. Most of the staff have a familial connection and do not appear to have experience outside of the press. They appear to be based in Oklahoma. They are currently open to submissions through August 31st. They are upfront about the fact that the work they are considering now will be scheduled for publication in 2027.

Harlequin Medical Romance
Harlequin Medical Romance is looking to publish manuscripts of 50,000 words set in the medical world. They say they are seeking “Intense, uplifting and relatable romances set in the medical world. Experience the rollercoaster of emotions, ambitions and desires of today’s medical professionals.”

Inkubator Books
This Dublin, Ireland-based press focuses on publishing crime fiction, mystery, and thrillers. They do not publish work outside of this genre, and they do not publish work outside of Amazon. Most of the work they publish do very well on Amazon through Kindle Unlimited. The books they publish are not just available digitally, they also use Amazon to offer print on demand (POD) copies. You can learn more about the company here, and see the masthead here. It’s worth mentioning that one of their directors, Brian Lynch, comes from a background in television. This seems to impact the publishers approach and makes them a little different then a lot of other publishers.

Subtle Body Press 
Subtle Body Press is a small press that publishes a schizo-philosophical / countercultural journal series called Seven Story Hotel and a short fiction focused literary journal called Body Shots, both of which are currently open to submissions. They are also seeking a novella length work of fiction or creative nonfiction to publish this year.

Windhorse Publications
Windhorse Publications is an independent publisher of English-language nonfiction books on Buddhism, meditation and mindfulness. The work they publish is for Buddhist practitioners of all stages as well as for non-Buddhist readership. They also say “We are also interested in books exploring new directions in Buddhist scholarship.”

Also in addition, if you are part of an underrepresented group in the US, Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, is hosting the BOOKS LIKE US First Novel Contest. Their submission period began at midnight Monday, June 30, and end at right before midnight Monday, July 14, 2025. It is only open to works of adult fiction by US authors. The author of the selected novel will be awarded the opportunity to enter into a $50,000 book deal with Avid Reader Press. You can see the official rules here.

For poets of color, who are women, the Blessing of the Boats series from BOA edited by Evie Shockley, is open to submissions of book length manuscripts from the 1st of July through the 1st of August. There is a 1,500 dollar honorarium