There are a lot of publishers out there and it can be overwhelming to find the right ones. We help authors by reviewing one publisher a week. Some of these reviews are glowing, others are deservedly mixed.
Below are the top publishers that we have reviewed in 2015. All of these publishers are open to pitch or manuscript submissions from authors without an agent or previous publishing experience. Not all are open to manuscripts or pitches at this time, but many are. We reviewed so many good publishers this year that it was hard to whittle the list down to just twelve publishers.
There are reviews of some great publishers forthcoming in the next few weeks, so subscribers should keep their eyes peeled.
The list is in no particular order.
1. Evernight
Evernight is an ebook publisher of romance and erotica novels. They also publish print versions of some books. They publish a lot of books and have a relatively high acceptance rate. However most authors that are published by them seem to have had an overall good experience. A number of the books they have published have been on the Amazon Bestseller list. To learn more read our full review here.
2. Black & White Publishing
Black & White Publishing was founded in 1995 and is now one of the largest Scottish publishers. They currently have over 200 books in print. They are based in Scotland but they are open to publishing work by authors of any nationality or current geographic location. To learn more read our full review here.
3. Black Inc.
Black Inc. Books is a respected independent publisher based out of Australia. Their books are distributed through Penguin Australia. Even though they are based in Australia, they publish authors from all over the world. To learn more read our full review here.
4. Avon Impulse
Avon Romance is a romance imprint of HarperCollins. Avon Impulse is their digital first imprint and they publish primarily new authors because of this. If your book does well in terms of digital sales and it is over 25,000 words in length it will receive a print run and receive good distribution. Books that receive a print run are officially published by Avon Romance for the print edition (and not Impulse). To learn more read our full review here.
5. Hard Case Crime
Hard Case Crime is a well respected and established niche publisher of hard boiled crime novels. The publisher has been featured in a number of respected publications including Time Magazine and The Stranger. To learn more read our full review here.
6. Pajama Press
Pajama Press is a publisher of books for children and young adults. They focus on publishing literary works. They publish books that fall into a wide range of categories including: picture books, board books for the very young, middle-grade novels, young adult novels, and non-fiction for all juvenile categories. To learn more read our full review here.
7. Crimson Romance
Crimson Romance is an imprint of Adams Media, a large established publisher. Crimson Romance is a digital-first romance line that is open to submissions in five popular subgenres: romantic suspense, contemporary, paranormal, historical, and spicy romance. They recently started accepting LGBTQIA+ adult romances that feature a strong emotional/romantic journey between two partners. Romances where both partners are male are particularly encouraged. To learn more read our full review here.
8. The Poisoned Pencil
Their editor Ellen Larson has over 25 years of experience. They publish traditional and cross genre mysteries aimed at young adults. They publish print and eBook editions. They are able to offer their authors a $1,000 advance. They encourage teen authors to submit.To learn more read our full review here.
9. Peachtree Publishers
Peachtree Publishers is a well respected independent publisher with good distribution. They are based out of Atlanta Georgia and they specialize in publishing children’s books, young adult books, self help titles for parents and educators and guides to the American south. They also publish books on gardening and cookbooks, but usually only with a southern focus. To learn more read our full review here.
10. Witness Impulse
WITNESS Impulse is a digital first imprint of Harper Collins. They publish a wide variety of mystery novels, including digital editions by some of the most famous mystery writers of all time, including my personal favorite Agatha Christie. However, they also publish new and emerging authors. It is important to note that usually publish print editions of their books. However they always publish the digital version first. To learn more read our full review here.
11. Bloomsbury Spark
Bloomsbury Spark is a digital imprint of the large established publisher Bloomsbury. Bloomsbury UK was responsible for publishing Harry Potter. Bloomsbury US has also published many bestsellers both in terms of fiction and non-fiction. However Bloomsbury US does not accept unsolicited submissions from authors. Bloomsbury Spark does. To learn more read our full review here.
12. DAW
DAW is an imprint of Penguin that is open to manuscript submissions from authors without an agent. This is unusual and a great opportunity. DAW is a highly respected publisher of Science Fiction and Fantasy. DAW has published authors such as Marion Zimmer Bradley and Roger Zelazny. DAW has published many bestselling books and they have published Hugo award winning books. So they are respected and popular. To learn more read our full review here.
