Toplight Books is an imprint of McFarland & Company Inc. The books Toplight publishes focus on “helping readers improve their understanding of the body, mind and spirit. Toplight’s interests include uplifting and positive books about psychology and mindfulness, religious studies and spirituality, coping with chronic pain and chronic stress, and alternative health treatments, among other topics. We strive to offer a wide array of well-researched, original and inspiring books that explore both personal and planetary well-being. Toplight’s authors, through their ideas and writing, seek to make a difference in lives and communities (and even the world).”
You can see what work the imprint publishes here.
To submit, use the email address they provide, and make it clear that it is focused on executive editor Lisa Camp’s attention (the same editor of their other imprint Exposit), per their instructions near the top of this page.
The rest of their author resources are here, alongside McFarland’s general guidelines and the guidelines for their other imprint.
You can see their sample contact for “most” Toplight Books here. There are still potential issues with this contract, but the royalty rate appears to be more favourable at Toplight than at the main McFarland & Company imprint. They indicate on the page linked to above, that they can sometimes be open to contract negotiation, which their main imprint is not. They are not open to offering advances for any imprint.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2025 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.
