11 Literary Fiction Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts
Here are eleven publishers looking for literary fiction — no agent needed. Make sure to read the submission requirements on the publishers’ websites before submitting. (Submission guidelines for publishing houses are not the same as queries to agents.)
The difference between commercial and literary fiction can be subtle. In general, commercial fiction is formulaic, whereas literary fiction tends to experiment with form and style. Commercial fiction falls into genres — science fiction, chick lit, romance, etc. — whereas literary fiction may cross or blend genres, or depart from them entirely. Literary fiction also places greater value on the craft of writing, which is not to say that genre fiction can’t be well written, but in the case of literary fiction, the writing is front and center.
NOTE: You can find more than 150 publishers accepting unagented submissions — broken down by genre — here: Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts
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8th House Publishing
8th House Publishing is a small company based in Montreal and New York. They publish poetry, literary novels, philosophy, and other “earnest work.” Their list consists of 34 books by 26 authors.
Submissions: “What we like at 8th House: modern, radical, enduring, insightful, inventive… Whether it’s an essay, a philosophy tract, or a novel, a book of verse.” Send a sample of your work (2 or 3 chapters and a full table of contents) along with a query letter to : submissions@8thHousePublishing.com
Academy Chicago Publishers
Academy Chicago Publishers is a trade book publisher founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1975 by Anita and Jordan Miller. It was purchased by Chicago Review Press in 2014. Its titles have been released around the world and translated into more than a dozen languages. They do not publish fantasy, sci-fi, short stories, novellas, or YA fiction.
Submissions: ACP requires a proposal for fiction submissions. (See site for details.) Fiction proposals are considered on a quarterly basis — March, June, September, and December. Response time is the last day of the quarter.
BlazeVOX
BlazeVOX is an independent publisher based in Buffalo, New York in 2000. Blaze has published more than 350 books of poetry and prose, most of which fall within the sphere of avant-garde literature. BlazeVOX aims to “disseminate poetry, through print and digital media, both within academic spheres and to society at large,” and to “push at the frontiers of what is possible.” They publish works “regardless of commercial viability.”
Submissions: Send the manuscript to editor@blazevox.org as an attachment in either a Microsoft Word doc, RTF, or even a PDF is fine. Blaze does not pay advances or arrange for book tours. Authors should be prepared to do marketing. Royalties are 10%.
Cedar Fort
Cedar Fort is an established house that publishes over 120 books a year. Their books are available nationally through major distribution companies including Ingram Content Group, Baker & Taylor, and ReaderLink as well as through major retail corporations like Deseret Book, Seagull Book, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sam’s Club, and Indigo in Canada. Cedar Fort is active in selling foreign language rights, and they attend the Frankfurt Book Fair every year to present their frontlist titles internationally.
Submissions: Cedar Fort accepts all manuscript submissions through Submittable. “Your submission is reviewed not just for its content, but as a business venture to which the publisher contributes significant capital investment. Your ability to actively support the promotion of your work and brand in the market is an important consideration during the process. Please include any audience or following you have built for your name or brand and on what platforms, if applicable.”
City Lights Publishers
City Lights Publishers has launched several famous poets, including Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg, but this press also specializes in “cutting edge” literary fiction and nonfiction. City Lights publishes 12 books a year and has over 200 books in print. They do not publish children’s literature or genre works such as romance, westerns, or science fiction.
Submissions: Submit a proposal only via snail mail. (See details on the site.)
Manic D Press
Manic D Press is an American literary press based in San Francisco, California publishing fiction novels and short stories, poetry, and graphic novels. It was founded by Jennifer Joseph in 1984 as an alternative outlet for young writers seeking to bring their work into print. Manic D Press books are distributed throughout the US by Consortium, Last Gasp, and wholesalers including Ingram and Baker & Taylor; in the UK and EU by Turnaround PSL; in Canada by Publishers Group Canada; and throughout the world by Perseus.
How to submit: Email submissions are preferred. Printed manuscripts are read twice a year, during the months of January and July ONLY. Simultaneous submissions are allowed, just let them know if your work has been accepted elsewhere or if (and where) it has been previously published. Read full guidelines HERE.
Mid-List Press
Mid-List Press publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books by new and emerging writers and by writers ignored, marginalized, or excluded from publication by commercial publishers. Mid-List is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit literary organization.
How to submit: Query first by regular mail with a few representative poems. They do not accept emailed or faxed queries. Read full guidelines HERE.
Milkweed Editions
Milkweed Editions is one of the nation’s leading independent, nonprofit literary publishers. Publishing fifteen to twenty books each year, they have some three hundred titles in print, and nearly four million copies of their books in circulation. Genres: Fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry collections. They do not publish romance, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, crime, or westerns.
Submissions: Milkweed Editions accepts unsolicited manuscripts from authors of all backgrounds, Submissions that do not initially meet the guidelines will not be considered. Please submit a query letter with three opening chapters (of a novel) or three representative stories (of a collection). Milkweed has one open submission period a year. (Last year it was in May.) Please read full guidelines here.
Persea Books
Persea Books is an independent, literary publishing house founded in 1975 by Michael Braziller and Karen Braziller, who still own and direct the company. Genres: Poetry, fiction, essays, memoir, biography, titles of Jewish and Middle Eastern interest, women’s studies, American Indian folklore, and YA. Response time: Eight weeks for proposals and 12 weeks for requested manuscript. Submissions: Queries should include a cover letter, author background and publication history, a synopsis of the proposed work, and a sample chapter. Send queries and manuscripts to info@perseabooks.com or to the appropriate editor (Fiction or Nonfiction), Persea Books, 277 Broadway, Suite 708, New York, NY 10007.
Submissions: Read their submission guidelines here.
Red Hen Press
Red Hen Press is an independent, non-profit press that publishes about twenty books of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry every year. “We’re looking for novels, memoir, creative nonfiction, hybrid works, and story, essay, and poetry collections of exceptional literary merit that demonstrate a high level of mastery.”
How to submit: Submissions can be made via snail mail or online through submittable ($20 charge). Read full guidelines HERE.
Seven Stories Press
Seven Stories Press publishes “uncompromising” political books, fiction, and poetry. The press is named after the first seven authors to publish with Seven Stories: Octavia E. Butler, Annie Ernaux, Gary Null, Project Censored, Charley Rosen, Vassilis Vassilikos, and the estate of Nelson Algren. They publish in English, in Spanish, in hardcover, and paperback, usually with simultaneous e-book editions in all major e-formats, books as long as 1,500 pages, and pamphlets or children’s books as short as 28 pages, for adults, for young adults and for children.
Submissions: Manuscript submissions, accompanied by a cover letter and two sample chapters only, with a SASE or postcard for reply, to:
Acquisitions Seven Stories Press
140 Watts Street
New York, NY 10013
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