5 Indie Publishers Accepting Unsolicited Submissions… FOR FREE!
- Brev
- Jul 27, 2022
- 2 min read
Congratulations you did it. You wrote your story, edited it, received painful critique, edited again cried multiple times, and poured your blood, sweat, and tears into your manuscript. Now, it’s ready to be sent out into the world!
Now what?
Normally, a potential writer such as yourself would need to be solicited in order to submit to a publishing house. This means that either 1) you’re already so well-known that the publishing house has requested you write something for them or 2) a literary agent pitched your manuscript to a publisher and they agree to receive it.
However, this route isn’t for everyone. Some authors don’t want to share their advances or royalties— which a literary agent will inevitably take a percentage of. Another alternative is self-publishing. However, this option can be very costly. It is also very difficult because self-published authors must do everything themselves from creating cover art to marketing.
Thankfully, there are many small presses (i.e. indie publishing houses) who are more than willing to read your manuscript through unsolicited submissions. We’ve compiled 5 publishing houses that not only accept unsolicited manuscripts but will also read them for free!
Reading Period: Jun 1 to Sep 30 Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Translation Book Types: Chapbook, Novella, Short story collections, Essay collections, Novel, Memoir, Poetry collections Formats: Paperback, Hardcover, E-book
Chin Music Press is looking for new voices, especially from those who are BIPOC and LGBTQIA. Submissions should be in Word or PDF format.
Reading Period: Apr 15 to Aug 30 Genres: Poetry, Fiction Book Types: Short story collections, Novel, Poetry collections Formats: : Paperback, Hardcover, E-book
The Golden Antelope Press is a small company that has published over 70 books. Their distributor, Ingram Content Group allows for your e-books to available around the world in no time. For those seeking to publish hard copies, Golden Antelope Press send 10-15 copies with press releases to various newspapers, journals, and magazines for review, however most PR will have to be done by the author. Authors will receive 20 free copies of their book. Royalties start at 30% of "publishers compensation," but if book sales reach higher numbers royalty percentage increases to 40-50%.
Reading Period: Jul 1 to Jan 1 Genres: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction Book Types: Novel, Memoir Format: Paperback, E-book
K+p press is a small press founded in 2020. Prospective writers should submit a 1 page query letter as well as the first 25 pages of manuscript. They publish 1-5 titles a year.
Reading Period: Oct 1 to Oct 31 Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Red Bird Chapbooks will be opening their submissions this fall. Their reporting time is around 3-6 months and seem to emphasize new writers. Make sure to follow their submission guidelines posted on their website.
Reading Period: Jun 27 to Dec 31 Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction Book Types: Chapbook, Novella, Short story collections, Essay collections, Novel, Memoir, Poetry collections Formats: Paperback
Thirty West Publishing House is currently accepting manuscripts from now till the end of the year. Their reporting time is less than 3 months-- quite impressive. They publish about 6-10 titles a year and are open to a multitude of genres, themes, and writing styles.
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