Are you an author who wants to get your book published by one of the book publishers in Kansas City?
Below we’ve featured 5 book publishing companies in Kansas City and have summarized their publishing activities.
1. Flying Ketchup Press
Flying Ketchup Press is a recent creation within the writing community, as it was founded in 2018 by Polly Alice McCann. Their main purpose is that of discovering and encouraging the talent of future and already existing authors, whether their passion lies in written or in illustrated work. Similarly, they also try to offer their readers the possibility of enjoying high-quality stories, which could temporarily help them disconnect from the real world.
To motivate writers, Flying Ketchup Press has been organizing several short story contests, about which you can find out more here. They also allow the audience to discover their published authors by displaying their photos and descriptions on the website. This is available for their illustrators as well.
Their main focus consists of literature, children’s books, poetry, along with fine arts materials. In terms of genres, fiction, non-fiction, and drama are mentioned – however, it’s good to keep in mind that, at the moment, they place a higher importance on short stories.
Although their Submission section has not been updated yet, you can contact them through the Get in Touch option in the top right part of the website, or you can find them on their main social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter).
2. 39 West Press
A Kansas City-based book publishing company, 39 West Press’s main aim is that of producing work which reflects critical thinking and constructive discourse on important U.S. problems. These problems are of a political, cultural, economic, and social nature.
This press places great importance on making the voices of underrepresented groups heard – this includes people with disabilities, people who don’t fit the gender binary standards, ethnic and cultural minorities, LGBT+ members, people of color, and others. Thus, they promote solidarity and unity, acknowledging the possibility of creating something on a large scale by distributing the works of talented authors.
The book genres they publish are literary fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and art. These are reflected in their already published books, which you can find here. They also feature the profiles of their authors on the website.
Although they don’t accept manuscripts at the moment, you can submit them every year from the 1st of January to March 30th. For more information, you can read their Submission Guidelines.
3. Miraclaire Publishing
Founded in 2007, this publishing company has three main values for which it stands when it comes to books: durability, availability and affordability. They have partnerships with several marketing and distribution agencies, thus offering their authors the possibility of reaching a wider audience. They offer professional services in all publishing domains, ensuring the best version of their publications.
If you write scholarly, creative, or educational books, this is one of the most suitable publishing companies you can find in Kansas City. Their categories include cultural studies, criticism, poetry, leadership, politics, religion, romance, short stories, humor, journalism, history, and a few others.
You can learn more about the services they provide here. Also, since royalties differ from one company to another, you may want to read about them as well. You also have the possibility to ask additional questions using the address they provide at the end of the section. Even so, keep in mind that your benefits are also mentioned on their website.
If you decide to give it a try, they are currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts, so feel free to consult their Submission section. The preferred format for the manuscripts is Font Size 12, Times New Roman, and 1.5/double spacing on an A4 white paper. Margins should be 1 inch on all sides.
4. New Letters & BkMk Press
Founded in 1971 by Dan Jaffe, BkMk Press only published chapbooks in the beginning. However, after producing their first full-length poetry collection in 1975, their focus turned towards poetry, creative essays, and short stories. So far, they have published an international series, including “Wild Bouquet”, the “Target” series, and anthologies.
Their goal is simple – to find and promote fine literary writing, being able to distribute it worldwide.
Although they will not be accepting new manuscripts during the 2019 open reading period, you can find updates here. If you’re not interested in publishing your work with them, this could still be an opportunity to make use of it, as they have a submission deadline on January 15th, 2020 for their contests, respectively the “G.S. Sharat Chandra Prize for Short Stories” and the “John Ciardi Prize for Poetry”.
The New Letters magazine started publishing in 1934, thus having considerable experience in the domain. Because of this, they managed to maintain their place among the top literary journals in the U.S., having published the works of several award-winning authors. Among them we can name Carl Dennis, a Pulitzer Prize winner whose poem has been chosen for “The Best American Poetry” 2019 as well.
Famous other writers that have been published by New Letters are J. D. Salinger, William Gas, E. E. Cummings, and Sherman Alexie. Their goal is similar to that of BkMk Press, respectively the discovery and distribution of the works created by aspiring or accomplished authors.
They will not be accepting submissions until the 15th of September 2019. However, if you are interested in collaborating with them, you can check their Submission Guidelines here.
5. Andrews McMeel Publishing
Andrews McMeel Universal is a Kansas City-based corporation founded by Jim Andrews and John McMeel in 1970. In 1973, they created Andrews McMeel Publishing, a subdivision which produces books and calendars.
Their main categories are comics & humor, cooking, food & drink, life & style, poetry, and a few others which you can find on their website. Due to the fact that all of these categories are divided into several subcategories, you should consult the book section before making a decision, in order to see if your work fits their interests.
If it does, you can send your submission either directly or through a literary agent. Either way, their Submission Guidelines are available here.
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