Are you looking for a list of book publishers that don’t require a literary agent?
If so, the following collection of book publishers has been put together especially for you.
1. Persea Books
Persea Books is an independent publisher based in New York. Since their establishment in 1975, they have published hundreds of books spanning a wide range of genres and subjects, including fiction, memoirs, poetry, biography, and more. Their list features the works of Meg Kearney, Carl Friedman, Laura Riding, Randall Mann, and Marie Raphael, among others. They have also published several literary anthologies, such as America Street, Imagining America, The Resilient Writer: Tales of Rejection and Triumph, and Of Leaf and Flower: Stories and Poems for Gardeners.
Persea Books welcomes submissions from authors of fiction and non-fiction. They are interested in novels, young adult fiction, short story collections, essays, memoirs, creative non-fiction, biography, books on contemporary social issues, and literary criticism. Should you be interested in submitting your work to Persea Books, you can check out their submission guidelines here.
2. Chicago Review Press
Founded in 1973, Chicago Review Press is an independent publishing company that publishes an average of 60 new books each year. They specialize in general non-fiction on various subjects, such as history, popular science, film, travel, and music. They also have five other imprints, each with its own publishing scope. Lawrence Hill Books specializes in non-fiction of African American interest, Zephyr Press focuses on development books for educators, Ball Publishing mainly publishes books on gardening, Parenting Press specializes in informative books about childcare, and Academy Chicago publishes memoirs, mysteries, and non-fiction.
If you are interested in getting published by Chicago Review Press, you can send them a proposal via email. For more information on what kind of books they are interested in and what to include in your proposal, you can check out their submission guidelines here. For general inquiries, you can reach Chicago Review Press through their online contact form.
3. Chronicle Books
Based in San Francisco, Chronicle Books is an independent publisher that has been around since 1967. They publish fiction and non-fiction books on various topics, including humor, art and design, food and drink, health and wellness, pop culture, fashion, parenting, music, children’s books, and more. They also produce stationery, games, and gift items. Chronicle Books welcomes unsolicited submissions of children’s books and adult trade books.
Children’s book submissions must be sent by mail, while digital submissions are preferred for adult trade books. For more information about what your proposal should include, you can check out Chronicle Books’ submission guidelines here. Due to the volume of submissions they receive, they are only able to respond to queries they are interested in. If you have any additional questions or concerns, you can get in touch with the Chronicle Books team via email.
4. Page Street Publishing
Located just outside of Boston, Page Street Publishing has been in business since 2012. Although they are most known for publishing adult non-fiction, they have recently begun publishing young adult fiction and children’s books. Around 120 new titles are added to their list each year. Page Street specializes in books on cooking, crafts, interior design, and other lifestyle topics. In addition to publishing high-quality books, Page Street also takes pride in supporting environmental causes. They only partner with sustainable paper vendors, and the inks they use are soy based and environmentally friendly.
If you wish to submit your work for Page Street’s consideration, you can send them a proposal using the guidelines outlined here. Both agented and unagented submissions are welcome. Should you have any additional questions, you can reach Page Street Publishing through their online contact form.
5. Holiday House
Founded in 1935, Holiday House is considered the first publishing company in the US to exclusively publish children’s books. They have published many bestselling and award-winning books for children and teens, including Before She Was a Harriet by Lisa Cline-Ransome, Fish Had a Wish by Michael Garland, Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman, and Freaky Fast Frankie Joe by Lutricia Clifton.
Holiday House welcomes unsolicited submissions from authors. They are only interested in children’s books, from picture books for beginning readers to fiction and non-fiction for teens. If you are interested in submitting, you can send them your full manuscript by mail or email. Check out their submission guidelines for more information. For general inquiries, you can send Holiday House an email.
6. Regal House Publishing
Founded by Jaynie Royal in 2014, Regal House Publishing is a traditional independent publisher based in North Carolina. They specialize in literary fiction, contemporary fiction, and historical fiction. An author herself, Jaynie founded the company to provide other authors with a friendlier and less arduous publishing experience. As such, Regal House has an open submission policy that doesn’t require a literary agent. They have two other imprints: Pact Press, which specializes in books that promote acceptance, diversity, and inclusion, and Fitzroy Books, which focuses on fiction for middle grade and young adult readers.
If you are interested in working with Regal House Publishing, you can check out their submission guidelines here. You can also contact them via email for any other inquiries.
7. Platypus Press
Based in England, Platypus Press is an independent publisher that specializes in fiction, narrative non-fiction, and poetry. Founded in 2015, the press is still quite young, but they have already accomplished great things. Some of the books they have published over the years include Hijito by Carlos Andres Gomez, Loneliness is the Machine that Drives the World by Grant Tarbard, and Malak by Jenny Sadre-Orafai. They have also published several anthologies.
Platypus Press welcomes author submissions of poetry, fiction, and narrative non-fiction. Poetry manuscripts must be at least 40 pages long, while fiction and non-fiction manuscripts must be at least 25,000 words. For more information on submitting your manuscript to Platypus Press, check out their submission guidelines here. For general inquiries, you can get in touch with them via email.
8. Seren Books
Founded in 1981, Seren Books is an independent literary publisher headquartered in Wales. They publish fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, and many of their books have been shortlisted for and have won major literary awards in both the UK and abroad. Their bestselling titles include Sarah Philpott’s The Occasional Vegan, John Tulloch’s Larkinland, Emily Blewitt’s This Is Not a Rescue, Kim Moore’s The Art of Falling, and Claire Williamson’s Visiting the Minotaur, among others.
Seren Books welcomes submissions from authors of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. If you are interested in submitting your work, make sure you check out the guidelines stated here. Should you have any additional questions, you can reach Seren Books through the contact form on their website.
9. Hurst Publishers
Headquartered in Central London, Hurst Publishers is an independent non-fiction publisher that was established in 1969. They publish an average of 90 books each year, specializing in history, politics, war and conflict studies, African studies, Islam and Middle Eastern studies, and South Asian studies. They also publish books on other topics, such as cooking, sports, art, and more. Their most recent releases include John Hemming’s People of the Rainforest, Roger Faligot’s Chinese Spies, and Dan Jackson’s Northumbrians.
Hurst Publishers accepts non-fiction submissions directly from authors. Submissions must be sent to them via email, and all submissions must include a 1,500-word synopsis, your publication credits and curriculum vitae, information on competing works, and a table of contents. Get more information by checking out their submission guidelines here. If you have any other questions, you can contact Hurst Publishers here.
10. Joffe Books
Also based in London, Joffe Books is a leading independent publisher specializing in original fiction—particularly crime fiction, mysteries, and thrillers. Many of the authors they have worked with have become bestsellers, including Taylor Adams, Helen H. Durrant, Joy Ellis, Faith Martin, Janice Frost, Stewart Giles, and T.J. Brearton. Joffe Books always welcomes submissions, and both new and published authors are encouraged to submit.
Should you wish to submit your work, you can email them your full manuscript along with a short synopsis. At the moment, they are most interested in the following genres: crime fiction, mysteries, suspense, detective thrillers, and psychological thrillers. For more information, take a look at their submission guidelines here.
11. Arsenal Pulp Press
Arsenal Pulp Press is a Canadian book publisher located in Vancouver. They specialize in publishing fiction and non-fiction books on a range of topics, including gender studies, LGBTQ literature, social issues, cookbooks, graphic novels, visual arts, and books in translation. They typically publish between 14 and 20 new titles each year, and their books are distributed in Canada, the US, Australia, Great Britain, and Europe.
Arsenal Pulp welcomes submissions from authors without agents. Right now, they are particularly interested in manuscripts in the following areas: cultural studies, LGBTQ fiction and non-fiction, political studies, cookbooks and craft books, young adult and children’s literature, health, visual arts, and regional non-fiction. Prospective authors can check out their submission guidelines for more information. For general inquiries, feel free to contact Arsenal Pulp.
12. ECW Press
ECW Press is a Toronto-based independent publisher. Since their establishment in 1974, they have published around a thousand books, including fiction, poetry, sports books, travel guides, pop culture books, biographies, and more. Some of the authors they have worked with include Maude Barlow, Shawn Hitchins, Gillian Sze, B. Denham Jolly, and Jen Sookfong Lee, among others. ECW welcomes unagented submissions from authors.
If you are interested in working with ECW Press, you can check out their website to see the kinds of books they usually publish. For poetry and fiction, ECW only accepts submissions from Canadian authors, but there aren’t any citizenship requirements for non-fiction submissions. You can find more information about their submission guidelines here. Should you have other questions, you can contact ECW Press via email.
13. Nimbus Publishing
Founded in 1978, Nimbus Publishing is another Canadian publisher. They publish an average of 50 new books each year across various genres and topics, including children’s books, literary non-fiction, history, current events, sports, biography, photography, cultural issues, and more. They also publish high-quality books on Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. They also have a fiction imprint, Vagrant Press. They do not publish self-help books, poetry, erotica, drama, philosophy books, or books on religion.
Nimbus Publishing welcomes unagented submissions. If you are interested, you can take a look at their submission guidelines here. Submissions must include a description of your book, the first three chapters, and a detailed table of contents. If you have any additional questions, you can reach Nimbus Publishing through the contact form on their website.
14. Penguin Random House Australia
Penguin Random House Australia is the Australian home of one of the world’s leading publishers. They publish fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. Unlike their US counterpart, Penguin Random House Australia welcomes submissions from unagented authors from Australia and New Zealand.
For adult fiction and non-fiction, submissions are open during the first week of each month. For children’s books, submissions are open from February to November. All submissions must be sent via email. To learn more about submitting your work to Penguin Random House Australia, you can check out their submission guidelines here. For general inquiries, you can contact them via email.
15. Text Publishing
Based in Melbourne, Text Publishing is an independent publisher specializing in commercial and literary fiction and non-fiction. They have won the ABIA Small Publisher of the Year award three times, and they were awarded the Leading Edge Books Small Publisher of the Year in 2018. Some of their most recent releases include Peter Temple’s The Red Hand, Jesse Ball’s The Divers’ Game, Mary Costello’s The River Capture, and Vikki Wakefield’s This Is How We Change the Ending.
Text Publishing accepts submissions from authors without agents. All submissions must be sent by mail. Digital submissions will not be accepted. Submissions must include three sample chapters along with a one-page synopsis. For more detailed information, you can check out their submission guidelines here. You can also get in touch with them through their online inquiry form.
Do you know of any other book publishers that don’t require a literary agent? Please tell us about them in the comments box below.
Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of Writing Tips Oasis.