Finding a trustworthy publishing house is one of the most challenging parts for new and published authors on their way to success.
Searching for a good, reliable publisher for your next literary fiction book?
Then look no further.
Go through our list of 19 top literary publishers accepting submissions and find the most suitable publisher for your manuscript.
1. Kensington Press
Widely touted as ‘America’s Independent Publisher’, Kensington Press is a leading US-based publisher specializing in both fiction and non-fiction. Based in New York City, the company was established in 1974. Eventually, it turned out to be a multi-generational family business with Steven Zacharius succeeding his father as the CEO and the president of the company. Kensington Press publishes hardcovers, trade paperbacks, mass market books, and digital releases. Currently, they claim to publish more than 500 books in both fiction and non-fiction every year. In literary fiction, some of their best-selling titles include A Fatal Fiction by Kaitlyn Dunnett, Life In Miniature by Linda Schlossberg, and Morning Star by Charlotte Hubbard. Currently, Kensington Press is open to submissions and you can email a brief cover letter and the first chapter of your book to Editorial Director Wendy McCurdy. For more details about the submission process, check out this page.
2. Fairlight Books
Fairlight Books is a publishing house based near Oxford, England. Louise Boland (CEO & founder) started this company in 2017. Their team consists of dynamic and young people who like to celebrate excellence and quality writing. They support new & seasoned authors. This publisher is currently accepting book proposals for novellas and novels. The submission process is simple and you can read the submission guidelines at this page. After that, send your submission to their email address.
3. Red Hen Press
Based in Pasadena, Los Angeles County, Red Hen Press is one of those rare non-profit publishers who want to give new authors a chance. With a history spanning across 25 years, they have already worked with best-selling authors in both fiction and non-fiction. Red Hen Press always strives to discover and publish works of exceptional literary merit. Their fiction titles are therefore bold, unorthodox, and yet, incredibly heart-warming. In literary fiction, some of their best titles include Unseen City by Amy Shearn, Summer of the Cicadas by Chelsea Catherine, and The Likely World by Melanie Conroy Goldman.
Currently, Red Hen Press is seeking general submissions in all genres and you can always drop in your literary fiction title in this category. For details about the submission process, check out this page. Alternatively, you can also participate in the Red Hen Press Fiction Award. This contest has a prize money of $1000 and deadline for the submissions is on September 30, 2020. Check out this page to find out more about the contest. For details about their upcoming open periods, contests, and general submissions procedure, check this link.
4. Fledgling Press
Fledgling Press is an Edinburgh, UK based independent publisher that publishes works by new and emerging authors. The organisation is a member of Publishing Scotland and each year participates in events like The London Book Fair and The Edinburgh International Book Festival.
If you have no publication history and want to make a debut with Fledging Press, you can send a synopsis and the first three chapters of your manuscript to their email address. However, before doing so, ensure you’ve taken a good look at their submission process here. Note that while Fledging Press is not accepting submissions for novels or poetry at the moment, you can reach out to them with your works in literary fiction.
5. Hot Key Books
Based near Wimpole Street, London, Hot Key Books publishes innovative thought-provoking and original literary novels. It is an imprint of a large media group, Bonnier Zaffre. They primarily focus on adult fiction covering topics such as sci-fi, historical romance, etc. You can browse some of their fiction books here.
They have streamlined the submission of manuscripts, thereby making the submission process simple and straightforward. If your literary novel, fiction book, or short stories are awaiting publication, then you can consider this publishing house. Check out their FAQ section for more details about the submission process. Note that while the company does not accept unsolicited submissions, they will consider your proposal for literary fiction when it is represented by a reputed literary agent.
6. Strange Attractor Press
Strange Attractor Press is a London based independent company. It was founded in 2003 by Mark Pilkington and Jamie Sutcliffe. While the company primarily publishes non-fiction titles, they publish some selected works in fiction once in a while. In literary fiction, they are especially interested in science fiction, fantasy, and novels with supernatural elements.
Over the years, they have also published some short fiction anthologies and novels. Strange Attractor Press is more interested in publishing literary fiction work that stands out of the crowd and has a unique theme. In order to learn what kind of books they look for reading, take a look at their submission guidelines before making a submission. After you have read the guidelines, you can send your submissions via Email.
7. C & R Press
Based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, C&R Press has been publishing literary fiction of exceptional merit since 2006. Both the founder and the editors of this publishing house are genuinely fond of books. They have always given new talent a chance and are looking to publish titles that are brave, beautiful, and uncompromising. Some of their recent literary fiction titles include, That Man In Our Lives by Xu Xi, The Unspeakable by Peter Anderson, and Two Californias by Robert Glick. C & R Press is currently open to submissions, and you can send your literary fiction title in their Full Length Open Category. More details about the submission process can be found here. You can also participate in their $1000 Fiction Book Award 2020 contest to publish your fiction book. The contest closes on September 30, 2020 and details about the submission process can be found here.
8. Blaze Vox
Blaze Vox was established in New York in 1999 by Geoffrey Gatza and since then has published 280 poetry and prose books. Their literary niche is contemporary poetry, literary criticism, and innovative fiction. If you are enthusiastic about literary fiction and contemporary poetry and you can produce creative work in one of these genres, feel free to send your work to their Email address. But before sending, take some time to check their previously published fiction books and Guidelines for Submissions.
9. Dzanc Books
Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Dzanc Books was established in 2006 to disseminate works of literary merit and impact communities across the globe. In addition to publishing exceptional novels and poetry, the company continuously promotes literary readership and advocates enriching creative writing workshops. Some of their award-winning literary fiction titles are In Our Midst by Nancy Jensen, Yours, Jean by Lee Martin, and Five Windows by Jon Roemer. Dzanc Books is currently open to literary fiction submissions through their Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction contest. The contest ends on 30 September, 2020 and details about the submission procedure can be found here. Writers from marginalized and diverse communities can also submit in their literary fiction titles to the Dzanc Books Diverse Voices Prize contest, which ends on September 30, 2020, and submission details can be found here.
10. Turner Publishing
With more than 9 imprints, Turner Publishing is a Nashville based publisher of fiction and non-fiction. The company was established in 1984 and over the years they’ve published more than 5,000 titles spanning across multiple categories like literary fiction, commercial fiction, young adult, mystery, romance, cookbooks, health & wellness, animals, designs, and more. In literary fiction, some of their best titles include All the Acorns on the Forest Floor, That Bright Land by Terry Roberts, and In America by Nina Romano. Turner Publishing has an open submission policy and you can email your literary fiction titles to their commissioning editors. More details about the submission policy can be found here.
11. 8th House Publishing
8th House Publishing is a company that publishes diverse titles of fiction, esoterica, philosophy, and earnest works. The company was established in 2008 and currently it is based in Montreal, Canada. They have a team of editors working hard at selecting new submissions and helping new authors. They are accepting the submission of literary novels, philosophical work, and essays.
You can browse their fiction books here. For book proposals, send 2 or 3 chapters and a full table of content to this email address. Don’t forget to read the guidelines before sending your work.
12. Douglas & McIntyre
Canada based Douglas & McIntyre company was launched in 1970 by Jim Douglas and Scot McIntyre. The company has received several awards throughout its long history. In 2003, it received CBA Libris Award for being the “Publisher of the Year”, in 2007 CBA Libris Award for “Marketing Achievement of the Year” and in year 2009 BC Bookseller’s Choice Award in the Honour of Bill Duthie.
They publish a great variety of genres but the priority is given to Canadian writers. They also publish literary fiction. Browse through their fiction books section to know their style and interests. For submissions, you should read their submission guidelines carefully, after that submit your work directly at their Submittable Page. They also accept hard copies that are sent to their Editorial Department via Post.
13. Coach House Books
Coach House Books was founded by Stan Bevington in 1965 and since then the company has won a number of awards for excellent books, illustrations, and design. This Toronto based publishing house publishes numerous books every year in the genres of fiction, poetry, drama film, and select non-fiction.
The submissions are open to literary fiction, creative poetry, and drama. From the hundreds of submissions they receive every year they publish just ten, so before submitting your proposal take some time to check and understand their submission guidelines. They accept only electronic submissions that are sent to this email address. Alternatively, you can also submit your works by filling out this contact form.
14. ECW Press
ECW Press is an independent publisher known for being the most diversified company based in North America. When the company was new, ECW meant Essays on Canadian Writing, but through the years it has changed several times and now ECW stands for Entertainment, Culture, Writing.
ECW Press has published about 1000 books that were translated into different languages. Started in 1974, the company continues to grow every year and next year they are going to publish over 50 titles. Their focus is on literary fiction and poetry, political analysis, pop culture, travel guides, and sports books. Visit their website to check their work in the field of literary fiction.
The submissions are open to a heady combination of literary and commercial works that offer a steady pattern of superiority. It is necessary to take a look at these guidelines before making a submission via email. Make sure your manuscript’s title is in the subject line. Your submission pitch should also contain a brief cover letter, a bio, and a sample of the manuscript (between 15 to 25 pages).
15. Hachette Australia
Hachette Australia is a team of professional authors and enthusiastic readers. The company, with about a century of history, publishes literary fiction and nonfiction but does not accept children’s books, science fiction/fantasy, poetry, cookbooks/recipe books, self-help books, and academic submissions. Apart from editors, Hachette Australia also has marketing and sales teams that work with authors to help them craft high-quality works.
You will notice a huge collection of fiction books on their website. From graphic novels to crime & mystery, they have covered multiple themes to this date. Only authors from Australia and New Zealand can make a proposal. For submissions firstly read these guidelines. You should submit your manuscript only in Word format to their email address. Don’t forget to include a synopsis, your brief biography, previous publishing history, awards, and experience in your cover letter.
16. Black Inc. and Nero Books
Black Inc. and Nero Books is an Australian publisher founded in 2000 that publishes fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. Their interests are books on politics, history, criticism, current affairs, and biography. Apart from publishing, they also offer promoting, packaging and editing services.
They accept books proposals for commercial and literary fiction. Once you have finished writing your manuscript, you need to first send your proposal via Email. Before sending make sure you have checked their submission policy. The subject line of your Email should read “the title of the book: Fiction/Literary.”
17. Hawthorne Books
Hawthorne Books is an independent literary press based out of Portland, Oregon. The company has been operating for more than a decade and during this time they have published both fiction and non-fiction that are moving, beautifully written and inherently surprising. Some of the best literary fiction titles from Hawthorne Books include, Call Me Home: A Novel by Megan Kruse, The Luminist: A Novel by David Rocklin, and Little Green: A Novel by Loretta Stinson. While the company is not accepting unsolicited submissions at the moment, they will consider your work if it is represented by a literary agent. Details about their submission process can be found here.
That’s it! Which one of these 19 literary publishers accepting submissions suits your needs? Don’t forget to share your thoughts and experience with us in the comment section below.
Author Bio:
Raj K. is a professional writer based in Pune, Maharashtra. He knows the book publishing industry very well, and therefore, he decided to write informative articles for all book lovers out there, particularly those who dream of becoming a published author.