Have you written a book on a topic related to art?
Are you now looking for a suitable publishing house who might be interested in publishing your book?
Continue reading to learn about 17 top publishers of art books.
1. Art / Books
Established by Andrew Brown and several of his creative partners, Art / Books is a publisher based in London, United Kingdom. It is regarded as a haven for the most talented writers and artists in the visual arts community, and, although they specialize in design, architecture, art, and photography books, their range of interests is much wider – scholarly publications, memoirs, and monographs are just a few other genres you will find on their list. “An Alphabet of Animals”, by Carton Moore Park, and “ABC – An Alphabet”, by Mrs Arthur Gaskin are two titles worth checking out.
If you’re interested in collaborating with them, you should send a summary of your book at editorial@artbookspublishing.co.uk. You can learn more about their guidelines here.
2. ACC Art Books
Founded in 1966, ACC Art Books is a publisher located in Woodbridge, Suffolk. In terms of books, they specialize in visual culture and arts, and are renowned for collaborating with top fashion designers, architects, artists, and photographers. Among other genres, you will also find travel, children’s books, music, and food & drink in their backlist. “Passion by Design”, by Kizette de Lempicka-Foxhall, “Albert Weis – Changes”, by Markus Heinzelmann, and “From Granada to Berlin”, by Anna McSweeney are three of their best titles.
If you think they would be a good fit for your project, send them a book synopsis, 2 sample chapters with illustrations, and a table of contents at editorial@accartbooks.com. Before doing so, make sure to access their FAQ section for more details.
3. Prestel Publishing
Prestel Publishing is an international book publisher that specializes in art, design, architecture, and photography. Originally founded in Germany in 1924, Prestel became part of Random House in 2008. Their readership consists of artists, designers, art lovers, and everyone with an eye for beauty and a passion for visual culture. Their interests have expanded in time, so, at present, their backlist also includes nonfiction and children’s books, to name a few genres.
Prestel is currently open for submissions. All submissions must include a brief description of the project, a selection of sample images, a sample chapter, and an author biography. Visit Prestel’s website to learn more about their submission guidelines. US authors can send their submissions to the US editorial team via email, while authors in the UK can send their submissions here.
4. Siglio Press
Siglio Press is an independent publishing house that was founded by Lisa Pearson in 2008. Driven by their feminist ethos and their dedication to breaking boundaries, Siglio Press believes in the power of images and words to change the way readers see the world. Many of the books published by Siglio Press have garnered accolades and recognition from The New Yorker, New York Times, London Review of Books, Los Angeles Times, New York Review of Books, and more.
Submissions are closed at the moment, but they will announce the next open reading period during the first month of 2021. In the meantime, you can become accustomed to their guidelines, in order to see if they would be an appropriate choice for your work. For general inquiries, you can reach Siglio Press at publisher@sigliopress.com.
5. Abrams Books
Established in 1949, Abrams was the very first US publishing company to specialize in art and illustrated books. Today, they continue to publish award-winning and critically acclaimed books in the areas of photography, art, comics, interior design, craft, fashion, cooking, popular culture, and more. Some of their bestselling books include The Diary of Frida Kahlo, Louis Vuitton: The Birth of Modern Luxury, The Art of Walt Disney, The Wes Anderson Collection, and Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody’s Fool.
Since they don’t accept unsolicited submissions, you can only have your work taken into consideration if you collaborate with a renowned literary agent. To learn more about their guidelines, you can check their submissions page here.
6. Tate Publishing
Tate Publishing is a London-based art book publisher associated with London’s Tate Museum. In addition to art and exhibition-related books, Tate Publishing also publishes art books for both children and adults. Their most recent titles are Five Hundred Years of British Art, by Kirsteen McSwein, Venice with Turner, by Ian Warrell, and The Big Trip, by Alex Willmore. Tate Publishing currently accepts submissions in the form of book proposals. They are looking for concise proposals that explain the nature of the book, the intended audience of the book, and why it should be published, among other aspects. Proposals may be submitted via email or post. If you are interested in getting published by Tate Publishing, check out their submission guidelines here.
7. Phaidon
With more than 1,500 titles currently in print, Phaidon is one of the world’s leading art book publishers. They work with some of the greatest artists, writers, chefs, and thinkers to create groundbreaking books about art, design, fashion, photography, architecture, food, and travel. They also publish illustrated children’s books. Phaidon was founded in 1923 by Ludwig Goldscheider and Dr. Bela Horovitz, and its headquarters are located in London and New York City.
If you would like to submit your work for Phaidon’s consideration, you can do so by sending them a brief proposal including your CV and a short description of your work. If they are interested in your proposal, they will reach out to you for further information. Learn more about Phaidon’s submission guidelines here. If you have additional questions about their submission process, you can contact Phaidon’s editorial team via email.
8. Lund Humphries
Lund Humphries has been publishing illustrated art books since 1939. Their catalog spans various genres, but they mainly publish books for art enthusiasts, professionals, and specialists. They also publish books on the art business and on architecture & design, and they regularly collaborate with entities such as galleries or foundations, in order to create illustrated monographs and books about popular contemporary and modern artists.
Lund Humphries is currently interested in receiving submissions from artists, writers, galleries, and museums for books in the following areas: visual arts, architecture and design, and art business. Need help preparing your proposal? Check out their submission guidelines to learn about the key questions your proposal should answer, as well as information on where to send your proposal.
9. Laurence King Publishing
Founded in London in 1991, Laurence King Publishing is a leading international publisher that specializes in books on the creative arts. Over the years, they have published some of the world’s greatest illustrators, designers, photographers, and artists. Laurence King Publishing believes that risk is an important part of publishing. More than sales potential, they are after books that captivate and excite readers.
They are always on the hunt for new artists and writers to work with. They are specifically looking for books in the areas of fashion and beauty, art and design, photography, film, music and popular culture, and practical art such as painting and drawing, to give some examples. If you have a book proposal, you can submit it to Laurence King Publishing via email. Before you do, make sure you review their submission guidelines.
10. Morel Books
Morel Books is a London-based, non-profit publisher that specializes in photography and art books. They have worked with a large number of artists and photographers, including Hideka Tonomura, Antony Cairns, Hannah Whitaker, David Armstrong, Daniel Gordon, and more.
If you would like to get published by Morel Books, they are currently accepting submissions via email. Check out their current book list to get a better idea of the kind of work they are most interested in.
11. Anteism Books
Founded in 2004, Anteism is a Canadian book publisher that publishes artist books, exhibition catalogs, and artist monographs, to name a few formats. They work with emerging artists, as well as with local collectives, established artists, and international galleries. Their catalog includes “Making Pictures with Generative Adversarial Networks”, by Casey Reas, and Mike Tyka’s “Portraits of Imaginary People”.
Anteism currently accepts submissions. To submit a proposal, you can fill out their submissions form here. If you have additional questions, feel free to contact the Anteism team.
12. Smallworks Press
Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, Smallworks Press was established in 2006 by James Stanford. Their main interest lies in art and culture publications, and they aim to provide their audience with a diverse catalog of the highest quality. “Shimmering Zen”, by James Stanford, Elizabeth Herridge, and Jeff Rosen, and “Nawari Koans”, by James Stanford, Milo Duffin, and Robert Fitzwater are two of the best titles in their backlist.
Smallworks Press welcomes book submissions of art, photography, architecture, literature, and design. To learn more about their requirements, make sure to read the full guidelines.
13. Heritage House
Heritage House is a Canadian publisher located in British Columbia, specializing in books that celebrate the rich history and culture of Western Canada. They publish books in the areas of art and photography, politics and law, history, indigenous studies, and travel and tourism. They also publish biographies, memoirs, and books for young readers.
Heritage House currently welcomes submissions that align with the vision of their publishing program. To make sure Heritage House is the right place for your book, you can visit their website to see their past publications. Once you’re ready to submit your work, you can check out their submission guidelines here.
14. TouchWood Editions
Also located in British Columbia, TouchWood Editions is an independent book publisher that was founded in 1984 under the name Horsdal & Schubart. Renamed TouchWood Editions in 2000, they continue to publish high-quality books that are culturally and historically significant to British Columbia. Some of the art books they have published are E.J. Hughes Paints Vancouver Island by Robert Amos, Beyond Beauty by Bill Terry, Public Art in Vancouver by John Steil, and Painter, Paddler by Andrew Scott.
TouchWood loves new ideas, and they happily welcome submissions in the following categories: art and photography, food and wine, regional and popular history, house and home, gardening and pets, literary anthologies, memoir and narrative non-fiction. You can learn more about their submission guidelines here.
15. Wakefield Press
Wakefield Press is an independent book publisher based in Adelaide, South Australia. Publishing approximately 40 titles a year, Wakefield’s catalog spans different genres and subjects, including art, design, architecture, history, poetry, education, fiction, food, children’s literature, and the environment. Many of the books they have published over the years have gone on to win awards and have achieved bestseller status.
Unfortunately, they are currently closed to unagented submissions. Due to the volume of their work, they have not updated their guidelines yet, so you should check for updates here.
16. Thames & Hudson Australia
Established in Melbourne in 1970, Thames & Hudson Australia’s mission is to create a museum without walls and to make art and research more accessible to the larger public, particularly the work of Australian and New Zealand artists and authors. In addition to their contributions to the world of publishing, Thames & Hudson Australia is also one of the largest distributors of illustrated books in Australia.
Thames & Hudson currently welcomes submissions in the areas of art, architecture, photography, illustrated books, and fashion, to give a few examples.. Interested writers and artists may submit a proposal accompanied by sample materials via email. If they are interested your work, you will hear from them in around 3 months.
17. Perimeter Editions
Launched in 2012, Perimeter Editions is the publishing arm of Perimeter Books, a specialized bookstore located in Melbourne, Australia. Perimeter Editions focuses on the publication of books that feature photographers, curators, writers, and artists. Some of their titles include Tom Polo’s Paris Drawings, Felix Wilson’s Nocturnal Ecologies, Clare Rae’s Never Standing on Two Feet, and Steve Carr’s Variations for Troubled Hands.
Perimeter Editions is currently open to submissions, but keep in mind that you will only receive a response if they’re interested in collaborating with you. If you would like to get in touch with the Perimeter team, you can find their contact information here.
Are there any other publishers of art books that should be on this list? Please tell us about them in the comments box below!
Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of Writing Tips Oasis.