Have you just completed a self-help manuscript and are now looking for publishers of books in this genre?
Below are 19 top publishers of self-help books currently accepting submissions.
1. Acadian House Publishing
Operated out of Lafayette, Louisiana, Acadian House Publishing is an independent publishing house that specializes in producing non-fiction titles. Founded in 1979, Acadian house has published a wide selection of biographies, books dealing with psychology, theology, business, sports, and self-help books.
The publishing house is currently seeking self-help manuscripts, but highly recommends sending a query letter via mail first. They will only contact authors that they’re interested in working with. In your query letter, be sure to include your name and contact information, as well as a brief summary of what your self-help book is about.
2. Addicus Books
Addicus Books was founded in 1994 in Omaha, Nebraska by Rod Colvin. This publishing house aims to produce high-quality nonfiction books, with emphasis on health books. Addicus Books is a smaller publishing house, and utilizes its relationship with Independent Publishers Group in Chicago to help sell their books to stores and libraries.
They are currently accepting submissions, and are particularly interested in books about consumer health, self-help, psychology, business, economics, and investing. They recommend that you send them a query letter via email first so that they can gauge whether your manuscript would be a good fit. They ask that you include a one-page overview of your book, two or three sample chapters, a chapter-by-chapter outline, a brief author bio, a word count, and information on the market that you’re hoping to sell to.
3. Big Sky Publishing
Big Sky Publishing is an Australian publishing house that focus primarily on producing adult non-fiction and children’s books. They consider history, military history, self-help, autobiographies, and how-to guides some of their areas of expertise. If you’re looking to get in contact with Big Sky Publishing, they are currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts for self-help titles.
They ask that you email your submission, along with a one-page synopsis of your manuscript, the first four chapters, and an overview that should include who your intended audience is, any reviews of your book, key selling points, an overview of its contents, and a brief author bio and any relevant writing experience or contacts in the writing industry.
4. Kensington Publishing Corp
Kensington Publishing Corp is a NYC-based publishing house that publishes both fiction and non-fiction titles. The company was established in 1974 and over the last couple of decades they’ve worked with bestselling authors across the globe. Some of their popular titles in the self-help niche are ‘The Highly Sensitive Parent’ by Elaine N. Aron, ‘The Language of Influence and Personal Power’ by Scott Hagan and ‘Owning Bipolar’ by Michael G. Pipich. The company is currently open to submissions in the self-help niche. You can pitch your proposal to Editor Denise Silvestro via email. For more details about their submission process, check this page.
5. Turner Publishing
If you’re looking to collaborate with an award winning publishing house, Turner Publishing might be an excellent option. Established in 1984, the company is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Turner Publishing is known to publish gripping and informative titles in both fiction and non-fiction. In the self-help niche, they’ve published excellent works like ‘The New Smart: How Nurturing Creativity Will Help Children Thrive’ by Terry Roberts, ‘Turning Yourself Around: Self Help for Troubled Teens’ by Kendall Johnson, and ‘STARS: Respecting the Rights of Others’ by Jan Stewart. Since Turner Publishing follows an open submission policy, you can reach out to them directly via email. You can also check this page for more information about their submission policies.
6. HCI Books
Established in 1977, HCI has dedicated a large portion of its publishing efforts to self-help books. They love working with authors who have written books that can help and inspire others. “Heling the Shame that Binds You” by John Bradshaw was published by HCI Books and became a New York Times bestseller that was eventually featured on Oprah. HCI was also the publisher that saw to the publication of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
HCI is currently accepting submissions for self-help books, but note that due to the high volume of manuscripts they receive, will only respond to those authors that they feel would fit best with their publication line-up. They accept submissions electronically via email, but more information on their guidelines can be found here. If you choose to submit your manuscript via email, they ask that you include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) if you want your copy returned.
7. Kharis Publishing
Kharis Publishing is a traditional independent publisher that is currently accepting unsolicited queries for self-help books. There is no fee to be published through this publishing house, and authors even have access to professional editing and cover design assistance. All you have to do is submit a query through their online submission form. Their editing team will respond shortly if they are interested in your self-help book. For more details about the submission process, you can check this page.
8. Library Tales Publishing
Library Tales was founded in 2011 and has produced books focused on self-help, memoirs, and niche fiction books. They have worked with authors like David Friedman, Arje Shaw, Jim Hamilton, and other talented authors. They have helped authors produce books both in print and in ebook form to keep up with books in the digital age. They are currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts and through their online submission form.
9. New Harbinger Publications
New Harbinger Publications is an independent traditional publishing house that love to work with authors who have written evidence-based self-help books. They are well-known for their self-help books concerning mental health, relationships, and even spirituality and philosophy.
Based out of Oakland, California, they are currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts. However, due to the volume of submissions they receive, you can expect to hear a response between two to three months. Submissions can be sent either via email or postal mail. For more details on what they wish to have included in your submission can be found here.
10. Chicago Review Press
Founded in 1973, Chicago Review Press is an independent publishing house based in Chicago, Illinois. While the company had a humble beginning, they’ve now evolved as a mid-sized publishing agency with 900+ published titles. They are, however, extremely selective about the quality of manuscripts and publish only 50 titles annually. Some of their notable works in the self-help niche include ‘Helping Children with Their Feelings’ by Elizabeth Crary, ‘The Sleep Book For Tired Parents’ by Rebecca Huntley, and ‘Educating the Heart’ by Alison Hagee. Chicago Review Press is currently accepting proposals for self-help titles. You can find more details about their submission process on this page.
11. Hay House
Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, Hay House was established in 1984 by Louisa Hay. She created this agency to publish her first two titles, which eventually went on to become global bestsellers. From 1987, Hay House started their publishing operations at a larger scale. The company started publishing CDs, DVDs, and eBooks, in addition to paperback prints. They also offer inspirational courses from time to time. ‘Disrupt Her’ by Miki Agarwal, ‘The Astonishing Power of Emotions’ by Esther and Jerry Hicks, and ‘Stronger than Before’ by Alison Porter are some of their best-selling self-help titles. Hay House considers self-help manuscripts only when you join their Writer’s Community. Unfortunately, the community is currently closed for new memberships. You can, however, join the waitlist and check this page for more information about the manuscript submission process.
12. Red Wheel / Weiser Books
Red Wheel is a publishing house based out of Newburyport, Massachusetts. Originally founded in 1987, Red Wheel works alongside several smaller publishing companies. One of specific interest to self-help authors is Weiser Books, who works closely with Red Wheel to publish books of the self-help genre.
Red Wheel has multiple imprints and they are currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts for their subsidiary, Career Press. . They ask that you include a cover letter with your contact information and a brief description of your proposed manuscript. They ask that you include an overview of the book, along with a complete table of contents, and a little bit of information on your intended audience. For more information on their submission guidelines, click here.
13. Bloomsbury
Established in 1986, Bloomsbury is a leading publisher of fiction and non-fiction titles. With offices in London, New York, Oxford, Sydney, and New Delhi, the company is looking to work with talented authors across the globe. Some of their best works in the self-help niche include, ‘The Art of Success: 21 Mantras From the Bhagvad Gita’, ‘How to be an Existentialist’ by Gary Fox, and ‘The Whole Shebang: Sticky Bits of Being a Woman’ by Lalita Iyer. Since Bloomsbury doesn’t accept unsolicited manuscripts, you need to consult a literary agent for representing your work. More details about the submission process can be found here.
14. Six Degrees Publishing Group
Six Degrees Publishing Group is an independent publisher that focuses on non-fiction books that touch on topics about philosophy, spirituality, health, the environment, and business-oriented issues. They are currently accepting manuscript submissions for self-help books, and highly recommend that you read their submissions page before sending in your book for review and consideration.
15. Square One Publishers
Square One’s mission statement is “to provide an accessible starting place for those people who want to know more.” They were founded in 2000 by Rudy Shur, the former Avery Publishing Group president. They have produced several best-selling self-help books, and are always looking for new authors to represent in the literary market.
They accept submissions via mail only, but may sometimes consider fax if you send them a query letter first asking if this is okay. They require a cover letter that explains the main concept of your book, the reason behind why you wrote it, as well as a little information on your intended audience. They also require a detailed table of contents, an overview of the book, a brief author biography, and a SASE so that they can respond to your submission.
16. Sunbury Press Books
Based out of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Sunbury Press Books was founded in 2004 and publishes nearly seventy new titles per year. Their self-help category just so happens to be one of the company’s most successful category of books. They publish in both print and ebook forms to better market your book to more readers. While the company is currently open to submissions in fiction, they haven’t specified any details for non-fiction manuscripts. You can keep checking this page for updated details about their submission process. They do not accept mailed hard copies.
17. Barricade Books
Based in Larchmond, New York, Barricade Books is an independent publishing house specializing in non-fiction titles. The company started operations in 1992, and since then they’ve churned out excellent titles in the self-help niche. Some of their most remarkable titles include ‘Bratproofing Your Children’ by Lewis D. and Janet Stern Solomon, ‘Conquer the Casinos’ by Philip Koetsch, and ‘Dr. Fischer’s Little Book of Big Medical Emergencies’ by Stuart Fischer M.D., and Mark D. Steisel. While Barricade Books accepts unsolicited submissions via email, they strongly recommend you to consult a literary agent for the submission process. You can check this page for more details about their submission policies.
18. Urban Edge Publishing
This is a small publishing company based out of Georgia that works closely with its authors and editors to produce high-quality and engaging books for their readership. Urban Edge Publishing not only produces print copies, but has also began to publish books in ebook form.
They are currently looking for self-help submissions. They ask that you include a query letter and the first two to three chapters of your proposed book. Submissions should be sent via email or regular mail, and you can expect a response from anywhere between six to eight weeks. Should they be interested in your work, they will ask for your full manuscript for further considerations.
19. WellBridge Books
WellBridge Books was launched in 2017 as an imprint of Six Degrees Publishing Group (mentioned above). This particular publishing division focuses primarily on self-help books written by qualified authors (doctors, lawyers, experts in their field). They are currently accepting manuscripts that are minimum 60k words in length. They ask that you send a query letter via email first with more information about your expertise and an overall summary of the subject matter you hope to tackle. For more information, feel free to check out their submissions page.
Do you know any other publishers of self-help books? Please tell us about them in the comments box below!
K. Z. Kwan is a freelance writer based out of Halifax, Canada.