An Exploration of Small Presses
(Last Updated: 4/23/2024)
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New materials:
Check Writer Beware to check for complaints about publishers/presses.
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~ An Introduction & Disclaimer ~
I have spent countless hours developing a list of small press publishers to assist poets and writers in navigating publication.
I plan to add to these lists and update them as much as possible. If you’re able to donate to allow me to continue to make these sorts of significant time commitments, please consider doing so via the Donation page for ONE ART: a journal of poetry.
It would be helpful to receive insight from the community about publications that have shuttered, are on hiatus, are believed to be problematic, and certainly anything that is an evident scam.
There’s a category I’m including called “Popular (but not recommended)” and I have my reasons. Let me say that this is not shared to make anyone feel bad about where they have published their work or where they choose to publish their work in the future. There are many reasons to seek self-publication, hybrid publication, and other options, as opposed to more “traditional” forms of publication.
For a long time now, publishing operations that produce high volumes of texts (specifically poetry collections) with seemingly limited concern for quality (being a discerning editor matters) have bothered me. I have watched literary friends and colleagues publish their work in these markets with a bit of sadness—wishing that they had held out for placing their work a home that I personally feel their good work rightly deserves.
As I said before, there are many reasons to seek publication. Sometimes, the artist simply wants their work out in the world. Further, sometimes they want the work out in the world sooner rather than later.
Don’t get me wrong, writers have very positive things to say about working with some of these publishers that walk the line between traditional, hybrid, pay-to-play, and vanity publishing.
Don’t shoot the messenger, please.
Yours in Stewardship of The Arts.
~ Mark
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~ Resources, Information, & Lists of Small Presses ~
Chapbook Contests and Reading Periods
Poetry Manuscript Opportunities 2023
Poets & Writers – Small Presses
CLMP (Community of Literary Magazines & Presses)
CLMP – Publishers that Champion Writing by People of Color
Heavy Feather Press – Where To Submit
Literary Philly – Local presses
Book Riot – Essential Indie Presses for Queer Book Lovers (2022)
Lambda Literary – Resources for Writers
VIDA – List of Women-Run Presses
WordMothers – Women’s Presses & Publishers
Women and Books – Women-Focused Presses and Publishers
Poetry Foundation – Interviews with Indigenous Publishers
Writer’s Digest – Writer's Digest Best Writing Advice Websites for Writers 2023
Reedsy – Best BIPOC Book Publishing Companies (2023)
Reedsy – Top LGBTQIA+ publishers (2022)
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~ More Resources for Research about Small Presses ~
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~ Popular (but not recommended) ~
Why? Because, in my opinion, these publishers operate as “Book Mills” and their standards are dubious. Further, many of these types of presses require a level of “pay to play” that borders on predatory (more than doing your fair share to give back to the publisher who has done something wonderful for you). We should all want to support our publishers; however, we should not have our hand forced.
Finishing Line Press – Duotrope, for example, delisted FLP
“This project listing has been removed. Publication details and submission statistics for this project are no longer available through our site. (May 2021)”
WordTech (and imprints) – Duotrope, for example, delisted WordTech (July 2021)
Cherry Grove Collections (part of WordTech)
“Reason: This publisher requires their authors to presell a number of books.”
Kelsay Books (and imprints) – As of last check (October 2023), Kelsay’s Aldrich Press acceptance rate on Duotrope is 90.91% with an average acceptance response time of 11.6 days. They most common reading fee paid was $20.
Prolific Press – Low stakes, high acceptance rate.
Cyberwit – Publication does not appear competitive or necessarily merit-based.
City Owl Press - Sus. Authors report poor experiences.
FutureCycle Press – Mixed bag. The back catalog is listed on GoodReads. Some publishing practices raise questions.
~ Concerns have been raised ~
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The Poetry Box – [At least] In some instances, those who submit to The Poetry Box’s chapbook contest but do not win are still told they can have an opportunity to publish with the press. This is not unusual. What is unusual is that The Poetry Box then proceeds to pitch the author on a hybrid publishing model. What follows are direct quotes from their Submittable form.
“[…] we’d like to offer you a publishing contact through our "Cooperative Chapbook Publishing Program."
“This collaborative, hybrid publishing model does require a fee from the poet for editing, professional interior & cover design, and marketing support of your chapbook, but this would be discounted to $695 (from our regular price of $795). You can see what’s included with this program by visiting https://thepoetrybox.com/cooperative-publishing. Please note, there is no requirement for the poet to sell or buy a set number of books to meet a print-run minimum, and you do earn 40% net royalties on book sales.”
“If this interests you, please email me at shawn@thepoetrybox.com with an acknowledgment that you’d like to move forward with having The Poetry Box publish your chapbook under this program, and we’ll send you a contract to get the ball rolling. If you are not interested, simply send me a note to decline the offer so I don't keep a spot open for you in our publishing schedule.”
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~ Highly Suspect! ~
~ Outright Scam Publishers!! ~
~ Hybrid Publishers ~
‘Hybrid Publishers and Paid Publishing Services: Red Flags to Watch For’ (Jane Friedman / Joel Pitney)
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Atmosphere Press – “Atmosphere Press only accepts 20 new authors per month, so this publishing opportunity is selective!” Well, that doesn’t sound particularly selective to me. They also describe themselves as an “Author-First Hybrid Publisher” which is honest but tells it like it is. Hybrid publishing boils down to being partly a vanity press.
Scribe Media – Appears to be going under. Active lawsuits. (Source: Poets & Writers)
She Writes
Amplify Publishing Group (Includes ‘Mascot Books’ imprint)
~ Resources & Articles about Good Publishing Practices ~
Writer’s Digest – 17 Pros and Cons of Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing (October 2023)
Poets & Writers – Scams Bait Self-Published Authors (July/August 2023 issue)
Here’s a LitHub article from 2022 on predatory Vanity Presses.
Writer’s Beware – Main site
Writer’s Beware – Publishing/Marketing/Fake Literary Agency Scam List
Winning Writers – Contests & Services to Avoid
Reedsy – Book Publishers to Avoid (and Other Shady Author Scams)
LitMagNews – Doing a Lot with a Little or Very Little with a Lot: Small Presses, Contests, and Scams
LitMagNews – I'm Leaving on a Lit Mag Plane!
LitMagNews – Are We Eating Each Other Alive in the Indie-Lit World?
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~ Small (& not so small) Presses ~
Clare Songbirds Publishing House
BUNNY Presse / Fonograf Editions
Washington Writers’ Publishing House
Agora Books (imprint of Polis Books)
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~ Not exactly “small” presses ~
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~ [selected] University Presses ~
Carnegie Mellon University Press
University of Pittsburgh Press
TRP: The University Press of SHSU (Texas Review Press)
Southern Illinois University Press
Stephen F. Austin State University Press
Louisiana State University Press
Cleveland State University Poetry Center
University of Massachusetts Press
Ahsahta Press (Boise State University)
Ad Lumen Press (American River College)
Gold Line Books / Ricochet (University of Southern California)
Seneca Review Books (Hobart and William Smith Colleges)
Livingston Press (The University of West Alabama)
New Rivers Press (Minnesota State University Moorhead)
Howling Bird Press (Augsburg University)
Mad Creek Books (Ohio State University Press)
University of Georgia Press
Louisiana State University Press
West Virginia University Press
Johns Hopkins University Press
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International Presses
(also: The World’s Largest Publishers (Publisher’s Weekly, 2018))
~ UK ~
~ Canada ~
~ Vancouver / British Columbia ~
~ Australia ~
~ Ireland ~
Salmon Poetry (May not be currently delivering on contracts)
~ Whales ~
~ Israel ~
~ Brazil ~
~ Amsterdam ~
~ Germany ~
~ India ~
Helpful information, Mark. And thanks. this is my first time on your website.
Perhaps you could explore the taboo for self publishing poetry. That taboo places the average poet in a true catch-22 situation. If you spend thousands of dollars in hopes of winning a well perceived contest, perhaps from a university press, as a friend of mine did, and after 11 years actually did win a university backed contest, you might look back and wonder if it is worth it. That friend of mine felt they got very little for the long wait and the enormous financial outlay. However, had they self published they would have been considered dead by the better presses, also running contests. The taboo all but forces poets who are serious about getting work into book form to simply self publish or spend thousands of dollars to perhaps win while supporting major contests that they have no realistic possibility of winning--or sending to a hybrid press, an essentially commercial press that offers a better chance of achieving publication. The alternative--to support a literary industry run by contests--becomes noxious, indeed poisonous, for the poets locked out of the cattle-chute esthetics of the industry, which might be suspected of simply taking the contest fees to publish their friends.
By the way, Cherry Grove is an imprint of WordTech, I believe. Maybe check that out.
Very helpful! Thanks, Mark.