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27 Literary Fiction Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions – No Agent Required

27 Literary Fiction Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions – No Agent Required

Literary fiction is one of the harder genres to get published in without an agent. There are smaller presses that specialize in it, but unfortunately more and more of those presses are now charging reading fees. However, there are still good options for authors who are unagented and averse to paying reading fees. The manuscript…

Notes from The Editor’s Desk (March 2026)

Notes from The Editor’s Desk (March 2026)

$5,000 prize & a publishing contract; Literary agent scams; Dial Books for Young Readers mysteriously shutting down; Submission Calls.

Cahava: Now Seeking Submissions

Cahava: Now Seeking Submissions

A new journal paying for short stories, poetry, novel excerpts, postcard stories, play scripts, and essays.

Pacing as Moral Choice

Pacing as Moral Choice

Pacing isn't mechanical. It carries moral weight that can alter your reader's judgement.

42 Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions of Speculative Fiction

42 Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions of Speculative Fiction

Speculative fiction is generally defined as a genre of fiction where the setting is not in the world as we know it because of supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements. Three genres are covered by this umbrella term: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. This term is also used to cover work that doesn’t fit exactly in…

84 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (March 2026)

84 Opportunities for Historically Underrepresented Writers (March 2026)

Opportunities open to writers of color, LGBTQ+ writers, writers with disabilities, and more.

 

Only Legitimate Publishers

We research and verify all of the publishers we list. We only list traditional publishers.

No Submission Fees

Writers should be supported –– not charged money for the chance to get published.

Open to Everyone

We only review publishers that are open to writers from around the world.

 
 

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Ella Peary is a masterful instructor. I learned so much about the genre of flash fiction from her and find it one of the best avenues now for my fiction writing. Ella's course is clear, concise and provides many options and prompts to try your hand at writing short, powerful pieces. This course has also helped my fiction writing overall, be it short story or poetry. Her "office hours" are also helpful, with live question and answer periods and reviews of stories. I highly recommend this workshop.

June Rogers

Emily Colin's Plot to Publication was a wealth of information on how to build and strengthen a YA novel and how to get it out into the world. Emily has a clear and welcoming instructional style, and she provides extremely detailed and helpful feedback on assignments. This is truly one of the best writing classes I've taken, and I highly recommend it to writers of all levels.

Dianne Beck

This course helped to demystify the landscape of literary journals and submission process. The instructor's feedback was immensely helpful; I feel much more confident submitting my work. The online forum is learner-centered, interactive, clear, and useful. There are opportunities to connect with others online; I've made a partnership with another writer in the course to exchange reading and feedback on an ongoing basis with one other. Thank you for this wonderful and pragmatic course!

Rachel Prizant Kotok

Manuscript Publishing for Novelists provided an excellent overview of what is involved in this process. The organization of the course followed each step of the process from proper formatting of the manuscript, to preparing a query letter, to vetting a publisher and agent, and to reviewing a checklist before submitting the manuscript. Along the way, during each segment of the course, there were helpful recommendations of what to do and not to do. Emily is not only an expert in this field, but also a genuine person. Every aspect of the course was conducted in a professional manner, and I would recommend Manuscript Publishing for Novelists to anyone interested in publishing their first novel.

Michael Hood

I am so thankful that I was able to take part in the Novel Writing Workshop with Emily Harstone. Emily was incredibly supportive and affirming of my efforts in writing. Prior to the start of the course I just had a few disjointed ideas, but her thoughtful assignments pushed me to think them through and turn them into the first chapter of my novel, and her detailed and thorough feedback gave me the direction and encouragement I needed to continue writing. I'm now 12000 words into my first novel and still going strong, all thanks to Emily. She is wonderful. Thank you so much!

Jane Lo

Emily Colin is a hard-working instructor. Instead of skimming through my work, she would dissect it bit by bit and ask me questions that I haven't been asked before. It helped me to look at my story from a different perspective. Since she concentrated on this being a YA story instead of a romance, she gave me feedback to make my story work for the YA market. I am really glad I took this course.

Anuradha Dev