Where to query this week (08.07.24)
New! Query help hotline, 5 featured indie presses, and 5 literary agents every week.
I am a firm believer in good things getting better (& better and better until they become way too good for their own good. No, I’m not looking at you Marvel, okay—shush!).
When I joined Sub Club, this place was already rockin’. The Monday “Where to submit” newsletters added even more fuel to that awesome fire.
The first few weeks of sending those newsletters were a bit rough—I’m talking eight-hour all-nighter rough. But hey, sometimes it takes a while to turn a good idea into an efficient, well-oiled machine.
Now that our Mondays “WTS”, as we like to (affectionately?) call it, is skipping around on its own little feet, we’re excited to power up “WTQ” Wednesdays, that is – a newsletter dedicated to figuring out Where to query your book-length works.
Week to week, this newsletter will be broken down as follows.
An intro by me briefly discussing whatever it is I’ve been diving into/researching around indie lit/the wider literary world as it relates to querying books from all angles and visions.
Answers to questions we get through our new Query Hotline. Fill out the form here with any questions you might have about querying, whether that’s around agents, indie presses, book contests, formatting, genres, or if you just need someone to tell you you’re doing just fine. Myself and our cadre of helpful friends (many of whom happen to be experts in one or more of these fields!) will give you as good a response as we can. » (Submit your question here)
And then, the most important part of the newsletter is our list of opportunities for querying! Each week we’ll have:
5 indie presses looking for full-length collections or novels (free)
5 featured literary agents looking for books across genres (paid)
Each indie press featured will be open for submissions at the time we share them. We will curate a variety of lengths and genres. Info will include all details on fees, payment, and submission guidelines.
Our five featured agents will include:
Where they work and what they’re looking for
Recently represented authors
Details on how to query
Favorite books/authors and where to find them
Paid subscribers will also get access to a spreadsheet download of all opportunities with the information beautifully and easily laid out!
This will be a new section of Sub Club, so you can subscribe or unsubscribe based on what fits your submission strategy. → You can find where to do that here ←
Alright, with that being said, let’s dive right now into our first-ever WTQ.
5 Featured Indie Presses You Can Submit to Today
Roxanne Gay Books (Deadline: October 16)
Roxanne Gay Books is an imprint of Grove Atlantic seeking to publish beautifully written, provocative, intelligent, risky writing.
Fee: Free | Payment: Standard Royalties
I am going to publish books I love from interesting writers. That could, of course, mean anything. I am looking for beautifully written, compelling books that challenge, delight, and entertain readers. I love literary fiction but your story has to have an interesting plot. Things have to happen. I want books I simply cannot put down and that, when I finish, I can’t stop thinking about. I love stories about difficult women. I welcome your so-called unlikable protagonists. I enjoy dark, gritty stories but I am also open to happy, joyful but unsentimental stories that reflect faith in the overall goodness of humanity.
I will consider novels, short fiction, memoirs, essay collections, and nonfiction. Most genres are welcome but my tastes skew to not only literary fiction but contemporary romance, and science fiction and fantasy. I am always open to being surprised but I will not likely be drawn to stories about sad white people marriages or autofiction. I am not interested in police propaganda narratives. Historical fiction, Westerns and the like will be a hard sell and there are other imprints that are a better fit for those stories. I am not currently seeking YA, middle-grade, or children's books. Only non-fiction will be considered on proposal.
University of Pittsburgh Press (Deadline: September 30)
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a publisher with distinguished lists in a wide range of scholarly and cultural fields. We publish books for general readers, scholars, and students. University presses were not yet a common sight on the American academic scene, and Pittsburgh’s was one of the first to be established since the late nineteenth century. In 1938 it was one of a handful of publishers that joined together to create the Association of University Presses, which has since grown to a membership of nearly 150 presses around the world.
Fee: $25 | Pay: Standard Royalties
The Pitt Poetry Series annually publishes at least four books by poets who previously have published full-length collections of poetry; we define “full-length” as a book of 48 or more pages. Poets who have not published a book before, or who have published chapbooks or limited editions of less than 500 copies, should refer to the rules for our first-book competition, the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize.
Manuscripts from previously published poets should be sent during August and September only. Manuscripts can be sent in any readable format. Final decisions are usually made late spring or before.
Manuscripts submitted to the contest will not be returned. Please keep a copy of the manuscript.
Persea Books
Persea is an independent, literary publishing house founded in 1975 by Michael Braziller and Karen Braziller, who still own and direct the company. Persea has published hundreds of engaging and consequential books covering a wide range of subjects, styles, and genres, including poetry, fiction, essays, memoir, biography, and revived classics. Our list focuses on contemporary issues expressed through individual experience. It reflects the rich diversity of American literature, from Native American onward, and includes a wide selection of works in translation.
Fee: Free | Pay: Standard Royalties
We are pleased to receive query letters via email from authors and literary agents. We no longer accept physical query letters or submissions.
We publish literary fiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, essays, biography, literary criticism, books on contemporary issues (multicultural, feminist, LGBTQI+), Young Adult novels, and literary and multicultural anthologies that are assigned in secondary and university classrooms.Most of all, we are looking for the fresh voice, a clear point of view, the well-written work that will endure. We are pleased to publish debut books and to continue publishing the authors we take on.
We do not publish genre fiction (romance, fantasy, science fiction, thrillers), self-help, textbooks, or children's books.
The Economy Press
The Economy Press publishes booklets of poetry, prose, and hybrid work.
Fee: Free | Pay: Standard Royalties
Submissions + correspondence
editor@theeconomypress.com
University of Iowa Press (Deadline: September 30)
Established in 1969, the University of Iowa Press is a well-regarded academic publisher serving scholars, students, and readers throughout the world with works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. For general readers, we publish the winners of the Iowa Short Fiction Award and other awards.
Fee: Free | Pay: Standard Royalties
The manuscript must be a collection of short stories in English of at least 150 word-processed, double-spaced pages. The manuscript may include a cover page, contents page, etc., but these are not required; however, please ensure the writer's name can be found somewhere within the manuscript or in the file name. The author's name can be on every page but this is not required.
5 Literary Agents Who Are Open to Queries this Week
This is where the paid portion of this newsletter begins. Sub Club is fully supported by our readers. If you have the means, you can support us as a paid subscriber here. And if you don’t have the means, we’re always happy to help those who need it, just let us know.