Small Presses Publishing Hardcover Books for Unagented Writers

Nov 20, 2011
Margi Desmond

Small publishers publish books by authors without agents. - Photo by ilovememphis

Many small presses are interested in publishing quality work received directly from authors without agents.

Writers without agent representation find it difficult to negotiate publishing contracts with the big publishing companies; however, many small presses are interested in publishing quality work received directly from authors without agents.

Autumn House Press – 87 ½ Westwood St., Pittsburgh, PA 15211

Autumn House Press publishes eight titles out of the 1,000 manuscripts received annually. Established in 1998, this non-profit literary press responds in one to three days to queries and three months to manuscripts. Advances vary from $0.00 to $2,500 and they pay seven percent royalty on wholesale prices. Average print order is 1,500. One hundred percent of their authors are unagented and 10 percent are first time authors.

May Davenport Publishers – 26313 Purissima Rd., Los Altos Hills, CA 94022

Seeking books to be used in high school creative writing and English courses, this press was established in 1976 and publishes four titles per year, entirely by unagented authors and 95 percent by first time authors. They’re especially interested in humorous literature geared toward high school juniors and seniors. They offer no advance and 15 percent royalty on wholesale price. They respond within one month to queries.

Dufour Editions – 124 Byers Rd., Chester Springs, PA 19425

Established in 1947, this press responds in three month to queries and proposals; six months to manuscripts. They publish three to four titles from the 200 queries and 15 manuscripts received annually. Advances range from $100 to $500 and six to 10 percent royalties on net receipts are paid to the author. They prefer offbeat, unusual literary works. Eighty percent of their authors are unagented.

Florida Academic Press – PO Box 540, Gainesville, FL 32602

This press was established in 1997 and publishes four titles out of 2,000 queries and 1,200 manuscripts submitted annually. All their titles are by unagented authors. They pay five to eight percent royalty on retail price on sales of more than 2,500 copies annually. They respond in two months to manuscripts rejected and three to four months to manuscripts sent for external review. They’re interested in historical and literary manuscripts only.

Greene Bark Press – PO Box 1108, Bridgeport, CT 06601

Greene Bark Press is interested in juvenile fiction, requests full manuscripts and responds in six months. Established in 1991, this press publishes one to five titles from the 100 queries and 6,000 manuscripts received annually. All titles are by unagented authors. They pay 10-15 percent royalty on wholesale price.

HAWK Publishing Group – 7107 S. Yale Av. #345, Tulsa, OK 74136

Established in 1999 this publisher seeks good books of all kinds except juvenile, poetry and short story collections. Six to eight titles are published annually 50 percent by unagented authors. They accept unsolicited manuscripts and request the first 20 pages, synopsis, author bio and list of publishing credits. Royalties are paid per negotiation.

Hendrick-Long Publishing Company – 10635 Tower Oakes Suite D, Houston, TX 77070

Hendrick-Long was established in 1969 and only accepts work with a Texas theme geared toward juvenile and young adult audiences. They pay a negotiated royalty and advance, publish four titles annually and respond in five months to queries. Queries or an outline with two sample chapters are accepted for consideration.

Moon Shadow Press – 200 Brook Hollow Rd., Nashville, TN 37205

Moon Shadow is seeking adventure, horror, juvenile and fantasy series. They pay $2,000 advance and 7.5-15 percent royalty. They publish six to eight titles annually, all from unagented authors. Queries should include an outline/synopsis, two chapters, estimated word count, author bio and publishing credits.

Southern Methodist University Press – PO Box 750415, Dallas, TX 75275

Established in 1937 this small university press publishes 10-12 hardcover and trade paperbacks out of the 500 queries and manuscripts received annually. They respond within two weeks to queries, one month to proposals and one year to manuscripts. They pay a $500 advance, 10 author copies and pay 10 percent royalty on wholesale price. Fifty percent of their titles each year are written by new authors and 75 percent are from unagented authors. They’re interested in nonfiction and literary fiction dealing with the Southwest, baseball and medical humanities. The average printer order is 1,500 and is distributed via Texas A&M University Press Consortium.

Top Publications – 3100 Independence Pkwy. Suite 311-349, Plano, TX 75075

Top is looking for adventure, historical, horror, juvenile, mainstream, contemporary, military, war, mystery, regional, romance, science fiction, short story collections, suspense and young adult manuscripts. They pay $250-$2,500 advances and 15-20 percent royalty on wholesale price. Two to three titles out of 200 queries and 20 manuscripts are published annually. Established in 1999, Top stresses the importance of authors taking an active role in promoting their novels in order to be successful.

Torrey House Press – PO Box 750196, Torrey, UT 84775

This new publisher, established in 2010, is looking for literary fiction dealing with the people, history, cultures and landscape of the Colorado Plateau and American West. They publish 10 titles out of 500 queries and 200 manuscripts received annually and pay five to 15 percent royalty on retail price.

Vandamere Press – PO Box 149, St. Petersburg, FL 33731

Vandamere is currently looking for adventure, mystery and suspense manuscripts. Established in 1984, this press publishes eight to 15 titles out of 1,500 queries and 500 manuscripts received annually. Advances and royalties based on generated revenue are paid to authors.