Submission Guide Lines for 2023

Submission Guide Lines for 2023

39 West Press is an independent publisher of art, humor, literary fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry books. Read and follow these guidelines or your submission will be rejected.

Our submission guidelines have changed. Please make note of the new guidelines. If you do not read and follow these simple guidelines, your submission will be rejected without notice.

General Information

39 West Press publishes books of art, humor, literary fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry. Our desire is to promote and publish a diverse range of experiences and voices, including but not limited to people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA, as well as ethnic and cultural minorities.

We accept unsolicited manuscripts for books of literary fiction, creative non-fiction, and full-length poetry volumes (at least fifty pages or more). We are looking for innovative and well-crafted, high-quality works by new and established authors. Additionally, we are interested in authors who have strong platforms and are able to connect with their audiences via direct engagement, whether it be an email newsletter, a blog, a podcast, social media, etc.

We are NOT looking for unsolicited submissions in the following categories: genre fiction (romance, erotica, science fiction, horror, true crime, mystery, etc.), cookbooks, how-to books, self-help books, memoirs, autobiographies, political manifestos, philosophical diatribes, or religious inspirational books. Please do not send self-published or previously published manuscripts. We are not looking for single stories, essays, or poems at this time.

To ensure that 39 West Press is the proper fit for your manuscript, please familiarize yourself with our authors and catalogue prior to submitting.


Submission Guidelines

Your submission must include two separate items: (1) a cover letter, and (2) your manuscript.

(1) Your cover letter should be formatted in a similar manner as this sample and must include the title of your work, the genre of your work, a brief description of your work, and your author bio. Submissions lacking any of these elements will be rejected. Optional information that may give your manuscript an advantage over other, comparable manuscripts: Please discuss your author platform, its scope, and ways in which you expect to reach potential reviewers and readers. Please provide links to your website, blog, podcast, social media, etc. Also, if you have access to special markets, audiences, or promotional opportunities for your book, then we would like to know about them. Note: It is acceptable to place your cover letter in the body of the submission email.

( 2) Your manuscript should be sent as an email attachment in one of the following electronic file formats: .doc, .docx, .pdf, or .odt. No other file formats will be accepted. However, if your submission is over 5MB, please upload it to a file-sharing site and provide us with the link to your work. Please do not paste your work into the body of the submission email; it will not be read. We do not accept snail-mailed hard copies of your manuscript. Note: Prior to submitting, make sure that your manuscript has been well-edited, proofread, and is in a legible font.

Simultaneous Submissions

Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permissible. However, do not send us a mass forward that you are submitting to multiple publishers at once; your manuscript will be rejected. If other publishers are also considering your work, then please let us know. Do not submit more than one manuscript at a time unless we have solicited your work.

Where to Submit

Email your submission to submit(AT)39West(DOT)Press. In the subject line, please place the word Submission followed by the title of your work. An auto-generated email will be sent to you to confirm receipt of your submission. If you do not follow our simple, submission guidelines, your manuscript will be rejected without notice. We look forward to reading your work and appreciate your interest in 39 West Press.

NOTE: Due to the volume of manuscripts we receive, we are unable to respond personally to every query nor provide critiques of rejected manuscripts. If we have interest in your work, then you will be contacted within ninety (90) of its receipt.

Please use our website contact form for general correspondance, inquiries, book proposals, etc.