For most of their submission guidelines and their about page, they say they are seeking “books that communicate and support their themes through new and well-articulated means. We like risk. We like invention. More importantly, we look for a quality of thought that adds depth to a writer’s concerns. And although it is not an official requirement, we tend to select literary work with a strong sense of place at its core. Ultimately, our goal is to publish work that resonates in the contemporary climate and that will continue to resonate in years to come.”

It’s a little strange that they use this for children’s books, and comic books, as well as creative nonfiction as the statement feels like it more accurately describes some categories of what they publish than others.

They are seeking comic manuscripts or graphic novels with finished artwork that is between 50-150 pages in length. Currently the only comics they’ve published are collections of Pickles cartoons.

They ask that you let them know if any of the comics have been published in a previous format. They are not interested in reprinting previous books or work that has already been published in a collected format. Please submit one manuscript at a time.

They don’t have many children’s books in their catalog so far, but you can get a feel for what they have published by going to their catalog here, and selecting the last listed category, children’s. They are only interested in submissions of picture books and board books.

In terms of creative nonfiction they are open to submissions of memoir, hybrid, and collections of essays that are between 125-400 pages in length. They only have a few books in their catalogue in the nonfiction section.

As an aside they are closing to submissions for an anthology of Women’s Novellas on May 1st at 3 AM ET. If interested please read those guidelines here.

To read their full submission details go here. They prefer submissions via Submittable but if you need to send a print version they have a mailing address (which is not coincidentally the bookstores address). Please only submit if you feel like your work is a good fit.

Harbor Review was established in 2018, and since then they’ve published eleven issues, each with poetry from around 10 contributors. Each poem is paired with an original work of visual art and accompanied by an audio recording.  

Harbor Review is published twice a year, in the summer and winter. Now through May 1 they’re accepting submissions for their upcoming summer edition, themed “Wonderous and Miraculous”. Poets may submit one to three poems for consideration. Submitting authors can expect a response within six months. Harbor Review pays $10 per published poem.

From August 1 through October 31, they will open again for submissions to their winter issue.

Harbor Review also publishes reviews of poetry, art, and hybrid books. And they offer three micro chapbook competitions each year: the Washburn Prize, the Editor’s Prize, and the Jewish American Woman’s Prize. The micro chapbooks contain ten poems each. Harbor Review also sometimes publishes full-length chapbooks under the imprint Harbor Editions.

Although their micro chapbook competitions are currently closed, they are accepting submissions of full-length poetry chapbooks by historically underrepresented authors for their “Marginalia Series.” Chapbook manuscripts should be 20 to 40 pages, and the deadline to submit is April 1. Submissions are free, and they will select one to two manuscripts to publish.

Harbor Review accepts book reviews year-round. They’re interested in reviews of poetry chapbooks, full-length poetry books, poetry-art hybrid books, and art books. Reviews should be 300 words or fewer, and the reviewed poetry collection should be forthcoming or published within the last six months.

Harbor Review accepts submissions online, not via email or by post. They accept simultaneous submissions but ask that authors withdraw poems published elsewhere. They do not accept previously published work.

Harbor Review only accepts submissions that follow the guidelines they’ve posted online. Please read these guidelines in full before submitting.

If you would like to learn more or submit to Harbor Review, please visit their website here. 

Bio: Ella Peary is the pen name for an author, editor, creative writing mentor, and submission consultant. Over the past five years, she’s written hundreds of articles for Authors Publish, and she’s also served as a copywriter and copy editor for a wide range of organizations and individuals. She is the author of The Quick Start Guide to Flash Fiction. She occasionally teaches a course on flash fiction. You can contact her at ellapeary@gmail.com.

When I started submitting to publications, my work was published thrice. I was only submitting to a few publications while studying, and I didn’t bother researching the market for more opportunities.

Last year, I took it seriously and started tracking all my submissions in an Excel file. I have to say, it is disheartening to enter a no every time you receive a rejection, and I got around 121 of those.

But still, you have to move on. Here are some of the things I have learned along the way.

Read through the publication archives 
I know it sounds tedious. And some have their work behind a paywall. But it is always a good idea to read, even a piece or two for gauging if your work would fit with the publication. 

Submit to publications with set themes or prompts 
They will get limited entries, and you will get the opportunity to flex your creative muscles and try something new. My last published piece was exclusive to the theme that the publication had set in their call. But even though it is good to experiment, don’t force yourself to do something you won’t enjoy. For example, I am not fond of writing science fiction. I generally steer away from it. But last month, I got inspired by a prompt and submitted a piece to the publication.

Submit anyway if they say they are open to new things 
If you are unsure, submit anyway if the publication says so. Don’t self-reject. The editors are always looking for something new. As long as you are following the guidelines, and not going completely off the track, submit.

Submit to calls with extended deadlines 
I have been on both sides of the publication. It usually means they have not received the quantity or quality of the writing that they were aiming for. You have increased chances of acceptance if you submit your best writing possible to the place.

Send to the ones with quick response time 
Whenever I have written a genre piece, I always start with places that can let me know quickly whether they would publish it and then move on to the ones with longer response periods. My logic is simple. What if it gets rejected by the latter and then accepted by the former if I do the opposite? It would be time wasted and spent in agony by me.

Submit to places that send back reviews 
Writers often tend to work in isolation and lose objectivity over their pieces. I am one of those too. If a publication offers to send reviews, first be grateful because they have to send out a ton. And then submit to them. Taking the review into account is your prerogative, but it never hurts to have a second opinion. I have taken some and worked on them to make my story better. But I have also disregarded some that didn’t go well with my idea.

Self-evaluate 
As attached as we are to our writing, it is hard to grasp it may not be best for the market the publications cater to. You need to know where some of your writing fits. Not every short story or article you write might be ready for publishing. Only send your best possible work to the publication because everyone else will.

Don’t lose hope 
You will get published. Just keep trying. I pitched to Authors Publish before, and got rejected. So, I tried again till I had something that worked for them. Similarly, I have a list of publications that I want my work to feature in. And I would keep trying with them till that happens.

There is one more tip for those who want to get their work out there and don’t particularly care to get published in an established magazine.

Build your own distribution 
This may mean putting out the work that has not found a place where it was intended for, or writing specifically for your platform. But you can take this route if you do not have the patience for submissions. There are many ways to do so, including starting your blog, or YouTube channel or simply sharing your stories on social media platforms like Instagram. You can find an audience for your stories everywhere.

In the end, the only thing that will help you is to keep reading, learning, and writing to make your stories better.

Bio: Isha Jain is a writer based in India. Her work has been published by Colorismhealing, riddlebird magazine and Goethe Institute. She runs a Substack newsletter named The Indian Story.