Their distribution, both for themselves and others, is excellent, and they’ve distributed work by major authors, like Yaa Gyasi and Rutger Bregman. AK Press has released spoken word albums by figures such as Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and Arundhati Roy, and they’ve published and reprinted many respected radical texts. To learn more about their current catalogue go here. To learn more about the press in general go here.

This is what they have to say about what they are seeking and the work they publish in general:

“As an anarchist collective, we’re largely interested in works that reflect the rich traditions within anarchism (theory, history, art, culture, economics, labor) and related historical and contemporary movements. That said, we don’t solely publish anarchists—but we do steer clear of anything advocating electoral politics or that looks to the State or capitalism for solutions. We make an effort to provide materials of use to activists, academics, and individuals in pursuit of intellectual self-defense and revolutionary social/economic change. Further, we welcome the opportunity to work with authors from diverse backgrounds.”

They prefer emailed submissions, but also accept mailed submissions. Their full nonfiction guidelines are available here. Please read the guidelines carefully before submitting.

This is how they open up their call for submissions:

“Greek mythology has proven itself to be of perennial interest. From reprints of classics like the D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths to retellings of the Iliad, Odyssey, and the Aeneid by everyone from Ursula K. Le Guin to Madeline Miller, writers are continually fascinated and readers are continually compelled by these stories. But while we know today that the Greco-Roman world was international and diverse in racial, ethnic, and sexual identities, this is hardly reflected in the retellings we have. Readers of all backgrounds are actively looking for inclusive, broad-ranging, cross-genre retellings; it’s time to give them their favorite myths with a new twist.”

All genres except nonfiction, art, and poetry, are accepted. The anthology is intended for adults, so the submitted stories must also have adult readers in mind.

All submissions must be received by 11:59 PM Eastern, on February 1st, 2022. All submissions must be made by email. They only consider original, unpublished short stories that are between 5,000 – 10,000 words. You must submit two versions of the manuscript, one with your name and contact information, one without. It needs to be attached as .doc, .docx, or .txt file.

They also say “We’d love to consider works by authors from marginalized communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled authors, and would be interested in knowing if that’s you. Feel free to include it in a separate bio attachment.”

Only submit one piece, via email, and please do not submit it elsewhere. Applicants will receive confirmation after their email is received. Only indviduals whose work is selected for inclusion will be emailed after that point. All contributors will receive $1,500.00 USD. This is a flat rate and not open to negotiation.

To learn more, or to submit, go here.

Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2021 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.

This was originally titled “marginalized authors” (and it’s still in the URL because I can’t change that without breaking the link), with a note that I was seeking a better term, because I was aware of issues with the word “marginalized”. A very thoughtful and educated reader suggested this alternative which works much better and we will be using going forward. We are very grateful.

Stillhouse Press
“Stillhouse Press is committed to publishing work from voices often excluded from traditional publishing, including writers of color, gender non-conforming and LGBTQ writers, and those living with disabilities. To create an accessible platform for marginalized voices, we offer fee-free submissions to writers who request a fee waiver via our contact form.”

They are currently open to submissions of Nonfiction/Memoir, not including essay collections, and fiction. No deadline is listed.

Alternating Currents
A small publisher that charges a 6.99 submission fee for all authors except Black and Native American writers. Please note  that they close submissions when they reach their monthly Submittable submissions cap. Submit early in the month.

Lily
A small poetry press that publishes work of varying length. Submitting shorter work is free for everyone, but submitting poetry manuscripts is free only for poets who identify as Black. They are always open to these submissions.

Sourcebooks
We’ve reviewed Sourcebooks here, and their adult nonfiction imprint and their romance imprint are always open to all submissions, but they also deserve to be on this list because their fiction imprint, their mystery imprint, their  young adult imprint, and three of their children’s book imprints, all say “Our submissions are currently CLOSED to unagented projects, with the exception of works that directly promote diversity, equality and inclusion. For more information please email InclusiveFiction@Sourcebooks.com.”

So if you have work that matches that description in those genres, please reach out to them.

Peepal Tree Press
Peepal Tree Press is a little different than the opportunities listed above, because it has limited submissions overall rather than just a free reading period. Peepal Tree only publishes international writing from the Caribbean, it’s diasporas, and Black British writers. It is the world’s leading publisher of Caribbean and Black British writing. They publish around 15 titles a year, and have published many respected books over the years.

VS Books
This is a mentoring opportunity for writers who fit the following description:

If you are an unpublished writer living in Canada who is Indigenous, Black, or a person of colour and who is fifty or older”. Please note that self publishing work does not count as long as the manuscript you are submitting is unpublished. They close to submissions on April 15th, 2022.

The recipient of the mentor-ship will receive the following:

• regular editorial feedback and writing support on your manuscript from me in person or via Skype meetings

• advice and support relating to the writing process, grant-writing, CV-writing, social media, promotion, organization, self-motivation, the publishing process, touring, performing, and anything else that might be pertinent (e.g., informal conversations about art, process, the intersection of art with gender, sexuality, race & religion)

• a publishing contract with Arsenal Pulp Press & VS. Books, with a $1,500 CAD royalty advance and book release slated for Fall 2023.

• my assistance in developing a marketing plan (alongside Arsenal Pulp Press’s marketing team)

• my assistance with booking and organizing a launch event

• a one-month post-publishing debrief period with me to brainstorm future goal