Affirm Books is a Melbourne, Australia based publisher of local and international authors that is open to direct submissions. They publish a broad range of non-fiction work and have a smaller, more focused fiction list for adults and children. They are only open to nonfiction and children’s book submissions from non Australian authors.

They have good national and international distribution. You can get a good feel for their staff experience here.

They only accept submissions on the first Monday of each month. Note that submissions received outside this window will not be assessed.

To get a better feel for what they specifically publish, visit their catalogue here.

Submissions must be made by email. Make sure to carefully review all their requirements before you submit.

If you have not heard back from them in six months, assume rejection.

To read their full submission guidelines, go here.

Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2020 Guide to Manuscript Publishers.

Seaborne is a new literary magazine. Their first issue, released in May of this year, was published as a paid digital download that features the work of over 50 contributors. The issue also includes sea-themed artwork.

Right now through July 31, Seaborne is seeking submissions for their second issue, themed “Storms, Omens, & Monsters.” Submissions should respond to this theme and should be about the ocean. Submitting authors can expect a response within about three weeks.

Authors of fiction may submit one short story, 2,000 to 5,000 words, or up to two flashes, 300 words or fewer. Although Seaborne accepts all forms and styles of fiction, they prefer folklore, gothic fiction, fabulism, magical realism, and weird or mysterious stories.

Authors of creative nonfiction may submit one piece, 800 to 1,500 words. Seaborne does not publish journalistic nonfiction. They are looking for personal essays, nature writing, historical nonfiction, travel writing, and true stories.

Poets may submit up to three poems, forty lines or fewer. Seaborne is looking for evocative, brave poetry.

All submissions must be written with UK grammar and spelling and must follow the manuscript formatting guidelines Seaborne has posted online.

Seaborne accepts submissions via email, not through an online submission manager or by post. They accept simultaneous submissions but ask that authors withdraw work published elsewhere. They do not accept previously published work, but they will consider work published on personal blogs or personal social media accounts.

Seaborne only accepts submissions that adhere to the guidelines they’ve posted online. The editors have taken care to provide detailed descriptions of their aesthetic preferences. Please read these guidelines in full before submitting.

If you would like to learn more or submit to Seaborne, 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.

Escape Artists: PodCastle
PodCastle publishes fantasy short fiction on their website, and in an audio format. They are open to all sub-genres of fantasy, from magical realism to urban fantasy to slipstream to high fantasy. Fantastical or non-real content should be meaningful to the story. They also accept reprints.
Reading period: 1-30 July 2021 (see schedule)
Length: Up to 6,000 words
Pay: $0.08/word
Details here.
(Another pro-paying speculative magazine open this month is
Cossmass Infinities, which accepts submissions during the first week of every month, alternating between all authors and underrepresented ones; during 1-7 July, they’re reading submissions from underrepresented writers – details here.)

Virginia Quarterly Review
This prestigious literary magazine publishes literary fiction, nonfiction, including reviews, and poetry. They are not interested in genre fiction. For nonfiction, they want literary, art, and cultural criticism, reportage, historical and political analysis, and travel essays. They publish few author interviews or memoirs. “In general, we are looking for nonfiction that looks out on the world, rather than within the self.”
Reading period: 1-31 July 2021
Length: 3,500-8,000 words for fiction; 3,500-9,000 words for nonfiction; 2,000-2,400 words for book reviews
Pay: $1,000 and up for fiction; about $0.25/word for nonfiction (higher for investigative reporting – see guidelines); $200/poem, up to $1,000; $500 for book reviews; $100-200 for online content
Details here.

New Myths
They publish speculative fiction of every kind, except graphic horror. They also accept nonfiction, poems, reviews (query first), and artwork with speculative fiction themes.
Deadline: 31 July 2021
Length: Up to 10,000 words for fiction and nonfiction; up to 5 poems of any length
Pay: 1.5c/word for prose and poetry; $30 for reviews; $60+ for art
Details here.

Flash Frog
This is a new online journal of flash fiction. Their website says, “We like our stories like we like our dart frogs: small, brightly colored, and deadly to the touch.” Each story is accompanied by original artwork. They read work year-round; send one story at a time.
Deadline: Ongoing
Length: Up to 1,000 words
Pay: $25
Details here.

Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She is the author of 182 Short Fiction Publishers. She can be reached here.

Chapbooks are a short collections of poetry or prose, typically 20 to 50 pages in length. They are sometimes referred to as pamphlets or booklets. Shorter still are micro-chapbooks, usually less than 10 pages in length. Traditionally published chapbooks often have a consistent theme where the poems or short prose pieces are connected in a specific way to create a cohesive collection. For example, my first self-published chapbook was a collaboration of my poems with my children’s artwork, my second was published for a 30 poems in 30 days contest, and my third was a collection of response poems.

There are benefits to self-publishing a chapbook to promote your work, whether you intend to traditionally publish in the future or not. Some benefits include a much quicker turnaround time, the ability to print as many as you need or can sell, and complete creative control. Keep in mind that once you self-publish a collection, most presses will not accept submissions of the exact same collection, since it is now considered previously published. 

To self-publish your own chapbook, you can create your own at home with a printer, have it printed at a copy shop or commercial printer, publish it electronically online on your own blog or web site in-page or as a downloadable PDF, or use a free digital publishing platform, such as Issuu or Flipsnack.

You can also create your chapbook using software (Word, Google Docs, etc.) and then have a local copy shop print and staple them. You can purchase your own saddle stapler that allows you to do your own saddle staples and print copies at home on an inkjet printer.

If you prefer to sell your books on Amazon or other store websites, there are several publishers who specialize in on-demand and other self-publishing. Keep in mind these are not vanity presses, who may charge you much more to “publish” your book. This is a great article on self-publishing with a list and links: 12 Best Self-Publishing Companies.

If you need help putting together your chapbook file to print some yourself or to have them printed, check out these helpful sites:

• Poetry Pamphlet DIY: How to Create Your Own Chapbook – great article with info on how to select the right poems, putting the poems in order, and preparing the manuscript
• How to Make a Chapbook via Shadow Poetry – all the basics and some great tips
• Poetry Chapbook Template in Office365  – template for how to setup a booklet style chapbook in Microsoft Word
• How to Make a Booklet in Word – instructions for setting of Microsoft Word to print a chapbook
• How to Make a Chapbook – An Illustrated, Step-by-Step Guide – directions with photos on how to sew your own saddle-stitched chapbook
• DIY: 8-Panel Chapbooks – directions to making 8-page chapbooks with photos
• DIY Five-Step Chapbooks – directions for making chapbooks that includes downloadable templates
• DIY Kettle Stitch Bookbinding Tutorial – video on how to stitch together a larger-sized book

Lastly, if you do want to submit to a press to get your chapbook published instead of self-publishing, note that most chapbooks are published by presses via contests and do typically require a fee of $10 – $25. Research each market thoroughly and make sure submitting is worth the fee. Many will provide prize money along with several copies of the chapbook for you to sell and otherwise promote your work. Click here for my list of 20 NO FEE Chapbook Publishers.

The Poetry Society of America provides a list of Chapbook Publishers on their Resources page with links and Writer’s Relief has tips on how to win a poetry chapbook contest.

Read more about chapbooks

• What is a Chapbook + 8 Chapbook Publishers via Authors Publish
• Poetry chapbook reviews/promotion – The Poetry Cafe
• What are Chapbooks and Why You Should Read Them via Book Riot
• Poets Helping Poets: What Makes a Great Chapbook? via Writers Digest
• What’s the Difference? Chapbooks vs. Full-Length Poetry Collections via Tell Tell Poetry

Bio: Trish Hopkinson is a poet, blogger, and advocate for the literary arts. You can find her online at SelfishPoet.com where she shares submission calls and publication tips. She resides in Utah, where she runs the nonprofit group Rock Canyon Poets and curates the Poetry Happens series for KRCL 90.9 FM.