How to Find Publishers

The pursuing station was first published successful 2011 and is regularly updated to see caller resources.

If you person a book thought aliases a manuscript, 1 of your first questions is probably:

How do I find a publisher?

Or, if you’re much precocious successful your knowledge of book publishing, you whitethorn ask:

How do I find a literate agent?

The bully news: there’s nary shortage of resources for researching publishers and agents. The bad news: you tin easy walk hours going down nan rabbit spread of disposable information.

For years (since 1920), nan astir broad assets successful nan United States was nan yearly Writer’s Market. It utilized to beryllium accessible and searchable online via paid subscription, but nary more. The astir caller people version came retired successful autumn 2021 and it’s nary longer released annually. Currently, nan champion online database for researching publishers is Duotrope.

Some of nan resources I mention beneath connection useful features specified arsenic submission trackers, organization connection boards, and stats generated by users—which tin beryllium conscionable arsenic useful arsenic nan listings themselves.

Here’s a summary of nan astir well-known and celebrated places to find publishers and agents. If I’m missing an important resource, contact me.

Where to Find Publishers

Be alert that astir New York book publishers do not judge unagented submissions, truthful sometimes “searching for a publisher” really intends uncovering an supplier (see adjacent list).

• Jeff Herman’s guide. This is simply a well-established print-only competitor to Writer’s Market, assembled by a literate supplier and updated each truthful often.
• Duotrope ($). You’ll find thousands of listings successful this online database, pinch an accent connected literate journals, magazines, and online publications, galore of which don’t pay. (E.g., they person much than 2,000 listings for markets that judge flash fiction, but less markets for full-length novels.) But they do see a sizable number of agents, publishers, contests, and anthologies.
• QueryTracker. Free to start, pinch premium ($) levels—but much supplier listings than patient listings.
• The Association of University Presses publishes a taxable grid of assemblage presses and nan subjects they publish. This is simply a valuable assets for uncovering an world publisher—albeit 1 that’s not been updated since 2021. (Thanks to John Warren for nan tip.)
• Manuscript Wish List. Editors and agents often station connected societal media what benignant of books they’re actively seeking. This tract aggregates those mentions. (However, this tract is not endorsed by nan supplier who started Manuscript Wish List; the charismatic tract is here.)
• Submission Grindr. Free, focused connected subject fabrication & fantasy.
• Poets & Writers. Free database of mini presses that are champion for literate novelists, poets, short communicative writers, and truthful on. Use pinch caution; galore of nan listings are retired of date.
• New Pages. This is simply a curated database of markets celebrated pinch imaginative penning programs and instructors; it’s a bully spot to spell if you’re publishing short stories, poems, and essays.

Where to Find Agents

Many of nan aforesaid resources that connection patient listings besides database agents. But location are a mates of resources that are unsocial and irreplaceable erstwhile conducting an supplier search.

• PublishersMarketplace. Pricey ($25/month), but if you hunt the deals database astatine this website, you tin study what books agents have sold going backmost to 2001, by class and keyword.
• AALA (Association of American Literary Agents). This is nan charismatic rank statement for literate agents. Not each agents are members of nan AALA, but it’s not a bad spot to cheque if you want immoderate reassurance connected nan professionalism of your agent.
• Duotrope ($). See above.
• Manuscript Wish List. See above.
• Jeff Herman’s guide. See above.
• QueryTracker. See above.

Other adjuvant listings

• The Big, Big List of Indie Publishers and Small Presses
• Literistic: fantabulous assets for contests
• The Christian Writers Market Guide
• For UK writers: Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook
• Australian Writer’s Marketplace

For much information

• Start Here: How to Get Published
• How to Find a Literary Agent

Want personification to investigation agents and publishers for you?

• Check retired Copy Write Consultants.