Stillhouse Press publishes surprising, gutsy fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that can’t or doesn’t want to find a home in big publishing. We are drawn to the strange, the unconventional, the transcendent, the risky. We’re looking for work that pushes boundaries.
As a student and alumni-led teaching press, our primary aim is to provide educational opportunity through applied experience in the art of craft publishing — student staff are responsible for acquiring, producing, and marketing work from independent authors in the course of their professional education, allowing them to forge lasting professional relationships and step out with confidence into the greater literary community.
Stillhouse Press accepts new manuscript submissions between November and March of each academic year. Check our website and social media for updates on when we will open.
For all submissions to Stillhouse Press, the following guidelines apply:
- Only complete, full-length manuscripts will be considered for publication. Please refer to individual call guidelines for our ideal wordcounts in prose, poetry and hybrid work.
- Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Please notify us as soon as possible if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
Submitted manuscripts should include:
- a word count in the top right corner of the first page.
- a cover letter with a short synopsis or overview of the work. Authors are also encouraged to share information about their writing background, online presence, involvement with the writing community, and inspiration for their submission.
- an acknowledgements page at the beginning or end of the manuscript.
At this time we do not consider:
- Agented submissions.
- AI-generated prose.
- Previously published or forthcoming manuscripts.
- Work from writers currently or recently affiliated with George Mason University’s Creative Writing MFA/BFA programs.
For more information about Stillhouse Press and our submission guidelines, please visit our website: www.stillhousepress.org
Diversity & Inclusion
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 submissions@stillhousepress.org.
For our current prose submission period, we will be accepting NOVELS. We love to read seriously fun, surprising, and gutsy literature that is unafraid to push boundaries of all kinds. Novels with speculative elements, warped perceptions, blended genres, absurd plots, irreverent voices, and new perspectives can find a home with Stillhouse Press.
At this time, we are only considering novel and hybrid novel submissions. No short story collections, flash collections, or nonfiction should be submitted through this portal.
If you think your work’s not commercial enough for big publishing, send it our way. If you think it’s too commercial for small presses, send it anyway! Whatever you’re writing, we’re looking for good novels, period. If you have one, send it!
We seek manuscripts between 50,000 and 100,000 words. Works with longer word counts may be considered, but they will need to be exceptional.
If you have a novel to submit , don’t wait! We will remain open for novel submissions until February 1st or until we receive 300 submissions.
Guidelines:
- Only complete, full-length manuscripts will be considered for publication. Manuscripts should be between 50,000 and 100,000 words.
- Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Please notify us as soon as possible if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
- All attachments should be in either PDF or Word.doc formats.
- All work must be original. Translations will not be accepted.
- Submissions will only be accepted through Submittable. Paper and email submissions are not accepted. If you have any questions, please use the contact form on our website.
- There is a $5 fee/submission for regular submissions. We offer fee-free submissions for authors who have a financial need. Fee waivers can be requested via email to submissions@stillhousepress.org
Submitted manuscripts should include:
- a word count in the top right corner of the first page.
- a cover letter with a short synopsis or overview of the work. Authors are also encouraged to share information about their writing background, online presence, involvement with the writing community, and inspiration for their submission.
- an acknowledgements page at the beginning or end of the manuscript.
*Stillhouse Press does not accept agented manuscripts. Writers who are currently represented by agents are eligible to submit, but submitted manuscripts must be unrepresented at the time of submission.
Stillhouse Press will be accepting book-length poetry manuscripts for publication (50-75 pages). We are dedicated to pushing boundaries, with a focus on providing a home for works with a conscientious and empathetic eye. Send us your poetry collections with all their artistry still intact.
General Guidelines
- Submit full-length manuscripts between 50-75 pages, paginated consecutively with a table of contents.
- We are happy to consider simultaneous submissions, but we ask that you withdraw immediately if the collection is published elsewhere.
- We will consider original works only. We will not be accepting works in translation. At this time, we can only consider work written in English.
- We do not accept agented manuscripts.
- Submissions will only be accepted through Submittable. Paper and email submissions are not accepted. If you have any questions, please use the contact form on our website.
- There is a $5 fee/submission for regular submissions. We offer fee-free submissions for authors who have a financial need. Fee waivers can be requested via email to submissions@stillhousepress.org
Formatting Guidelines
- Please include a cover letter including a short synopsis or overview of the work.
- Include a cover page with a clear title of the work, with a word count in the top right corner of the first page.
- Please include an acknowledgements page.
- Please proofread and send us polished, completed work. Submit as a Microsoft Word or a .pdf file.