5 Publishers that Accept Unagented Romance & Other Genre Novels
There’s a reason genre fiction is called popular fiction. Those who love genre fiction, from thriller to romance to horror and fantasy, are among the most loyal and voracious readers. If you are a genre novelist without a literary agent, check out the following small presses that welcome unagented submissions.
Choc Lit Publishing
There is no other publisher with a name more delicious than Choc Lit! Naturally, it is seeking yummy romances, especially with “heroes as irresistible as rich chocolate.” Your finished and polished manuscript must be at least 60,000 words long. You must fill out an electronic form to submit initial information about your work.
Learn more about Choc Lit Publishing’s submission guidelines.
Sourcebooks (Casablanca Imprint)
Sourcebooks, based in Illinois, doesn’t accept unagented novels except for romance submissions. The publisher’s Casablanca imprint is seeking single titles with a word count of 85,000 to 100,000 words. It will consider all the romance subgenres: paranormal, suspense, contemporary, historical, and erotic.
Learn more about Sourcebooks’s romance submission guidelines.
Boroughs Publishing
Boroughs Publishing specializes in women’s fiction and romance. It welcomes both agented and unagented submissions in these subcategories: contemporary, erotica, fantasy, historical, LGBT, new adult, suspense/thrillers, paranormal, and young adult. Published authors may submit the first three chapters; unpublished authors must submit finished manuscripts only.
Learn more about Boroughs Publishing’s submission guidelines.
Canterbury House
If your story has a Southeastern United States setting, Canterbury House is interested! The Florida-based publisher accepts romance, mystery, and suspense (but not spy thrillers), as well as memoirs and inspirational novels with regional appeal.
Read more about how to submit to Canterbury House.
Swoon Reads
Swoon Reads accepts young adult manuscripts from unagented writers. Its submission process involves reader ratings and comments from readers and other writers within the Swoon Reads community. All YA subgenres are welcome: romance, historical, contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, etc. Swoon Reads is owned by Macmillan, a Big 5 publisher.
Read more about how to submit to Swoon Reads.
Read other stories about genre fiction submissions:
3 HarperCollins Digital Imprints Accept Unagented & Unsolicited Submissions
Small Presses: 3 Publishers Accept Fiction and Nonfiction Submissions
Digital Imprints Owned by Big 5 Publishers Accept Genre Fiction