OPEN SEASON: Summer Indie Submissions

It must be summer because indie presses are opening up their inboxes as if to say, “Come one, come all.” A number of well-respected presses have opened up unsolicited submissions in what has become an open season for authors seeking a home in the months and years to follow. I’m counting at least six indies seeking your work.

What are you waiting for?

It’s summer; let’s get submitting.

Civil Coping Mechanisms will begin their second Mainline contest. For one week, entries are encouraged and will be read upon receipt. The top five ranking manuscripts are announced at the end of every day. On the seventh day, the winner is announced alongside honorable mentions. It’s a veritable reality TV show broadcast via social media. Mainline begins June 23rd, 2014. At that time, entries can be sent to ccmmainline@gmail.com.

Caketrain has opened up submissions for its annual competition. Judged by Peter Markus, entries placed between now and October 1st, will be eligible for consideration of publication in Caketrain’s renown catalog, which consists of authors like Sarah Rose Etter, Ben Mirov, AT Grant, and Ryan Call. If interested, follow this link to enter.

Publishing Genius’s Adam Robinson has been one of the best literary citizens since the dawn of his then fledgling press. Since then, Publishing Genius has given birth to Everyday Genius, a daily journal of fiction and poetry, alongside publishing authors like Shane Jones, Melissa Broder, Mike Young, Gabe Durhan, Spencer Madsen, and more. Publishing Genius has opened up submissions for full-length manuscripts through June 30th. If interested, click here.

That’s right, Black Ocean is open for submissions throughout the month of June. This is the same Black Ocean that has published authors like Zachary Schomburg, Elsa Gabbert, Aase Berg, and Rauan Klassnik. Typically limited to select manuscripts throughout the year, Black Ocean is open, waiting for your latest, your best. This is truly an opportunity. If interested, click here to submit.

Brooklyn Arts Press is devoted to publishing poetry books, lyrical fiction, short fiction, novels, chapbooks, art monographs, essays, translations, & nonfiction by emerging artists. These artists have included Bill Rasmovicz, Paige Taggart, and Heather Morgan, and your name could be in the mix if you send your manuscript. Brooklyn Arts submissions are open throughout the month of June.

One of the spunkiest presses this side of alt lit, Plain Wrap Press is open to submissions throughout the months of June and July. Plain Wrap has published some of the best in the budding world of online-centric literature; with names such as Janey Smith, Matthew Sherling, Kalliopi Mathios, and Andrea Kneeland, nothing is considered “too different” and “too weird” for this press.

Les Figues Press has opened up submissions for their 2014 edition of NOS (not otherwise specified) Contest. Judged by Fanny Howe, the contest, as well as the press-at-large, is known for publishing some of the best in experimental forms. The contest is open for submissions throughout the summer, ending on September 15th so get those manuscripts in order and click here to submit.