Are you ready to publish your book but not sure where to start? Knowing the best way to get your book into the hands of your readers can be like walking through a maze. There are so many different paths to take that the process can feel overwhelming.
The good news is that there’s more than one path to get you to the finish line.
At selfpublishing.com it’s no secret that we believe self-publishing is the best way to go when it comes to creative control, faster turnaround times, and more money in your pocket; however, we understand that sometimes other avenues of publishing make more sense.
Below, you’ll find an alphabetized list of book publishers for first-time authors. When searching for the best one, look for one that’s easy to work with, has a user-friendly platform, and offers extra resources to make your publishing journey easy to navigate.
Take the time to look at the fine print. It will be worth the effort in the long run.
Start here: Navigating this list of book publishers
Before you reach out to anyone on this list (or beyond this list), it’s a good idea to be prepared.
Try to know all or most of the following:
Your book audience
Your book isn’t for everyone, so learn your audience and solidify your book positioning. It will not only help you write a great book but will also give you insight into the best way to market to them.
Budget
Whether large or small, knowing your budget and knowing the cost of publishing a book will help you decide how involved you can afford to be in the publishing process. Self-publishing and hybrid publishing are an upfront investment, while traditional publishing is not, but both have pros and cons which you’ll see below.
Distribution requirements
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you select the company with the best distribution options to meet your needs.
- Is your book a good fit for multiple languages and/or worldwide distribution?
- Would you prefer to sell directly to your reader?
- Do you want to be picked up in brick-and-mortar stores or is having an online presence enough?
Your time
Before you can really get an estimate for how long it will take to write your book, you need to know the genre, approximate length, and some other key components. Talking to a book strategist can help you get clarity on this part. Some other questions to ask yourself going into this process include:
It’s also important to know your goals as an author. Is it…
Expectations
- To check off “published a book” from your bucket list?
- To create an additional income stream to manage some of the “extras” that come up from time to time?
- To replace your current income and become a full-time author?
- To grow your influence as a public figure and become a keynote speaker (maybe even get a TED Talk)?
Whatever your goal for publishing, what you expect will impact the type of publishing model you should choose.
How we organized these book publishers for first-time authors
To help you make the right decision for you and your book, each publisher listing includes the following information:
Publisher type
This is going to be the avenue for publishing your book and can be broken down further into three types:
Traditional book publishers
These types of publishers are selective when it comes to which authors they’ll work with and may even have a submission period. Often, the selection is based on the types of books they publish and market fit.
Traditional publishers take control of the entire book publishing process with little input from the author. They foot the bill and will occasionally offer a book advance (prepayment against estimated books to be sold) that must be paid back when the book sells.
Hybrid book publishers
As the name suggests, this is a mixture of traditional and self-publishing.
Hybrid publishers also often have an author selection process and a specific market they serve. Unlike traditional publishers, authors invest financially in the book’s production, but like traditional publishers, hybrid publishers handle book production decisions.
According to IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association), hybrid publishers meet the following criteria:
- Define a mission and vision for its publishing program
- Vet submissions
- Commit to truth and transparency in business practices
- Provide a negotiable, easy-to-understand contract for each book published
- Publish under its own imprint(s) and ISBN number(s)
- Publish to industry standards
- Ensure editorial, design, and production quality
- Pursue and manage a range of publishing rights
- Provide distribution services
- Demonstrate respectable sales
- Pay authors a higher-than-standard royalty
Self-publishing (Aka: not using a book publisher)
When self-publishing, the author is 100% responsible for investing in the book’s production and making all final decisions associated with it. As a result, they don’t get a book advance, keep all royalties, and get to maintain all creative control over their book and related business. But that doesn’t mean they do all of that without support or help.
Self-publishers can be divided into:
- Aggregators – those who mainly handle distribution to national and global outlets
- Retailers – companies that typically handle printing, publishing, and distribution of books to their own website
- Full service – companies that offer a broad range of services from ghostwriting and editing to publishing, distribution, and PR. (This is the category selfpublishing.com fits into!)
- Author support – while not as extensive as a full-service company, they offer many of the necessary tools to prepare a book for publishing and distribution like editing, design, and educational resources.
Book categories
This includes all the genres and markets they serve – so that you can find alignment with your book.
Related: What is My Book Genre?
Submission rules
Unsolicited means the company allows you to send in queries or manuscripts without an invitation or request. This is a great fit for first-time authors who often don’t have agents!
Services
A list of services the company offers. As you saw above, this varies from company to company. With such a long list of book publishers available for first-time authors, you have the ability to align and work with a company that suits your exact needs.
Note: for traditional publishers, we omitted this section, as they provide the publishing and marketing support needed.
The ultimate list of book publishers for first-time authors
And here it is – a helpful list of book publishers for first-time authors! Feel free to look through this list to find one that fits your needs, book genre, and publishing preference.
We’ve previously reviewed some of these here at selfpublishing.com. For those publishers, you’ll find a link to our honest reviews to provide even more support.
Related: List of Indie Book Publishers
1. Albert Whitman & Company
Type: Traditional
Categories: Children’s picture books, middle-grade fiction, young adult fiction
Submissions: Unsolicited
2. Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)
Type: Self-publisher (retailer)
Categories: all
Services: printing, publishing, distribution
Related: Read our guide to Amazon KDP here!
3. Angry Robot
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Sci-fi, fantasy
Submissions: Unsolicited (specific time windows)
4. Apple Books
Type: Self-publisher (retailer)
Categories: All genres
Services: eBook publishing and distribution
5. Archway Publishing
Type: Self-publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple sub-genres)
Services: Editorial, design, production, and distribution
6. Avon Impulse
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Romance, new adult fiction
Submissions: Unsolicited
Note: Avon was acquired and is owned by the traditional publisher HarperCollins.
7. B & N Press
Type: Self-publisher (retailer)
Categories: All genres
Services: Book printing, publishing, and distribution
8. Baen Books
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Sci-fi and fantasy
Submissions: Unsolicited (specific times)
9. Balboa Press
Type: Self-publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple genres)
Services: Editorial, design, and book marketing
10. Beacon Press
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Nonfiction books
Submissions: Unsolicited (specific times)
From the website: “an independent publisher of serious non-fiction. Our books often change the way readers think about fundamental issues; they promote such values as freedom of speech and thought; diversity, religious pluralism, and anti-racism; and respect for diversity in all areas of life.”
11. Black Inc.
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple genres)
Submissions: Unsolicited (Australian authors only)
12. Black & White Publishing
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Nonfiction, children’s books
Submissions: Unsolicited
13. BookBaby
Type: Self-publisher (aggregator)
Categories: All genres
Services: Full publishing packages available
14. BookCouture
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: All types of fiction novels (multiple sub-genres)
Submissions: Unsolicited
15. Charlesbridge
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Primary books for children, adult nonfiction, young adult fiction, puzzle books
Submissions: Unsolicited
16. Chicago Review Press
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple sub-genres)
Submissions: Unsolicited
17. Chronicle Books
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Children’s books, nonfiction adult trade
Submissions: Unsolicited
18. Coffee House Press
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Literary fiction, poetry books, essays
Submissions: Unsolicited
19. DAW
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Sci-fi, fantasy
Submissions: Unsolicited (specific times)
20. Draft2Digital
Type: Self-publisher (aggregator)
Categories: All
Services: Printing, publishing, and distribution
Related: Our Smashwords vs Draft2Digital Review
21. Dzanc Books
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Literary fiction
Submissions: Unsolicited (specific times)
22. Felony & Mayhem
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Fiction mystery novels & fiction book series
Submissions: Unsolicited
23. Five Star
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Fiction – mystery, western
Submissions: Unsolicited
24. Flashlight Press
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Children’s picture books
Submissions: Unsolicited
25. Free Spirit Publishing
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Nonfiction and education – teaching strategies, professional development, early childhood, gifted and special needs non-fiction books for children, teens, parents, educators, and counselors
Submissions: Unsolicited (specific times)
For additional categories and genres (there are plenty!), visit their submissions page.
26. Graywolf Press
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction
Submissions: Unsolicited
27. Hera
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Contemporary fiction – crime, thriller, romance, dark romance, saga
Submissions: Unsolicited
28. Holiday House
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Children’s books
Submissions: Unsolicited
29. Hybrid Global Publishing
Type: Hybrid publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple sub-genres)
Services: Editing, design, distribution, and marketing
30. IngramSpark
Type: Self-publisher (aggregator)
Categories: All genres
Services: Book printing, publishing, and distribution
31. Jollyfish Press
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Fiction (multiple sub-genres)
Submissions: Unsolicited
32. Kensington Publishing Corp.
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple sub-genres)
Submissions: Unsolicited
33. Koehler Books
Type: Traditional and hybrid publishers
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple sub-genres)
Submissions: Unsolicited
34. Manhattan Book Group
Type: Self-publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple sub-genres)
Services: Editorial, design, distribution, marketing, PR
35. Mindstir Media
Type: Self-Publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple genres)
Services: Custom packages
36. Oneworld Publishing
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Literary fiction and nonfiction
Submissions: Unsolicited (nonfiction only)
37. Persea Books
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Literary novels, creative nonfiction, essays, biographies, limited poetry, & YA titles
Submissions: Unsolicited
38. Princeton Architectural Press
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Architecture, urban planning, graphic design, visual culture, photography, craft, and gardening
Submissions: Unsolicited
39. Santa Monica Press
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Biography, memoir, film, theater, humor, music, sports, travel, YA fiction (historical fiction only), YA narrative nonfiction (both contemporary and historical narrative nonfiction)
Submissions: Unsolicited
40. Seacoast Press
Type: Self-publisher
Categories: Multiple genres
Services: Design, editing, distribution, marketing, publicity
41. selfpublishing.com
Type: Self-Publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple genres)
Services: Writing, ghostwriting, editing, production, publishing, marketing, coaching
Discover all of our services for self-published authors today!
42. Skyhorse Publishing
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple genres)
Submissions: Unsolicited (specific times)
43. SourceBooks
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction
Submissions: Unsolicited accepted for “experts in their field” only
44. StreetLib
Type: Self-publisher (aggregator)
Categories: All
Services: Printing, publishing, distribution
45. TCK Publishing
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple genres)
Submissions: Unsolicited accepted for nonfiction only (currently)
46. The Quarto Publishing Group
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Children’s books, cookbooks, gift books and other nonfiction
Submissions: Unsolicited
47. Tor/Forge
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Sci-fi, fantasy, and speculative fiction
Submissions: Unsolicited
48. Turner Publishing
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Varied
Submissions: Unsolicited
49. Union Square & Co. (Formerly Sterling Publishing)
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Fiction and nonfiction (multiple genres)
Submissions: Unsolicited
50. Vine Leaves Press
Type: Traditional Publisher
Categories: Memoirs, literary, poetry, coming of age, short stories, fiction novels (multiple genres)
Submissions: Unsolicited
Final thoughts
According to IBS World, in 2022 there were over a thousand recognized book publishing businesses in the US. As an author, it’s exciting to be a part of an industry that only seems to keep growing each year.
But even the best industry growth can include bad seeds—those who are in it to take your money and offer little to no value in return. The best way to stay away from industry predators is to do your own research.
Read reviews, ask for recommendations, talk to people in the company, and follow your gut.
Related: Vanity Publishing Scams to Avoid
For most authors, the goal of publishing a book is to share their expertise, establish thought leadership, leave a legacy, and make money in the process. This doesn’t happen with a magic wave of a wand or a click of your heels. Successful book publishing is about committing to your writing goals, having a clear plan, believing you have a book worth sharing, and sticking with it until the end.
Would you like to learn more about the book publishing process and how to find the right book publishing company for first-time authors?
We have book professionals who love to talk about book publishing. Book a no-obligation strategy call with someone from our team who can recommend the best next steps.