12 Feminist Publishers - No agent required

New Woman by Frances Benjamin Johnston - Wikimedia Commons

Updated 4/4/24

Although there are many women authors, publishing is a man's world. In 2017, Quartz examined literary prizes in the US and found that since 1950, only a quarter have gone to women. What's more, author Nicola Griffith discovered that from 2000 to 2015, not one of the 15 Pulitzer Prize-winning books were written from the point of view of a woman or girl, regardless of who wrote them. In same period, eight of the 15 Pulitzers were given to male novelists who wrote books about men or boys.

To compensate for the domination of the male voice in the publishing world, a number of houses have sprung up that cater exclusively to women writers. The majority are feminist, meaning they represent a female perspective. Most of these are small presses, which means they rarely offer advances. All offer royalties. None require an agent.

Note: For a list of over 150 publishers accepting work directly from writers, no agent required, see: Publishers Accepting Unagented Manuscripts. Also see: 40 Feminist and Women's Publications That Pay Writers

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Aqueduct Press publishes works of feminist science fiction as well as works about feminist science fiction or of particular interest to readers of feminist science fiction. "We are interested in seeing feminist sf novels of any length; for our Conversation Pieces series, we are interested in original novellas, poetry, and prose work of every kind at lengths ranging from 20,000-35,000 words. Please send a query to info[at]aqueductpress.com before sending us nonfiction or a collection of short fiction." Read guidelines HERE. Has submission periods.

Aunt Lute Books is a nonprofit multicultural women’s press based in San Francisco. "For over thirty years, we have been publishing literature that voices the perspectives of women from a broad range of communities. We have published a number of well-known feminist and lesbian authors, including Paula Gunn Allen, Gloria Anzaldúa, Judy Grahn, LeAnne Howe, Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz, Audre Lorde, and Alice Walker." They seek manuscripts, both fiction and nonfiction, by women from a variety of cultures, ethnic backgrounds and subcultures. Read guidelines HERE.

Bedazzled Ink is a press that exclusively publishes work by women authors. They are dedicated to literary fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books that celebrate the unique and under-represented voices of women and books about women. Read guidelines HERE.

BLF Press is an independent Black feminist press dedicated to amplifying the work of women of color. "We strive to create a space for forward thinking, creative women of exceptional talent.  We embrace difference, and envision BLF Press as an outlet for the expression of various types of writing that exemplify the experiences of women of color in the United States." They are especially interested in literary fiction and short story collections. Read guidelines HERE. Has submission periods.

Caitlin Press was established in 1977 by Carolyn Zonailo as a feminist literary press. In the 1980s, Caitlin Press expanded its mandate to that of a BC literary press. Their focus is mainly on topics concerning or by writers from the BC Interior and stories about and by BC women. In a normal year they publish twelve to fourteen books, most of which are regional non-fiction (e.g. pioneer history or exploration, industry, politics, guide books, contemporary creative non fiction). The remaining titles are literary selections such as a works of fiction, short fiction, poetry or prose. Read guidelines HERE.

Clash Press is looking for strong voices & POVs in any genre. Fiction, nonfiction, & poetry. "Especially looking for unique voices of female identifying & POC from all over the world. CLASH Books is about global perspectives, contrasts, & juxtapositions." (There is literally no other information about submissions on their site.) Read guidelines HERE. Has submission periods.

Dorothy is an award-winning feminist press dedicated to works of fiction or near fiction or about fiction. "Each fall, we publish two new books simultaneously. We work to pair books that draw upon different aesthetic traditions, because a large part of our interest in literature lies in its possibilities, its endless stylistic and formal variety. Dorothy books are available through most major retail channels, but we offer special sales on titles purchased together through this website, to encourage readers to approach them as a conversation (a project)." Has submission periods. Read guidelines HERE.

The Feminist Press is an educational nonprofit organization founded to advance women's rights and amplify feminist perspectives. FP publishes classic and new writing from around the world, creates cutting-edge programs, and elevates silenced and marginalized voices in order to support personal transformation and social justice for all people. They publish fiction and nonfiction. No poetry, drama, doctoral dissertations, or literary criticism. Read guidelines HERE. Has submission periods.

Honno publishes Welsh women writers – for the purposes of submission to Honno this means that you must be a woman born in Wales or resident in Wales at the time of submission. Honno also publishes titles of exceptional interest to women within Wales from writers who may not meet the first two criteria i.e. that they are female and that they are of Welsh birth or residence. They publish full length works of fiction and non-fiction for adults (manuscripts of between 60,000 and 120,000 words). Honno is open to all genres of fiction and is particularly interested in increasing the number of literary fiction, crime/thriller, commercial women’s fiction, science fiction and fantasy titles it publishes. Honno is also building a list of non-fiction works to include biography (untold tales of remarkable Welsh women, places and industries), memoir, nature and travel writing. Read guidelines HERE.

Inanna Publications and Education Inc. (Canada) was founded in 1978 with the goal of making current writing and research on a wide variety of feminist topics accessible to the largest possible community of women. "We welcome fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and essays on ideas, society, politics, culture and the arts that speak to the diverse lives of women around the world. While we do not restrict our always-expanding sense of what makes a contribution "feminist" -- we strive for a presentation of different perspectives -- we will not publish writing that is sexist, racist, homophobic or in any other way discriminatory or harmful to women." Read guidelines HERE. (Has submission periods)

Second Story Press is a Canadian feminist press publishing books of special interest to women. Their list is a mix of fiction, non-fiction, and books for young readers. They look for manuscripts dealing with the many diverse and varied aspects of the lives of girls and women, as well as social justice, diversity, and children's empowerment. They not publish poetry, short story collections, traditional romance novels, rhyming picture books, or books with anthropomorphized animals. Canadian authors only. Read guidelines HERE.

Women’s Press is Canada’s oldest English language feminist publisher. For over forty years, Women’s Press has played an integral role in the proliferation of high-quality Canadian writing in the fields of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies. Scholarly nonfiction only. Read guidelines HERE.