60+ Fantasy Publishers

Last Updated 24th February 2021. If you’re looking for a list of fantasy publishers to send your manuscript to, you’ve found the right place. Below, you can find a growing list of them. Many don’t require an agent, so you can get submitting right away.

You’d be surprised at the number of opportunities fantasy and science fiction authors—published or unpublished—have nowadays when it comes to submitting their work for consideration. As you’ll see in the list below, there is a thriving community of small independent fantasy publishers releasing fantastic fiction and competing with the big guns like Penguin, Harper Collins and Tor.

What many of these brilliant fantasy indie presses offer is an opportunity. The world of writing and publishing is incredibly competitive. Booker Prize winners have spoken of how they were rejected over 30+ times before getting a publishing deal. JK Rowling famously suffered scores of rejections for Harry Potter.

Great writing doesn’t always guarantee a publishing deal.

For many of us, the prospect of finding fantasy publishers can sometimes feel tougher than defeating the Balrog with nothing but a teaspoon.

Long waits between submission responses can be wearisome. The rejection letters can be heartbreaking. It may put you off book publishing for good. But when you finally land that deal and find someone excited to publish your fantasy novel, the feeling’s incredible.

But looking for book publishing companies, book publishers online or in a writing handbook is a tedious task. It takes time too, and for most of us, time is a luxury we just don’t enjoy.

You may also wonder whether going straight for a publisher is the best thing to do. Should you send your book out to literary agents first? Or should you just skip the hunt altogether, giving up on the likes of Harper Collins and Penguin Books, and just self-publish with the likes of Amazon Kindle (KDP) or Ingramspark?

Self-publishing has changed massively in the last few years, and the negative stigma attached to it is waning. You can search the web for some of the best self-publishing companies to help you in the same way a traditional publisher would, thereby levelling the playing field to a certain extent.

There really is no right answer. Whatever you feel most comfortable and happy with is the best path for you. You might not want to wait for months to hear back from a literary agent or fantasy publisher.

Below, you can find my list of fantasy novel publishers, and beneath that, some further guidance on the fantasy publishing world.

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You won’t just get the list, but two books and a list of fantasy magazines and journals too.

List of Fantasy Publishers

Glossary – Fantasy Publishers List

It’s worth familiarizing yourself with the definitions of some of the words used above and in the publishing industry as a whole:

• Unsolicited submissions – this means you don’t need to be represented by an agent to submit your manuscript. This is also known as ‘no agent required.’
• Solicited submissions – the opposite to unsolicited submissions, you need to have an agent to submit your manuscript on your behalf.
• Indie press – a small, independent publishing house.
• Royalties – a percentage you would be given for every sale of your book, as well as other associated merchandise. The level of royalties differs between the likes of the industry standard (larger publishing houses), to lower percentages offered by smaller presses.
• Advance – a payment made by a publisher in advance of revenue they expect you to generate down the line.

How To Get A Fantasy Book Published

The first consideration is the word count. If you’re looking to get your novel published it’s important to meet a publisher’s guidelines. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is wordcount.

It’s recognised in the industry that publishers seek shorter works from debut novelists, say between 80,000 and 100,000 words. However, it all depends on the quality of the book and the publisher’s belief in its ability to sell it. From their perspective, a reader is less likely to fork out their hard-earned cash on a weighty tome, but they may take a chance on a shorter one. Printing costs are also a factor. Longer books cost more to print. Publishers are all about weighing up risks and rewards.

Another thing to consider is where the publisher is based. UK fantasy publishers may have different guidelines and preferences to US fantasy publishers, for instance. You could have differences over dictionary usage and whatnot.

Spending some time to research each publisher is also imperative. Before working on your cover letter and submission pack, you’re going to want to check to see if this particular publisher appreciates your kind of story. It might be worthwhile shortlisting suitable publishers for dark fantasy publishers, for example. Likewise, depending on your fantasy subgenre you can list the likes of urban fantasy publishers too. The trick is to take a targeted approach.

Some may specialise in publishing fantasy, whereas others may have another focus, such as being a publisher of science fiction. However, there’s a bit of an overlap between the two genres, so be sure to do your research. Indeed, many of those on this list are science fiction publishers too.

Another thing to do is to familiarise yourself with the terminology used. Most fantasy novel publishers on the list below are open to submissions from everyone, referred to as unsolicited submissions. A few of the major book publishing companies require you to have a literary agent, with submissions made through the agent. This is known as solicited submissions.

Some fantasy publishers only accept submissions during certain times of the year, so it’d be worth making a note of those windows.

Narrowing Your Focus

With so many fantasy publishers around, it can be tempting to gear yourself up to send your manuscript out to every single one.

If you’re playing a numbers game, that could work. But there’s another approach you can take. A more focused one.

Instead of blindly distributing and hoping, it pays to spend time doing your research. Find the right fantasy book publisher for you and your masterpiece. Someone who’s going to appreciate it. Someone who knows the market and how to reach those types of readers.

For example, if you’ve written an epic fantasy book in every sense of the word, it’s probably going to be a waste of time to send it to a bunch of urban fantasy publishers. They’ll see the word ‘epic’ and consign it to the virtual trashcan.

So instead, try researching your fantasy book publishers. You may have more success.

How Much Do Publishers Pay For Fantasy Books?

You may have heard of what major book publishing companies offer to writers when they read a book of theirs they like. 6-way bidding wars with astronomical figures. You’ll see this with fantasy publishers like Tor Books, Orbit Books, the Hachette Book Group and MacMillan Publishing.

However, not every fantasy publisher has such financial weight to throw about to buy that wonderful fantasy book of yours.

Each fantasy publisher offers different payments depending on their stature. Most on the list offer royalties. From what I’ve read on their websites, none ask you to contribute financially toward publication, though you may have to do more self-promotion. I advise against working with a publisher who asks you to front your own cash.

From reading the submission guidelines of all of these publishers, the same rules crop up. The best advice I can give is to stick to them. It can be a pain in the arse having to re-format your manuscript each and every time, but it’s worth it.

Fantasy Publishers Accepting Submissions In 2021

You may wonder what the state of publishing is like at the moment, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Well sadly, despite reading growing in popularity with everyone being gifted with more time, a few fantasy book publishers have fallen. With people’s purse strings a little tighter with sudden unemployment foisted upon them, sales have been slow for some. And with costs not decreasing it’s forced closure on a few book publishers. Fantasy as a genre, though, remains strong.

New presses and publishing houses have opened and there are lots of fantasy publishers accepting submissions at the moment.

So while the coronavirus has provided us with many setbacks and heartache, it’s not all doom and gloom in the world of writing, and it shouldn’t put a dent in your hopes of finding a fantasy book publisher.

Get More Help Finding Fantasy Publishers

If you’d like more help and support with finding fantasy publishers or staying up to date with the latest calls for submissions, why not join my online writing group? It’s exclusive to those who join my community of writers and it’s a terrific place to share your writing, discuss ideas and build friendships.

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Other Resources On Fantasy Publishing

Thanks for stopping by and browsing this list of fantasy publishers. I hope you find the one you’re looking for. If you’re looking for more help, you’ll be able to find a few more guides and resources below.

• A Guide to Cover Letters – a guide on how to write cover letters, with details on letters for short stories and fantasy novels.
• A Guide to Formatting A Manuscript – a comprehensive guide on formatting your manuscripts prior to submission.
• List of Fantasy Magazines – short stories can be a great way to get your name out there and build your writing resume. This list of fantasy magazines will help you achieve that.
• List of Book Reviewers – once your novel is out it’ll need reviews. This will help you on that front.
• A Guide to Publishing from the University of Chicago
• How To Get Into The Publishing Industry

Fantasy Publishers FAQ

Below, you can find the answers to some questions I see frequently asked when it comes to fantasy publishing.

Thanks for checking out my list of fantasy publishers. I hope you’ve found it useful.

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