Milkweed Editions publishes literary fiction, nonfiction about the
natural world, poetry, and novels for young readers. Learn more about
submitting work.
OUR MISSION
Milkweed Editions is a nonprofit literary press, publishing between 15
and 20 books a year. Founded in 1979, we have published over 200 titles
and are dedicated to keeping our books in print. We read each
manuscript we receive and consider it for publication according to our
mission statement. We believe that literature is a transformative art,
and that each book bears a responsibility to convey the essential
experiences of the human heart and spirit.
We’re proud to be the publisher of many outstanding authors: Ken
Kalfus, Susan Straight, Marilyn Chin, Larry Watson, Bill Holm, Paul
Gruchow, Janisse Ray, Pattiann Rogers, and many others, including
emerging and mid-career authors. If you aren’t familiar with our books,
please click here to read about upcoming and past titles.
WHAT WE PUBLISH
Milkweed Editions publishes literary fiction, nonfiction about the natural world, poetry, and novels for young readers.
Works of fiction (novels, novellas, and short story
collections) between 150 and 400 pages. We do not publish genre
fiction, by which we mean we are not interested in romance, science
fiction, mystery, crime, or westerns.
Works of literary nonfiction that focus on the relationships
between human and natural communities. We are not interested in
manuscripts written for an academic or scientific audience.
Collections of poetry (single-author collections only, please)
that are at least 60 pages long. Please review our previous poetry
titles to get a sense for what we’re looking for in a poetry
collection. Manuscripts are read bi-annually, in the months of January
and June; manuscripts received outside of those months will be held for
the next reading period.
Books for young readers (readers between the ages of 8 and 13)
that are full-length novels between 90 and 200 pages. We do not
consider picture books or poetry collections for young readers.
HOW TO SUBMIT A MANUSCRIPT
Please include a cover letter, complete manuscript, SASE for response,
and a stamped mailer if you'd prefer to receive the manuscript back
after consideration. If you do not provide a way to return the
manuscript, we will recycle the manuscript.
If you prefer to send a proposal or query to Milkweed’s editors, please
include a cover letter, manuscript outline, sample chapter(s), SASE for
response or a stamped mailer should you prefer to receive the material
back. We are only interested in proposals that include writing samples
(i.e., sample chapters). Queries that do not include an SASE will not
receive a response. Queries and proposals can be sent to the same
address as complete manuscripts.
Please address submissions to:
Fiction Reader (or Nonfiction, Poetry, Children's, as appropriate)
Milkweed Editions
1011 Washington Avenue South
Open Book, Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55415
We do our best to respond to submissions within six months of receipt.
Due to our staff size and the steady flow of manuscript submissions,
our review time may take a little longer. Please be patient while we
give your manuscript our full consideration. We cannot respond to
letters, phone calls, or emails requesting manuscript status. If you'd
like to verify manuscript receipt, please include a stamped postcard or
purchase delivery confirmation from the post office.
Milkweed does not accept submissions on disc or via email.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Milkweed Editions is happy to accept unsolicited manuscripts from
authors of all backgrounds (previously published or not). In return, we
ask that you take the time to familiarize yourself with our list in
order to determine whether or not Milkweed Editions is a good fit for
your manuscript. Many of the unsolicited manuscripts we receive are
inappropriate for our press. This includes books that don't meet our
manuscript page requirements, books that fall outside our publishing
list (picture books, for example, or literary biographies), and works
that are clearly not ready for publication. You can ensure that your
manuscript will be fully read and considered by taking a little time
before submission and making sure it's appropriate for Milkweed
Editions. |