A chapbook publisher that pays to make the book.

What we look for

We read chapbook manuscripts of poetry and short prose — usually a single author’s work gathered around a theme, a voice, or a thread that holds the pages together. Most chapbooks we publish run 20 to 40 pages. We read every submission ourselves, and a manuscript is judged on the work, not on a name or a list of prior credits.

If you have been searching for chapbook publishers or poetry chapbook publishers that take unsolicited manuscripts without charging you, that is exactly what this is.

How to submit a chapbook

Submissions run through our submissions page, where we post the current guidelines and any open reading periods. In short:

• Create an account and send your manuscript through the submissions system — no fuss, and nothing to pay.
• Include your poems or short prose as a single manuscript, with a title and a short cover note.
• We read on-screen and reply through the same system, so you can follow where your work stands.

There is never a reading fee and never a publication fee. You keep your copyright.

What being published means here

When we accept a manuscript for the International Chapbook Series, we pay to produce the book — layout, cover design, printing, and a listing in our bookstore. You keep every right to your work, and you see the terms before anything is signed. That is what makes us a publisher rather than a printer.

Prefer to publish it yourself?

Not every chapbook is looking for a publisher. If you would rather make the book on your own terms and keep every copy, our chapbook printing service hand-binds finished books from about five dollars a copy, and you keep all rights and all sales. Either way, the chapbook publishing FAQ answers the questions that come up most.