International Chapbook Series Submissions
Prolific Press
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Submissions Manager

Chapbook Submission Guidelines

Chapbooks Explained

The Prolific Press Chapbook Series celebrates the tradition of chapbooks by offering a publication venue intended to support writers. Chapbooks are usually short collections of poetry. Traditionally, chapbooks provide a sampling of a writer's voice, and occasionally include orphaned works that are not being included in traditional publishing efforts. What results are unique offerings that are interesting and pleasurable to read.

Production Methods

Our chapbooks are printed in-house on either 24# or 28# archival-quality paper (for less bleed-through). Covers are printed in full color on 110lb paper (thick and durable). Chapbooks are moved to our trimming station where they are folded and bound by hand using a commercial-grade saddle stapler. Each book is carefully trimmed using a hand-operated 17″ guillotine trimmer, making the outside edge crisp (just like perfect-bound books have). Every book is sealed in a clear-plastic sleeve to keep it clean and new-looking until it is sold. The extra effort means our hand-crafted chapbooks are more expensive to produce, but beautiful and highly collectible. Because chapbooks are produced in very small numbers, we believe it's important to ensure that the author's voice survives the ravages of time. Quality is key — we build our books to last.

Submissions & Publication

Very few publishers offer chapbooks because they are rarely profitable. Some chapbooks sell fewer than 50 copies, while others do better. The small numbers generally make the overall investment (professional readers, editing, design, formatting, cover art, ISBN, setup and printing, and so on) a loss for the publisher. Even so, some things are more important than money. We offer our chapbook series as part of our mission to support the arts.

Selected authors receive 10 copies and publication as payment for the short collection. Although chapbooks are not typically treated the same as full offerings in the marketplace, Prolific Press does purchase and provide a unique ISBN and barcode. We make this investment to help ensure that our chapbooks can be collected and traded long after they are out of print, further preserving the voice of the writer.

Writers often ask whether they own the copyright before registering it. Copyright and registration are related, but they are not the same thing; Observed.org, a trusted authority on copyright law, explains the difference in plain English.

Authors can leverage special discounts to profit from selling chapbooks at readings and events. Shipping is a flat rate of $10 no matter how many you purchase, chapbooks are priced at $10 per copy, and in quantities of 100+ authors receive 50% off.

While publishing is free, in 2024 we changed our policy on reading fees. To prevent abuse and to combat the thousands of daily submissions generated by artificial intelligence, we now charge a nominal reading fee of $10 per submission. Our chapbooks are professional publications, not self-publishing. A professional will read and carefully consider the book, usually several times, and the fee is what makes that reading time possible. Prolific Press is responsible for the book cover and layout and provides all accompanying editorial services.

Rights After Publication

The copyright notice is in your name. Publication rights are shared between you and the press, which means we may keep the chapbook in print and reprint it, and it also means you are free to use your own work without asking our permission. You never need to write to us for approval, and you never owe us a share of what you earn from it.

In practice you may republish any of the poems anywhere you like — in journals, in anthologies, on your own website, or in a later book. There is one limit, and it exists to protect the integrity of the collection we made together:

  • No more than half the poems from your chapbook may appear in any single future collection. If your chapbook holds 20 poems, up to 10 of them may go into a later book; 11 would be too many. The chapbook should remain a distinct work rather than a preview of the next one.
  • Anthologies and other reprints are not capped. Any and all of the poems may be anthologized or reprinted elsewhere under these same terms.

If a project falls somewhere between those cases, just ask — we are not looking for reasons to say no.

What to Include When You Submit

  • Your full manuscript in MS Word format. (No sample chapters, please — up to 20 pages of poetry.)
  • Your real name.
  • Your pen name (if any).
  • Your biography.
  • Number of words or pages.
  • Your real physical address (not work or a PO box).
  • Your mailing address (if different).
  • Your email address.
  • Your phone number.
  • How you plan to market your book.
  • Why you chose Prolific Press.

It is common for writers to overestimate the amount of text that fits on a chapbook page. Please double-check your page count before you submit.

Submission Terms

By submitting, you acknowledge these terms.

  1. You confirm that you are at least 18 years of age, or that a parent or guardian has signed on your behalf. You must be legally able to enter into a contract.
  2. You assert that your work has not been previously printed elsewhere, and that you currently hold all future-use rights to it. (Once we publish, those rights are shared with the press on the terms set out under Rights After Publication above.)
  3. You affirm that the submission is your own creation and that no part of it is in the public domain.
  4. No AI-generated work. Your submission must be written by you. Work produced wholly or in part by AI tools or generative writing services is not eligible and will be rejected without further review.
  5. One piece per submission. If you have more than one manuscript, please make a separate submission for each.
  6. Submissions in pending status can be withdrawn instantly from your account. Once accepted, please contact us to withdraw.
  7. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please withdraw promptly if your work is accepted elsewhere.
  8. We do not print adult (XXX) material, textbooks, children's books, dissertations, theses, biographies, memoirs, science fiction, or books primarily focused on politics.

Allow several months for us to read and consider your work. Thank you for your kind consideration, and for cooperating with our guidelines.