This is a list of publishers seeking short story collections, and it’s the most comprehensive list on the internet. I’ve read short story collections from most of the publishers on this list and altogether they are publishing some of the best short fiction on the planet.
Despite all the doom and gloom surrounding the publishing of short story collections (and it’s true — agents almost always only want that novel), there are still a number of solid markets and contests for that short story collection of yours.
For the publishers who offer short story collection contests, I’ve tried to list the name of the contest afterward.
If you enjoy this list, I also hope you enjoy some of the other lists I’ve created here at Bookfox.
I’ve broken up the places to submit your short story collection into three parts: The Independent publishers, the Big Houses, and the Academic/University Presses.
If you’d like help with your short story, I offer an editing service that will take your story to the next level.
From copy-editing to character advice, I give detailed feedback on what’s working and what needs to be improved.
Independent:
Atticus Books
Autumn House Press
Bear Star Press
Bellevue Literary Press
Braddock Avenue Books
Black Lawrence Press (sponsors of four prizes for short story collections)
BOA Editions American Reader Series (sponsors of the BOA Editions Short Fiction Prize)
Catapult / Black Balloon Publishing (both affiliated with Electric Literature)
Coffee House Press
C&R Press
Curbside Splendor
Engine Books
Dzanc Books (sponsors of the Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Competition)
Four Way Books
Fomite Press
Fiction Collective Two (sponsors of the Catherine Doctorow Innovative Fiction Prize)
Graywolf Press
Grove/Atlantic
Leapfrog Press (sponsors of the Leapfrog Fiction Contest)
Les Figues Press
Milkweed Editions
Paul Dry Books (publishes a few short story collections, but you can try them)
Persea Books
Press 53
Queen’s Ferry Press
Red Hen Press
Soft Skull Press / Counterpoint Press
Sarabande Books (sponsors of the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction)
Scout Press Books
SFWP
Small Beer Press
Torrey House Press
Transit Books (a lot of works in translation)
Two Dollar Radio
Unboxed Books (sponsors of the Unboxed Books Prize in Fiction)
Unsolicited Press
Big Houses:
Dial Press
Macmillan/Picador
Riverhead Books
Farrar, Straus, Giroux
Knopf
Vintage
St. Martins Press
Academic:
Acre Books (an offshoot of the Cincinnati Review)
Northwestern University Press (TriQuarterly books)
Livingston Press (University of West Alabama)
University of Iowa Press (sponsors of the Iowa Short Fiction Award)
University of Nebraska Press (sponsors of the Prairie Schooner Book Prize)
University of Massachusetts (sponsors of the Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction + Juniper Prize)
University of Pittsburg Press (sponsors of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize)
University of Georgia Press (sponsors of the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction)
University of North Texas Press (sponsors of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction)
Willow Springs at Eastern Washington University (sponsors of The Spokane Prize)
Ohio State University Press (sponsors of the Ohio State University Prize in Short Fiction)
Moon City Press (Missouri State University/University of Arkansas Press) (sponsors of the Moon City Short Fiction Award)
Switchgrass Books (Northern Illinois University Press — looking for Midwestern books)
Southern Missouri State University Press (Nilsen Prize, linked short story collection)
Stephen F. Austin University Press
West Virginia University Press (Vandalia Press)
Wayne State University Press (check under Fiction — they publish short story collections occasionally)
If you’d like professional editing for your short story collection before you send it to publishers (or if you’ve been rejected from a few and want to improve it), please look at my short story editing page.
I offer single-story editing as well as short story collection editing.
By editing, I’m not talking about just proofreading or copy-editing, I’m talking about an in-depth evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of your collection, and how to improve them.
Alberta Sequeira, Author and Speaker 