Submissions

Abode Press wants to read work that discusses identity, origin, and culture. Every abode is unique to the person who lives there. We want to read about the ghosts in your closet, the heritage that guides your cooking, the cultural emblems that decorate your walls. Because when someone invites you into their abode, they’re letting you see a piece of themselves. At Abode, we believe it’s important to prioritize these narratives to create a world with better empathy, understanding, and compassion for others.

To clarify, we are not specifically asking for work that takes place inside of a home; we are simply curious about the people who live in them.

Submit

Abode Press is currently open for submissions and will close on November 30th!

To share your work, please click the button below to be taken to our Submittable page. Make sure to submit to the correct section: poetry, hybrid, or fiction.

To submit, please include an artist statement with our mission statement and values in mind, why you feel your work is a good fit for Abode, and the manuscript itself.

Please send us one manuscript only once per genre per reading period. Abode Press accepts and encourages simultaneous submissions, but please let us know immediately if a piece is accepted elsewhere.

*We are looking for work from writers based in the U.S., though we hope to expand our reach over the years.

Guidelines:

Poetry = up to 30 pages | Hybrid and Fiction = up to 60 pages

Times New Roman or Garamond font. 12 pt. Double spaced.

Include a cover sheet, acknowledgements, and table of contents. Note: these do not count towards page count. The cover sheet should include your name, address, and contact information, such as your email address. The acknowledgments need to contain the list of journals or magazines who have published any of the pieces in the chapbook. Please make sure you retain the rights to each piece beforehand, or include a note of when rights will be reverted back to you.

*If you are a Queer and/or Trans Writer of Color and are unable to pay the chapbook reading fee, please send a fee waiver request to diamond@abodepress.com, no questions asked.

Chapbook Package

If your chapbook is selected for publication, you will receive the following package:

100 book print run
10 author copies
200.00 USD advance
Professional book cover design done in house or with a freelance artist
Professional book design and layout
Marketing on all our social platforms
Author contract
Events, virtual and in person if able to travel to Houston, San Antonio, or Austin
Book will be submitted to national prizes, awards, and magazines for reviews and publicity
25 percent of royalties, paid each quarter, or until all books sold

As we apply for grants and secure donor funding, we aim to increase our author advances and more for our author packages. Help us improve our author chapbook package by donating to the Press here.

Do you solicit manuscripts? What are my chances of being accepted?

Abode Press is unique in the fact that we do not solicit manuscripts because we believe it is important to give everyone an equal chance to be selected for publication. Each team is composed of over 8 readers to ensure that we select the manuscripts that best reflect our mission and values.
Do you have chapbook fees?

The plan is to acquire as many chapbooks as possible, so all money gained during this submission window will go towards acquiring titles, meaning the more money we make, the more books we can acquire. We believe providing an equitable pay structure based on circumstance is important so that everyone can have the chance to submit, which is why we have five different payment options: $5, $8, $10, $15, and $20. If you are a Queer and/or Trans writer of color and are unable to pay the fee, please email diamond@abodepress.com for a fee waiver, no questions asked. Since we are a press that not only prioritizes marginalized voices but is also run by marginalized writers and editors, we understand how important it is to level the playing field.
How many chapbooks do you plan to acquire each reading period?

While this answer fully depends on how much money we raise from donations and chapbook fees, we are aiming to accept 1 to 3 books per section, equaling 3 to 9 chapbooks per reading period.
Are there hidden fees? Will I have to pay out of pocket for anything involving my book?

Aside from paying the chapbook reading fee, which we have made sure is accessible to all, there is nothing else you will need to pay for should your chapbook be acquired. There are no hidden fees. The Press pays for the books and we handle shipping and distribution in house as well as all marketing and advertising.
Can I pitch my full length manuscript to you to publish?

We have been getting this question more lately, and while we appreciate your desire to publish your full length with us, we sadly are not in a position to publish full length manuscripts. We currently only publish chapbooks that follow our specified guidelines. You can subscribe to our Substack and follow us on social media @abodepress on everything to be the first to know if this ever changes!
Are you looking for more readers?

Our intern applications for our Fall Reading Periods will open from May 1st to June 30th each year. Please check our Submittable page for Internship reading positions during this time period if you are interested in joining the Abode team as a reader. We look forward to your application!