Book Publishers in New York Accepting Submissions
Every New York publishing house below was checked on its own website in October 2026: who is open, who needs an agent, what to send and how long replies take.
Published Updated Reviewed every month · next review November 2026
New York publishers you can approach without an agent
These book publishers in New York read work sent directly by authors.
- 1
Kensington
Independent New York house for genre fiction and narrative nonfiction. Email a query only, in the body of the email.
Reply: About 12 weeks
- 2
Holiday House
Children's books from authors without an agent. Email a query with the full manuscript attached; it replies within four months if interested.
Reply: About 16 weeks
- 3
Menucha Publishers
Brooklyn publisher for Orthodox Jewish readers. Send a complete manuscript by email or mail; it tells every author its decision.
Reply: Not stated
- 4
Feldheim
Books true to Torah values, from Nanuet. Email or mail a completed manuscript and expect a reply within about three months.
Reply: About 12 weeks
- 5
Plough
Books on faith, community and justice from Walden, New York. Use the online form or mail; replies in about 3 to 6 weeks.
Reply: 3 to 6 weeks
- 6
Hachette Book Group
Mostly agent-only, but its Forever imprint reads romance from unagented BIPOC writers and Storey and Timber Press read nonfiction proposals.
Reply: Not stated
All New York publishers
Filter by what you write and how you want to submit. Open publishers come first; every card shows when we last checked it.
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Independent publishing companyFeldheimChildren's, Nonfiction, Religion and SpiritualityNanuet, New York, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Feldheim Publishers reads completed manuscripts from authors without an agent, by email or mail. It publishes books true to Torah values for Torah-observant readers and tries to reply within three months.No agent neededSend: The completed manuscript with a cover letterEmail, Post12 wks replyView profile →
Mid-sizeHoliday HouseChildren's, Fiction, Middle gradeNew York, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Holiday House is open to children's book submissions from authors without an agent. Email a query letter with the full manuscript attached, or send it by mail. It replies within four months only if it is interested.No agent neededSend: Query letter and the full manuscript by emailEmail, Post16 wks replyest. 1935View profile →
Independent publishing companyKensingtonFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HistoryNew York, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Kensington Publishing has an open submission policy and works with unagented, hybrid and indie authors. Email a query only, in the body of the email with no attachments, to submissions@kensingtonbooks.com. Allow at least three months; no reply means it is not a fit. It does not take children's, YA, poetry, short stories or AI-written work.No agent neededSend: Query only, in the email body; no attachmentsEmail12 wks replyest. 1974View profile →Independent publishing companyMenucha PublishersChildren's, Cookbook, FictionBrooklyn, New York, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Menucha Publishers takes complete manuscripts from authors directly, by email or mail. The Brooklyn publisher serves Orthodox Jewish readers with Torah, novels, biographies, cookbooks and children's books, and tells every author its decision.No agent neededSend: The complete manuscript as one file with a cover letterEmail, PostReply time not statedest. 2011View profile →
Independent publishing companyOrbis BooksChristian, Academic, CatholicMaryknoll, New York, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Orbis Books is open to proposals from authors without an agent, by email or post. Send a cover letter, a sample chapter and table of contents if available, and your CV, and disclose any use of generative AI. Do not send a full manuscript unless asked. Replies take 6 to 8 weeks.No agent neededSend: Cover letter + sample chapter + TOC + CVEmail, Post6 to 8 wks replyest. 1970View profile →
Independent publishing companyPloughChristian, Children's, ComicsWalden, New York, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Plough Publishing House, run by the Bruderhof, reads proposals from authors without an agent through an online form or by mail. It wants books on faith, community and justice and replies in about 3 to 6 weeks.No agent neededSend: Cover letter, sample chapter, contents and prospectusOnline form, Post3 to 6 wks replyest. 1920View profile →
Mid-sizePrinceton Architectural PressChildren's, Art and Photography, NonfictionNew York, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Princeton Architectural Press is open to unagented proposals and query letters. Email a PDF proposal, or a complete low-res PDF for children's picture books, to PAPressSubmissions@chroniclebooks.com. An editor replies only if interested.No agent neededSend: PDF proposal, or full picture book as low-res PDF, by emailEmailReply time not statedest. 1981View profile →Independent publishing companySquare OneNonfiction, Business, CookbookGarden City Park, New York, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Square One Publishers is open to adult nonfiction proposals by post only. Send a cover letter, a detailed table of contents, a brief overview, author bios and a stamped return envelope. It replies in four to six weeks. Its categories include health, cooking, self-help and personal finance.No agent neededSend: Cover letter, contents, overview, bios and SASE by postPost4 to 6 wks replyest. 2000View profile →
Big 5 publishing houseHachette Book GroupFiction, Audiobook, Children'sNew York, USAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Hachette Book Group works mainly with literary agents, but three imprints take work directly: Forever reads romance and women's fiction from unagented BIPOC writers, and Storey and Timber Press read nonfiction proposals.Some imprints unagentedSend: Through an agent; some imprints take proposals directlyThrough an agent, Email, PostReply time not statedView profile →Independent publishing companyLee & LowChildren's, Diverse and BIPOC voices, FictionNew York, USAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Lee & Low Books is closed to unsolicited manuscripts until further notice. It reads work from agents and from writers its editors meet at conferences, and runs New Voices and New Visions contests for unpublished writers of color.Send: Through an agent, or a contest when one is openThrough an agentReply time not statedest. 1991View profile →
Big 5 publishing houseMacmillanFiction, Audiobook, Children'sNew York, USAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Macmillan Publishers does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, proposals or queries in the US. Its houses, including St. Martin's, Minotaur, Henry Holt and Celadon, read work sent by literary agents.Send: Through a literary agent onlyThrough an agentReply time not statedView profile →
Big 5 publishing housePenguin Random HouseFiction, Audiobook, Children'sNew York, USAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Penguin Random House does not accept unsolicited submissions, proposals or manuscripts. Its imprints read work from literary agents. Its Berkley imprint has run short open windows for unagented writers, but none is open or announced in October 2026.Send: Through a literary agent onlyThrough an agentReply time not statedest. 2013View profile →Big 5 publishing houseSimon & SchusterFiction, Audiobook, Children'sNew York, USAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Simon & Schuster does not accept unsolicited or unagented submissions, with one standing exception: Salaam Reads, its children's imprint, reads manuscripts by email. Its other imprints work through literary agents.Some imprints unagentedSend: Through a literary agent; Salaam Reads takes email submissionsThrough an agent, EmailReply time not statedest. 1924View profile → What do Open, Closed and Agent needed mean?
- Open now: the publisher's own site says it is reading submissions today, in at least one genre listed.
- Closed: not reading new submissions right now. We show the reopening date when the publisher gives one.
- Agent needed: it only reads manuscripts sent by a literary agent.
Submit with confidence
Four checks before you send anything to a publisher, whichever list you use.
Check it on their own site
Guidelines change. Read the publisher's own submissions page on the day you send.
Never pay to be published
A traditional publisher pays you. If a company asks for money, it is a paid service.
Send exactly what they ask
Query, proposal or sample chapters: follow the format and word count to the letter.
Track every submission
Note the date, the reply time and whether no reply means no before you follow up.
New York is home to the Big Five and to small presses that still read work from new authors. We list 13 New York book publishers, and 8 of them are open to submissions now. Every listing was checked on the publisher's own site and shows whether you need an agent, what to send and how long a reply takes. Use the filters to separate agent-only houses from the NYC publishing companies you can query yourself, then open each profile for the details.
NYC book publishers: Big Five and independents
Most of the largest publishing companies in New York read only agented work. Macmillan, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster all say they do not accept unsolicited manuscripts, and Hachette Book Group works mainly through agents with a few named exceptions. If you are aiming at these houses, your first step is a literary agent, not a query to the publisher.
The independents are a different story. Kensington welcomes unagented, hybrid and indie authors, and Holiday House takes children’s books straight from writers. These NYC publishing companies are where an unagented author can still get a direct read.
Brooklyn publishers and faith-based houses
Among Brooklyn publishers, Menucha Publishers serves Orthodox Jewish readers with Torah books, novels, biographies, cookbooks and children’s titles, and it reads complete manuscripts sent directly. Outside the city, Feldheim in Nanuet and Plough in Walden also take work from authors without an agent. If your book serves a faith audience, these New York publishing companies are often more open than the big trade houses.
How to approach publishing companies in New York
Read each profile before you send anything. The NY book publishers on this page differ on almost every point: Kensington wants a query only, Holiday House wants the full manuscript attached, and Menucha wants the complete book. Send exactly what each house asks for, and note who treats silence as a no.
Book publishers NYC writers ask about most
If you searched for book publishers NYC or publishing companies NYC, the short answer is this: the biggest names need an agent, and the independents are where you can query today. Holiday House is a strong choice for children’s writers, Kensington for genre fiction and Menucha, Feldheim and Plough for faith readers.
How we check these listings
Every publisher on this page was checked on its own website, and we review each listing every month. We list only traditional publishers, which pay authors and do not charge them to publish. If a house adds fees, packages or a paid route, we say so on its profile or leave it out of the directory.
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Questions authors ask
Answers use the live data on this page.
Do New York book publishers accept unsolicited manuscripts?
The Big Five houses in New York mostly do not. Macmillan, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster read agented work, with a few imprint exceptions. Several independent book publishers in NYC do read unagented work, including Kensington, Holiday House and Menucha Publishers. Each profile on this page shows the current rule.
Which NYC publishing companies take work without an agent?
On this page, Kensington, Holiday House, Menucha, Feldheim and Plough all read work sent directly by authors. Hachette Book Group also has three exceptions: Forever for romance from unagented BIPOC writers, plus Storey and Timber Press for nonfiction. Check what each one wants before you send a query or manuscript.
Do I need to live in New York to publish with a New York publisher?
No. Publishers based in New York take work from authors anywhere, and their submission rules are the same wherever you live. What matters is fit: the genre, the audience and whether the house reads unagented work. Use the filters on this page to find the right match for your book.
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How we verify listings. We list traditional publishers only: no hybrid, vanity or paid self-publishing companies. Every listing is checked on the publisher's own website and rechecked every month. This page was last updated 26 Oct 2026; next review November 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us.
