Illinois Book Publishers Accepting Submissions
Every Illinois 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
Chicago publishers open to authors
Illinois houses that read work sent directly by authors.
- 1
University of Chicago Press
Scholarly proposals to one editor; replies in three to four weeks.
Reply: 3 to 4 weeks
- 2
Chicago Review Press
General nonfiction proposals by email; it never asks for payment.
Reply: Not stated
- 3
Haymarket Books
Nonfiction on social and economic justice through Submittable.
Reply: Not stated
- 4
Northwestern University Press
Scholarship, fiction, poetry and drama from Evanston.
Reply: Not stated
- 5
Albert Whitman
Picture books, middle grade and young adult by email.
Reply: About 24 weeks
- 6
Crossway
Evangelical Christian nonfiction through an online form.
Reply: About 8 weeks
All Illinois publishers
Filter by what you write and how you want to submit. Open publishers come first; every card shows when we last checked it.
No publishers match all of these. Try removing a filter.
Independent publishing companyAgate PublishingNonfiction, Business, CookbookEvanston, Illinois, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Agate Publishing, in Evanston, Illinois, takes email inquiries for three imprints only: Surrey for food, cooking and nutrition, B2 for business and Midway for Midwestern topics or authors. Send an email inquiry first; no phone calls, and no hard copy unless invited.Send: Email inquiry firstEmailReply time not statedView profile →
Independent publishing companyAlbert WhitmanChildren's, Fiction, IndependentPark Ridge, Illinois, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Albert Whitman & Company has an open submissions policy for unagented authors. Email picture books, middle grade or young adult manuscripts with a cover letter. Simultaneous submissions are fine, and silence after six months means no.No agent neededSend: Cover letter in the email and the full manuscriptEmail+1 more24 wks replyest. 1919View profile →
Independent publishing companyChicago Review PressChildren's, Diverse and BIPOC voices, HistoryChicago, Illinois, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Chicago Review Press is open to nonfiction proposals by email at frontdesk@chicagoreviewpress.com, with no agent needed. Send a summary, synopsis, bio, outline and a few sample chapters, ideally the first three. Simultaneous submissions are fine. It no longer accepts fiction and says it never asks authors for payment.No agent neededSend: Nonfiction proposal with sample chapters by emailEmail+1 moreReply time not statedest. 1973View profile →
Mid-sizeCrosswayChristian, Academic, NonfictionWheaton, Illinois, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Crossway is open to book proposals from authors without an agent. It wants evangelical Christian nonfiction, takes proposals through an online form and gets in touch within 8 weeks only if it is interested.No agent neededSend: Book proposal through its online formOnline form8 wks replyest. 1938View profile →Independent publishing companyHaymarket BooksNonfiction, IndependentChicago, Illinois, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Haymarket Books is open to nonfiction proposals from authors without an agent through Submittable only. Send one file with a cover letter, a detailed author bio, a chapter outline and up to two sample chapters. It takes no fiction, poetry, children's books, dissertations or AI-written proposals.No agent neededSend: Cover letter, bio, outline and up to 2 chaptersSubmittableReply time not statedest. 2001View profile →
Mid-sizeHuman KineticsHealth, Academic, NonfictionChampaign, Illinois, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Human Kinetics takes book ideas from authors in two steps. First send a short inquiry with a summary, table of contents and intended audience to acquisitions@hkusa.com or by post. If the editors are interested, they ask for a full proposal. Do not send a full manuscript first.No agent neededSend: Inquiry first; full proposal only on requestEmail, PostReply time not statedest. 1974View profile →
University pressNorthwestern University PressAcademic, Fiction, NonfictionEvanston, Illinois, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Northwestern University Press is open to proposals by email to the right acquiring editor. Scholarly books need a proposal, CV and sample chapters; trade fiction and creative nonfiction need a cover letter, bio and a 10 to 30 page excerpt; poetry needs the full manuscript. It does not take phone or postal submissions.No agent neededSend: Varies: proposal, excerpt or full poetry manuscriptEmailReply time not statedest. 1893View profile →
University pressUniversity of Chicago PressAcademic, Nonfiction, PoetryChicago, Illinois, USOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026The University of Chicago Press is open to scholarly book proposals by email, sent to one acquisitions editor in your field. A proposal is usually 5 to 15 single-spaced pages. It aims to reply in 3 to 4 weeks and allows simultaneous submissions. It does not publish original fiction; poetry comes only through its Phoenix Poets series in October.No agent neededSend: Proposal of 5 to 15 pages to one editorEmail+1 more3 to 4 wks replyView profile →Major publishing houseTyndaleChristian, Children's, FictionCarol Stream, Illinois, USAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Tyndale House Publishers no longer reads unsolicited manuscripts. It takes proposals from literary agents, its own authors and people it knows in publishing. It publishes Christian fiction, nonfiction, children's books and the New Living Translation.Send: Manuscript or proposal, sent by your agentThrough an agentReply time not statedest. 1962View profile →
Mid-sizeInterVarsity PressChristian, Academic, Children'sLisle, Illinois, USClosed nowChecked Oct 2026InterVarsity Press does not review unsolicited proposals, manuscripts or self-published books. Authors can email a proposal only after direct contact with an IVP editor, who then supplies the guidelines. The Christian publisher is now based in Lisle, Illinois.Send: Proposal only after contact with an IVP editorEmailNo reopening date givenReply time not statedest. 1947View 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.
Illinois publishers, most of them in and around Chicago, include university presses, radical nonfiction houses, Christian publishers and children's presses. We list 10 Illinois book publishers, and 8 of them are open to submissions today. 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 find publishing companies in Chicago and beyond reading now. Each profile also shows the date we last checked the publisher's own page, so you can see how current the rules are.
Publishing companies in Chicago that read unagented work
Most publishing companies in Chicago on this page read proposals directly. The University of Chicago Press reads scholarly proposals by email to one editor, Chicago Review Press reads general nonfiction and Haymarket Books reads nonfiction on social and economic justice through Submittable. Northwestern University Press, in nearby Evanston, reads scholarship, fiction, poetry and drama.
Chicago publishers by genre
For children’s books, Albert Whitman reads picture books, middle grade and young adult by email. For Christian nonfiction, Crossway reads proposals through an online form, while Tyndale and InterVarsity Press read only through agents or editor contact. For food, business and Midwestern topics, Agate takes email inquiries, and Human Kinetics publishes sport and health books from Champaign.
Publishers in Chicago and the suburbs
Several Illinois houses sit outside the city: InterVarsity Press in Lisle, Crossway in Wheaton, Tyndale in Carol Stream and Albert Whitman in Park Ridge. Chicago publishers and their suburban neighbors take work from authors anywhere, so focus on fit rather than location.
Before you send a proposal
Read each profile for the exact package. The University of Chicago Press wants a 5 to 15 page proposal, Haymarket wants one file through Submittable and Chicago Review Press wants sample chapters by email. Send exactly what each house asks for.
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.
Publishing companies Chicago writers can try first
If you searched for publishing companies Chicago authors can approach directly, start with Chicago Review Press for general nonfiction, Haymarket for books on justice and the University of Chicago Press for scholarship. Each reads proposals without an agent, and each profile shows exactly what to send.
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Questions authors ask
Answers use the live data on this page.
Which Chicago publishers accept unagented submissions?
On this page, the University of Chicago Press, Chicago Review Press, Haymarket Books, Northwestern University Press, Albert Whitman, Crossway, Human Kinetics and Agate read work sent directly by authors. Tyndale reads only agented work, and InterVarsity Press reads proposals only after editor contact.
Are there Christian publishers in Illinois?
Yes. Crossway in Wheaton reads evangelical nonfiction through an online form, Tyndale in Carol Stream reads through agents and InterVarsity Press in Lisle reads proposals only after direct contact with an editor. Each profile shows the current rule and what to send.
Do Illinois publishers only publish local authors?
No. Publishers in Chicago and across Illinois take work from authors anywhere. A few have a regional focus, such as Agate's Midway imprint for Midwestern topics and Northwestern's Chicago and Midwest list, but most judge books on fit, not where the author lives.
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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 25 Oct 2026; next review November 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us.
