Small press
Third Man Books
Fiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, Nonfiction
Published Updated Reviewed every month · next review November 2026
About Third Man Books
Third Man Books is open to email submissions of poetry, fiction and nonfiction and prefers completed manuscripts. The Nashville press publishes four to six books a year, welcomes simultaneous submissions and treats three months of silence as a pass.
Third Man Books is a small press in Nashville, Tennessee. Its partner company is Third Man Records. It publishes poetry, fiction, speculative fiction and science fiction and fantasy, plus nonfiction, with music, art and history books on its list. Titles include Ring Shout on Saturn by Sheree Renée Thomas and Neil Young: Reflections in Broken Glass by Sylvie Simmons.
The press takes submissions by email to booksubmissions@thirdmanrecords.com and prefers completed manuscripts. Name the genre and your name in the subject line. It publishes only four to six titles a year and is highly selective, so expect long odds. Simultaneous submissions are welcome, and if you hear nothing after three months you can stop waiting.
What Third Man Books is looking for
- Poetry collections
- Literary and speculative fiction, including science fiction and fantasy
- Nonfiction, including books on music
- Completed manuscripts rather than partial drafts
Publishes
- Fantasy and Sci-Fi
- Fiction
- Nonfiction
- Poetry
Readers
- Adult
How to submit to Third Man Books
From its own guidelines- Finish your manuscript, since completed manuscripts are preferred.
- Email it to booksubmissions@thirdmanrecords.com.
- Put the genre and SUBMISSION_YOUR NAME in the subject line, for example POETRY SUBMISSION_JOHN DOE.
- Send to other publishers too, since simultaneous submissions are welcome.
- If you hear nothing in three months, move on.
Is Third Man Books right for your book?
A good fit if
Third Man Books suits poets and fiction writers with a finished, distinctive manuscript who can accept a very small yearly list.
Look elsewhere if
Look elsewhere if you need a quick answer or only have a partial draft, since the press prefers finished work and publishes just four to six books a year.
Questions about Third Man Books
Does Third Man Books accept unsolicited manuscripts?
Yes. Third Man Books accepts submissions by email and prefers completed manuscripts. It publishes poetry, fiction, speculative fiction and nonfiction. It releases only four to six titles a year and calls itself highly selective, so send your strongest finished work and keep submitting elsewhere at the same time.
How do I submit to Third Man Books?
Email your manuscript to booksubmissions@thirdmanrecords.com. In the subject line, name the genre followed by SUBMISSION_YOUR NAME, such as POETRY SUBMISSION_JOHN DOE. Completed manuscripts are preferred. The press accepts and encourages simultaneous submissions, so you can send the same book to other publishers while you wait.
How long does Third Man Books take to reply?
Third Man Books says that if it has not responded after three months, you should not wait on it any longer. Treat silence after that point as a pass. Because it accepts simultaneous submissions, you can keep querying other small presses during those three months without needing to withdraw first.
Listing history
- Checked on the publisher's own site
