Small press
Herald Press
Christian, Cookbook, History
Published Updated Reviewed every month · next review November 2026
About Herald Press
Herald Press is open to proposals from authors without an agent. Send a proposal form, a one-paragraph summary, an annotated table of contents, the first chapter plus one more, the Bible version you quote and a short resume, electronically to the managing editor. It aims to reply within six months.
Herald Press is the trade book imprint of MennoMedia, the publishing agency of Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada. Its head office is in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The press is known for books on reconciliation, community and discipleship, written for adult readers.
Although it is a church publisher, Herald Press invites proposals directly from authors and does not ask for an agent. Everything now arrives electronically; paper submissions are no longer accepted. The editors ask for a finished manuscript only after a proposal shows promise.
What Herald Press is looking for
- Peace, justice and social issues
- Church life and missions
- Biblical studies, theology and ethics
- Pastoral and lay leadership
- Christian living, meditations and personal experience
- Church history and culture
- Mennonite and Amish life and thought
- Cookbooks with a faith perspective
Publishes
- Christian
- Cookbook
- History
- Nonfiction
- Religion and Spirituality
Specialties
- Bible study
- Christian living
- Devotional
How to submit to Herald Press
From its own guidelines- Read the Author's Guide and the MennoMedia supplement to the Chicago Manual of Style.
- Complete the proposal form, write a one-paragraph summary and list each chapter with one or two sentences about it.
- Add the first chapter and one other chapter, the Bible version you quote and a resume or short list of your involvements.
- Send the package electronically to managing editor Elisabeth Ivey and allow up to six months for a reply.
Is Herald Press right for your book?
A good fit if
Christian nonfiction writers whose work deals with peace, community, discipleship or Anabaptist life, and authors who want a faith publisher that reads proposals without an agent.
Look elsewhere if
Authors who want to mail a printed manuscript, writers who need a fast answer and anyone hoping for detailed notes on every submission. The press says volume makes full feedback impossible.
Questions about Herald Press
Does Herald Press accept unagented submissions?
Yes. Herald Press reads proposals sent directly by authors, and its guidelines do not ask for a literary agent. Send the full package electronically to the managing editor, Elisabeth Ivey. It should include the proposal form, a one-paragraph summary, an annotated table of contents and two sample chapters. Paper submissions are no longer accepted.
How long does Herald Press take to reply?
Herald Press aims to respond within six months. If the editors see promise in a proposal, they ask for the finished manuscript before they decide. Because the press receives many proposals, it does not give detailed feedback on every manuscript, so a short reply is normal. Use the waiting time to keep writing.
What kind of books does Herald Press publish?
Herald Press publishes Christian nonfiction for adults with a focus on reconciliation, community and discipleship. Its guidelines invite proposals on peace and justice, church life and missions, biblical studies and theology, leadership and Christian living. It also takes church history, Mennonite and Amish life and cookbooks written from a faith perspective.
Listing history
- Checked on the publisher's own site
