Romance Book Publishers Accepting Submissions
Every romance 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
Romance publishers to try first
These romance houses offer a route for authors, directly or through a named program.
- 1
Kensington
Romance in all subgenres from unagented, hybrid and indie authors. Email a query only to its submissions address.
Reply: About 12 weeks
- 2
Hachette Book Group
Its Forever imprint reads romance and women's fiction from unagented BIPOC writers.
Reply: Not stated
- 3
Bethany House
Inspirational fiction, including historical and contemporary romance, Amish stories and romantic suspense. Agents only.
Reply: Not stated
- 4
Penguin Random House
Agent-only, but its Berkley imprint has run short open windows for unagented writers; none is open or announced now.
Reply: Not stated
- 5
Tor
Tor's Bramble imprint publishes romance. Tor is closed to submissions; watch its portal for a window.
Reply: About 24 weeks
All Romance 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 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 →Major publishing houseBethany HouseChristian, Fiction, NonfictionUnited StatesAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Bethany House Publishers is part of Baker Publishing Group and takes manuscripts through literary agents only. It is best known for inspirational fiction, including historical and contemporary romance, Amish stories and romantic suspense.Send: Manuscript, sent by your literary agentThrough an agentReply time not statedView profile →
Big 5 publishing houseHachette Book GroupChildren's, Diverse and BIPOC voices, Fantasy and Sci-FiNew 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 →
Big 5 publishing houseMacmillanChildren's, Cookbook, FictionNew 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 HouseChristian, Children's, Fantasy and Sci-FiNew 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 →
Independent publishing companySaltFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HorrorCromer, UKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Salt Publishing does not accept unsolicited submissions from authors. Literary agents can email submissions, and silence after one month means no. Literary fiction is at the heart of its list.Send: Through a literary agent, by emailThrough an agent, Email4 wks replyest. 1999View profile →Big 5 publishing houseTransworldFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HistoryUKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Transworld, part of Penguin Random House UK, does not accept unsolicited manuscripts or synopses. Its imprints Bantam, Doubleday, Torva and Wayward read work sent by literary agents.Send: Through a literary agent onlyThrough an agentReply time not statedest. 1950View profile →
Independent publishing companyBedford Square PublishersFiction, Independent, Mystery and ThrillerLondon, UKClosed nowChecked Oct 2026Bedford Square Publishers is closed to submissions as of October 2026 and gives no reopening date. When open, it reads fiction and nonfiction, and silence after one month means no.Send: Closed for now; check its submissions pageNo reopening date given4 wks replyest. 2022View profile →Mid-sizeHarvest HouseChristian, Children's, FictionEugene, Oregon, USClosed nowChecked Oct 2026Harvest House Publishers does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, proposals or self-published books. It finds new writers through agents, paid manuscript listing services and Christian writers conferences.Send: Nothing direct: agents and conferences onlyNo reopening date givenReply time not statedest. 1974View profile →
Big 5 publishing houseTorFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HorrorUnited StatesClosed nowChecked Oct 2026Tor is closed to submissions today. Its submission portal for Tor and Tor Teen shows no open window, and the last one listed ran in October 2021. The novella program is closed too. Watch the portal for a new window or work with a literary agent.Send: Closed; past windows took a full manuscript + cover letterOnline formNo reopening date given24 wks replyest. 1980View 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.
In romance, even one of the biggest publishing groups keeps an open door for some unagented writers. We list 11 romance book publishers, and 2 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. Many romance novel publishers on this page are agent-only, so use the filters to find the open doors first and read each profile closely.
Romance publishers that read unagented work
Kensington Publishing is the clearest open door for romance writers on this page. It publishes romance in all subgenres and says it is happy to work with unagented, hybrid and indie authors. Hachette Book Group offers a second route through Forever, which reads romance and women’s fiction from unagented BIPOC writers.
Agent-only romance novel publishers
Most large romance novel publishers read through agents. Macmillan and Transworld are agent-only, and Bethany House works through agents for its inspirational romance. Penguin Random House has run short open windows through its Berkley imprint, so it is worth watching, but no window is open now.
Inspirational and Christian romance
Inspirational romance has its own market. Bethany House is best known for historical and contemporary romance, Amish stories and romantic suspense, and Harvest House also appears on this page but does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. For more faith-based houses, see our list of Christian book publishers.
UK romance book publishers
The UK romance book publishers on this page currently read through agents or are closed to unsolicited fiction. Check each profile for its latest status, and see our full list of UK book publishers for other options.
How to pitch a romance novel
Finish and revise the book first, then send exactly what each house asks for. Kensington wants a query only, written in the body of an email, and asks for the manuscript if an editor is interested. Name the subgenre clearly, whether historical, contemporary or romantic suspense, so an editor can place the book at once.
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.
Which romance publishers accept unagented submissions?
On this page, Kensington Publishing reads romance from unagented, hybrid and indie authors by email query. Hachette Book Group's Forever imprint reads romance and women's fiction from unagented BIPOC writers. Most other romance book publishers listed here, including Macmillan and Bethany House, read through literary agents only.
Do romance novel publishers want the full manuscript?
Most start with less. Kensington asks for a query only, written in the body of an email, and requests the manuscript if an editor is interested. Always finish the novel first, because a romance house that likes your query will expect to see the complete book soon after.
Does Penguin Random House take unagented romance?
Penguin Random House reads agented work only. Its Berkley imprint has run short open windows for unagented writers in the past, but none is open or announced as of October 2026. Watch the profile on this page for changes, and query agents who represent romance in the meantime.
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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.
