UK Fantasy and Sci-Fi Book Publishers Accepting Submissions
Every UK fantasy and sci-fi 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
UK fantasy publishers to try first
Science fiction and fantasy houses with a route in.
- 1
Jo Fletcher Books
Science fiction, fantasy and horror from unagented writers by email.
Reply: About 24 weeks
- 2
Titan Books
Genre fiction pitches by synopsis and letter; film and TV reference proposals.
Reply: Not stated
- 3
Angry Robot
Adult science fiction and fantasy through agents and Open Doors periods.
Reply: About 10 weeks
- 4
Luna Press
Speculative fiction and scholarship from Edinburgh; fiction closed for now.
Reply: Not stated
- 5
Gollancz
The UK's oldest specialist science fiction and fantasy publisher; agents only.
Reply: Not stated
All UK Fantasy and Sci-Fi 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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Small pressLuna PressFiction, Academic, Fantasy and Sci-FiEdinburgh, Scotland, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Luna Press Publishing, in Edinburgh, has closed its fiction submissions, but its academic imprint, Academia Lunare, reads proposals all year. Academic authors email a proposal saying whether the book is written yet and its rough word count. Luna publishes only speculative fiction and scholarship about it.No agent neededSend: Academic proposal with rough word countEmailReply time not statedest. 2015View profile →Independent publishing companyTitan BooksFiction, Art and Photography, ComicsLondon, UKOpen to submissionsChecked Oct 2026Titan Books, in London, is open to nonfiction proposals for film, TV, art and comics reference books. For fiction and comics it reads only a brief synopsis with a covering letter, not a manuscript, and it is not looking for general fiction right now. Most of its fiction comes through agents.Some imprints unagentedSend: Nonfiction proposal; fiction: synopsis and letter onlyReply time not statedest. 1982View profile →Independent publishing companyAngry RobotFiction, Diverse and BIPOC voices, Fantasy and Sci-FiUKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Angry Robot reads adult science fiction, fantasy and horror novels through literary agents. Unagented writers can submit only during its occasional Open Doors periods, announced on its site and social media; the last ran in April 2024. A separate call for unagented Black authors was extended indefinitely.Send: Agent proposal; unagented only in Open Doors periodsEmail10 wks replyest. 2009View profile →
Major publishing houseChicken HouseChildren's, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, FictionFrome, UKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Chicken House reads general submissions only through literary agents. Unagented, unpublished writers can enter its yearly Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Competition, which closed for 2026 on 1 June.Send: Through a literary agent, or its yearly competitionThrough an agentPays an advanceReply time not statedest. 2000View profile →
Big 5 publishing houseGollanczFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HorrorLondon, UKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Gollancz reads science fiction, fantasy and horror only through literary agents. Its parent, Orion, does not consider unsolicited manuscripts. Gollancz has run open submission windows in the past, but none is open now, so the route in today is an agent.Send: Through a literary agent onlyReply time not statedest. 1927View profile →
Big 5 publishing houseOrbitFiction, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, HorrorLondon, UKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Orbit UK reads science fiction and fantasy through literary agents only and cannot respond to unsolicited material. Hachette UK's Future Bookshelf occasionally runs group-wide open submission periods, which are the only other route.Send: Through a literary agent onlyReply time not statedest. 1974View 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 →Major publishing houseWalker BooksChildren's, Fantasy and Sci-Fi, FictionUKAgent submissions onlyChecked Oct 2026Walker Books does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Writers need another route, usually a literary agent. Illustrators and author-illustrators can email illustrated picture-book stories or artwork samples to its illustrator submissions address, though a reply is not guaranteed. It says it never charges authors a fee.Send: No manuscripts; illustrators may email samplesThrough an agent, EmailReply time not statedest. 1978View 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.
The UK has a strong science fiction and fantasy scene, from Gollancz and Orbit to independent presses. We list 10 fantasy publishers in the UK, and 3 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. Most big UK genre houses read through agents, so use the filters to find the open doors. Each profile also shows the date we last checked the publisher's own page, so you can see how current the rules are.
Fantasy publishers UK writers can approach without an agent
Only a few UK fantasy publishers read unagented novels right now. Jo Fletcher Books reads science fiction, fantasy and horror by email, with the first 10,000 words and a one-page synopsis. Titan Books reads fiction pitches as a short synopsis and letter. Angry Robot runs Open Doors periods for unagented writers every year or two.
Agent-only UK science fiction houses
Gollancz, Orbit and Transworld read science fiction and fantasy through agents. Chicken House publishes speculative fiction for young readers through agents too. If you aim for these houses, query agents who represent genre fiction first.
Independent and Scottish presses
Luna Press Publishing, an independent Edinburgh press, publishes speculative fiction and scholarship about it. Its fiction submissions are closed for now, but its academic imprint reads proposals all year. Small presses like this are worth watching for open calls.
Before you submit
Finish and revise the novel, and check word counts and formats on each profile. Jo Fletcher Books does not take short stories or novellas, and Angry Robot wants novels of 70,000 words or more.
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.
Fantasy publishers UK writers should watch
Open windows matter in UK genre publishing. Gollancz has run open windows in the past, Angry Robot runs Open Doors periods and Hachette UK’s Future Bookshelf occasionally opens group-wide calls. We update these profiles as windows open and close, so check back before you query agents or send work.
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Questions authors ask
Answers use the live data on this page.
Which UK fantasy publishers accept unagented submissions?
On this page, Jo Fletcher Books reads unagented science fiction, fantasy and horror by email, and Titan reads fiction pitches as a synopsis and letter. Angry Robot opens Open Doors periods. Gollancz and Orbit read only through literary agents. Check each profile first.
Is Gollancz accepting submissions?
Not unsolicited ones. Gollancz reads through literary agents, following its parent Orion's policy. It has run open submission windows in the past, but none is open now. Watch its profile for any future window, and query agents in the meantime.
What does Jo Fletcher Books want in a submission?
A brief covering letter in the email, the first 10,000 words or three chapters as a Word file and a one-page synopsis. It reads only science fiction, fantasy and horror, does not take short stories or novellas and says no reply within six months means no.
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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.
