Genre should not be excluded from discussions of diversity and representation. As a teen, I made a beeline straight to the Horror section of Borders Books (Rest in Pages). Year after year, the section began compressing with a selection narrowed down to a select few popular authors. Eventually, Horror was absorbed into Fiction. Then sadly, with a lack of publishers, the stories themselves shrank into novellas or short fiction only to be found in Anthologies. Without the Horror genre, my curiosity about fiction writing would have never been born. Classics that are embraced for their Gothic tone bore writers like Richard Laymon, Poppy Z. Brite and Brian Keene, and those writers created a breeding ground for other dark narrative enthusiasts. I say all that to say this: representation in Genre matters and those stories have an audience. Genre is storytelling at its best because it fulfills a need and, if done well, creates a conversation. Finding the right publisher for Horror, Fantasy, Romance, and Mystery in short fiction can be difficult if you want to have a broad reach.
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Avon Impulse If you love Love and love writing about Love, you'll LOVE Avon Impulse. This imprint of Harlequin is a publishing haven for new writers and offers print deals to top-selling books. Their catalog contains a variety of romance books that are both inclusive and exciting! The website boasts the importance of publishing and celebrating Black Romance, and I couldn't agree more. With their own section on submittable, find the imprint that works best for you here.
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Lyrical- From Romance to Cozy Mystery, Suspense to New Adult, the editors of this Kensington Press Digital First imprint have a diverse repertoire. Kensington Press is known as "Americas Independent Publisher". and live up to its name by accepting unsolicited submissions. They want merging voices with an edgy sensibility. Submit work to one editor in your chosen genre, but expect a 3-month turnaround for a response. Read submission guidelines here.
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Flame Tree Press- Publishing on both ebook and print format, Flame Tree Press has an affinity towards mystery thrillers, horror, and science fiction. With their Gothic Anthology Series of Short Stories sold online and in-store with major booksellers, this publisher is a promising house that welcomes unsolicited submissions. Sign-up for their newsletter and review their submission guidelines here.
​Flame Tree Press- If being a publisher of hardboiled crime and noir fiction isn't enough tomake this group tops on your list, perhaps some of their published authors will entice you. the likes of Stephen King, Lawrence Block, Michael Crichton, and Donald E. Westlake! These affordable, pocket-sized books are back en vogue, and for good reason.
​Hard Case Crime- If being a publisher of hardboiled crime and noir fiction isn't enough to make this group tops on your list, perhaps some of their published authors will entice you. the likes of Stephen King, Lawrence Block, Michael Crichton, and Donald E. Westlake! These affordable, pocket-sized books are back en vogue, and for good reason.
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Severed Press- This publisher of the macabre is open for unsolicited submissions, and focus on publishing the work from writers of horror and science fiction. They promise to give full consideration "to any submission that offers a well-presented story while adhering to our guidelines", which can be found here.
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