S U B M I S S I O N S
Press 53 publishes two to three (2-3) short fiction collections, and eight to ten (8-10) poetry collections each year by U.S.-based authors, plus one or two out-of-print classics by North Carolina authors (under our Carolina Classics Editions imprint).
We do not publish contemporary novels or nonfiction.
Aside from authors who win our contests, we look for widely published authors who are active in the literary community and have a manuscript that connects with our editors. We do not find our authors by way of an open submissions process.
We find authors in a number of ways…
The Prime Number Magazine Awards for Poetry and Short Fiction (open Jan 1-Mar 31, formerly the Press 53 Open Awards): Each year, our award-winning, online tri-annual journal, Prime Number Magazine (see link in menu at top of page), runs a writing competition for poetry and short fiction from January 1 – March 31, with a winner in each category earning a $1,000 cash prize plus publication in Prime Number Magazine. Over the eight-year period that this contest operated as the Press 53 Open Awards, we eventually published books by several winners and finalists. We will continue to watch the Prime Number Magazine Awards as well.
The Press 53 Award for Poetry (open Apr 1–Jul 31): This is a manuscript competition that runs from April-July each year. This is an award for an outstanding, unpublished collection of poems by a U.S.-based author regardless of the author’s publishing history. The winner will be selected by Press 53 poetry series editor Tom Lombardo, and will be published as a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection. The winning author is awarded a $1,000 advance, publication, and fifty copies. Complete details can be found here.
The Press 53 Award for Short Fiction (open Sept 1–Dec 31): We find one short fiction collection each year by way of the Press 53 Award for Short Fiction. This is an award for an outstanding, unpublished collection of short stories by a U.S.-based author regardless of the author’s publishing history. We are looking for excellent stories. This competition is open for entries from September-December each year with the winning author earning a $1,000 advance, publication, and fifty copies. Complete details can be found here.
Our remaining short fiction and poetry collections are found by our editors who actively seek out authors by reading journals and magazines; recommendations from writers we have published or have come to know and trust over the years; and from journal editors and publishers. We have also picked up a few finalists in our manuscript competitions. If you are at a conference or literary event that we attend each year, please stop by our table or booth and say hello.
Our advice: Authors who do not enter our contests can gain our attention by publishing widely in journals and magazines, including our own quarterly journal Prime Number Magazine (found in the menu bar), and by winning or placing in other contests (we keep an eye on who is winning and placing in a number of contests). We are always looking for voices that connect with us on a variety of levels. We do not publish works that are overtly political or religious, but a sprinkling of either within a manuscript is fine.
Journals and Magazines: The best introduction is a publication credit (the more, the better), and there is no better place to gain recognition, build readership, and to make valuable connections and alliances than by publishing your work in journals and magazines. This is where you gain experience working with seasoned editors, meet fellow authors, and build readership for your book. To find journals and magazines that are the best fit for your writing, we recommend NewPages and Duotrope. Please support your favorite journals and magazines by purchasing a copy or a subscription.
We Publish Only U.S.-based Authors: While many of our authors are local / regional to the Carolinas, two-thirds of our authors come from outside our region, from Florida to New England to California to Washington state and many points between. We also publish a balance of men and women (OK, a few more women than men). Neither of these statistics were established by design.
Questions should be emailed to Press 53 Publisher and Editor in Chief Kevin Morgan Watson.