Hub City Press, the publishing arm of the Hub City Writers Project, publishes books of literary fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, regional nonfiction, nature, and art. We are seeking new and extraordinary voices from the American South who have written well-crafted, high-quality works. We are committed to spotlighting lesser-heard Southern voices including: people of color, members of LGBTQ and gender diverse communities, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, as well as ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities. Hub City is a small press, publishing eight to ten titles per year. In general, our publication schedule operates at least 12-18 months in advance of release.
Hub City publishes writers living in or from the South. What's the South? A complicated issue, to say the least, but the short answer for our purposes: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
SUBMISSION SCHEDULE FOR 2025
March 14-16: Novels
July 11-13: Single-narrative nonfiction books
October 17-19: Debut and second novels
What to know
Writers without agent representation may send to our open submission calls. Please refer to the schedule above.
For all our open calls, Hub City Press is eager to engage with work by writers from historically underrepresented communities, including—but not limited to—those who are Black; Indigenous; Latino, Asian, and Arab American; from immigrant backgrounds; disabled; neurodivergent; trans and LGBTQ+; debuting after 40; and without an MFA.
Please review our guidelines before submitting. We ask that writers provide their full manuscript and a brief query letter. Because of the small size of our staff and the volume of queries we receive, you might not hear back from us directly. Timeline for query response is usually within six months of the close of the submission period.
We recommend that you familiarize yourself with our catalog before submitting. We cannot accept unagented queries via email, calls, or snail mail. Please do not call regarding submissions or submission status. Voicemails will not be returned.
Dos and don'ts
In your query, please tell us all standard info about your manuscript (title, word count, genre specifics) and a brief synopsis. If you have specific expertise on your subject, please let us know. If you are simultaneously submitting to other presses or querying agents, indicate this in your letter.
Please do not submit more than one manuscript. Please do not submit books that have already been self-published. Manuscripts that do not comply with the submission period guidelines will be removed unread.
What to expect from us once you have submitted
Due to the size of our staff and the volume of queries we receive, you might not hear back from us directly. We will be in touch with you if we have interest in your work. If you have not heard back within six months of your query or your manuscript submission if we have asked for it, assume your manuscript was not a good fit for us.
All open submission opportunities are below
The C. Michael Curtis Short Story Book Prize includes $5,000 and book publication. The prize is open to emerging writers in thirteen Southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia or West Virginia) and must have no more than one previously published book. Your entry must be for a debut book of short fiction.
The prize is named in honor of C. Michael Curtis, who has served as an editor of The Atlantic since 1963 and as fiction editor since 1982. Curtis has discovered or edited some of the finest short story writers of the modern era, including Tobias Wolff, Joyce Carol Oates, John Updike, and Anne Beattie. He has edited several acclaimed anthologies, including Contemporary New England Stories, God: Stories, and Faith: Stories. Curtis moved to Spartanburg, S.C. in 2006 and has taught as a professor at both Wofford and Converse Colleges, in addition to serving on the editorial board of Hub City Press.
This prize is made possible by a generous contribution from Michel and Eliot Stone of Spartanburg.
Manuscripts will be taken through online submission only. All manuscripts will be read anonymously by paid screeners. This contest is guided by the CLMP Code of Ethics.
Please read the full guidelines before submitting.
The Hub City Writers Project Winter Intensive will be held on the weekend of January 16-18, 2026 at the Hub City Press Office in downtown Spartanburg, SC. The program consists of a weekend of dedicated nonfiction workshops with limited participants (12-14 per class). It is geared toward more experienced writers working on a book-length project who will benefit from a dedicated workshop environment. Applicants must be 21+ years old.
Our Winter Intensive workshop leader will be Emma Copley Eisenberg. A craft capsule workshop will be on Sunday, followed by a publishing Q&A session with Hub City Press. Learn more about the Intensive at www.hubcity.org/winterintensive. Sunday Instructor and class description to come.
Acceptance to the Intensive will be by application with an application fee of $15.
Please submit the following:
- A cover letter that includes your bio and publication history.
- One unpublished writing sample of short fiction or an excerpt from an in-progress novel—2,500 words or less.
The Deep Line Poetry Series was created to spotlight poetry by writers working in the American South, writing about and from BIPOC communities. Submissions are open to all Southern poets at any stage of their career. There is no fee associated with submitting to this series. A finalist will be selected by the Editor-at-Large, Jennifer Chang, and will be published by Hub City Press in the following year. In addition to publication, the finalist will receive a prize of $2000.
Formally the BIPOC Poetry Series, the Deep Line Poetry Series is open to all poets at any stage of their careers who reside in or are from the South and whose project reflects the experience of marginalized Southern communities. Submitters must live in or be from the following fourteen states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia or West Virginia.
This series is made possible with funding from the Poetry Foundation.
Submission Requirements
- The contest opens February 1 and closes March 15, 11:59PM EST. Two finalists will be announced in the summer.
- The manuscript must be between 50 and 200 pages (12 point, Times New Roman or similar typeface). Works that have previously appeared in magazines or in anthologies may be included.
- This contest is not read anonymously, so please include a bio with your manuscript. Manuscripts should include one title page with the manuscript’s title only. You may also include a table of contents. Manuscripts that do not adhere to this guideline will be immediately eliminated.
- Simultaneous submissions of the same manuscript to other publishers or contests are acceptable but please notify us if your manuscript has been accepted elsewhere.
- While translations and manuscripts in languages other than English are not accepted, manuscripts that occasionally use words from other languages are acceptable and welcome.
- No revisions of submitted manuscripts will be allowed during the contest.
- There is no fee associated with submitting to this series.
FAQs
I have never published a book before. Am I eligible?
Yes, the Deep Line Poetry Series is open to poets of all stages of their careers.
I have published several books before. Am I eligible?
Yes, this series is open to poets of all stages of their careers.
I have previously lived in one of the Southern states listed. Am I eligible?
Yes. As long as you have ties to the South (have been born/raised in the South; have previously lived in the South for at least 3+ years; or are a current resident), you’re eligible to apply.
Questions?
If your question isn't addressed above, please email kate@hubcity.org.
Full guidelines: https://www.hubcity.org/deepline