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: 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