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
We are looking for a new part-time Social Media Coordinator for Hub City Press and Hub City Bookshop. This position will promote book and author events, Bookshop inventory, Hub City Press titles and events, on media and web platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and Mailchimp. The Social Media Coordinator will focus on reaching a wider audience for the organization.The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:
ESSENTIAL DUTIES
The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:
- Promoting book and author events for the Bookshop and Press on social media and web platforms
- Designing graphics for events and social media posts
- Building and sending email newsletters promoting monthly and major events for the Bookshop and Press
- Creating event pages for the HCWP website, Facebook, and Eventbrite
- Creating graphics for Bookshop events, Press books, and other Organizational priorities in Canva or Photoshop.
- Recording and editing videos highlighting new books and featured book recommendations
- Some email communication with authors and publicists for Bookshop events
- Performing other duties as assigned
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- 18 years of age and legally authorized to work in the US
- Some College/Associate’s Degree
- Demonstrated experience with social media marketing and platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, etc.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Strong computer proficiency
- Knowledge of social media etiquette
- Video and photo editing skills
- General knowledge of the book industry a plus, love of reading and books required
REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Suite
- Familiarity with Dropbox, Slack, and other office and productivity tools
- Valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Must be able to perform the essential duties of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. These include remaining in a stationary position for an extended period of time, moving about the office to access files and office equipment, operating a computer and other office equipment, and moving boxes weighing up to 25 pounds for shipping and off-site events.
SCHEDULE
This is a 8-10-hour a week in-person position with hiring anticipated by July 31, 2025. This is a six-month contract and will run through the end of 2025, with the possibility of renewal. Schedule is flexible, but requires two four hour shifts in-person at the Hub City Press office or Bookshop. This position pays $15/hour and benefits include paid holidays and access to 401k matching program.
TO APPLY: Submit cover letter and resume via Submittable. Interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis until position is filled. No phone calls please. We pride ourselves on the range of voices represented in our publishing list and seek to reflect that diversity in our staff. We especially encourage applications from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled folks.
You may only submit queries for nonfiction projects during this call. Fiction and poetry queries will not be read if they are submitted in this form. Fiction queries open in March and September.
FOR THIS CALL, we are most interested in book-length narrative works.
About us:
Hub City Press is a small press, publishing eight to ten titles per year including books of literary fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, regional nonfiction, nature, and art. Focused on finding and spotlighting extraordinary new and unsung writers from the American South, our curated list champions authors who represent the many people of this region and books that don’t fit neatly into the commercial or academic publishing landscape.
In general, our publication schedule operates at least 12-18 months in advance of release.
When submitting your query, please have ready:
- A one-page query letter about your novel, including: the title, genre, length, description of the work, author background and publication history, any credentials that particularly qualify you to write your book (if you have access to special markets or promotional opportunities for your book, we’d like to know about them as well), and;
- Your full manuscript (.doc and .docx preferred). Please note incomplete manuscripts will be automatically rejected.
- Your biographical information and a list of writers you know who might be willing to support your book.
We are looking for:
Well-crafted literary works by new and established authors with an emphasis on the Southern experience and a strong sense of place. We will expect to read completed manuscripts, and we rarely accept unfinished work.
We are committed to publishing and supporting lesser-heard Southern voices, including Black and Indigenous people, queer and trans people, immigrants, people with disabilities, as well as people from ethnic, cultural, and religious groups who have been oppressed and underrepresented by the publishing industry.
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, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia. At the same time, we're interested in boundaries, borders, and in-betweens, so if you want to make a case for a state not listed here, we'll take a look.
We are not looking for:
Submissions in the following categories: books for young people (YA, middle grade, or children's), romance, science fiction, mystery, how-to books, horror/paranormal or specific-religion inspirational books. Please do not send us a query if your book has already been self-published, even only as an eBook.
We can no longer accept queries for poetry collections or short story collections during our open submission period. Please wait to submit in these genres through our New Southern Voices Poetry Prize (open every other spring [2022, 2024...]) and C. Michael Curtis Short Story Book Prize (open every other fall [2021, 2023...]). If you are a South Carolina fiction writer, we hope you’ll consider submitting your novel to the South Carolina Novel Prize (open every other spring via the South Carolina Arts Commission).
What to expect from us once you have submitted:
Due to the size of our staff and the volume of queries we receive, we are unable to respond to every query. 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. If we pass on your project and you go on to make revisions, the best way to tell us about it again is to re-submit your project in a new query period.