Cleis Press Submission Guidelines

Cleis Press publishes provocative works by women and men in the areas of gay and lesbian studies, sexual politics, fiction, feminism, self-help, erotica, gender studies, and human rights.

We publish 34 new books each year and receive over 400 manuscripts and query submissions annually. We accept unsolicited manuscripts, as well as manuscripts represented by agents. Please do not send poetry or recommendation letters.

Book proposals should be emailed to Brenda Knight. Please include a CV, a list of previous publications, and the first chapter of the book in the body of the email. In an attachment, please include the manuscript, in either MS Word or PDF format.

Please do not send submissions via USPS or any other delivery service. We only accept emailed queries.

Please allow six to eight weeks for a reply.

Consult our online catalog for a complete listing of our books and to determine whether your work is appropriate for our publishing program.

Submission Guidelines for Annual Erotica Anthologies:
Best Lesbian Erotica
Best Gay Erotica
Best Women's Erotica