Graywolf Press is a literary press that publishes about twenty-seven books annually, mostly collections of poetry, memoir, essays, novels, and short stories. Our editors are looking for high quality literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that combines a distinct voice with a distinct vision.
Please do not submit query letters, sample chapters, or proposals to the submission manager. We are interested in seeing your completed manuscript, not a query. Also note that we do not publish stand-alone poems or stories.
We prefer to consider only one manuscript from a given author during a submission period, so please do not submit multiple manuscripts. Once you’ve heard back from us, you are welcome to submit again.
Graywolf Press is happy to accept unsolicited manuscripts from authors of all backgrounds. In return, we ask that you take the time to familiarize yourself with our list in order to determine whether or not Graywolf is a good fit for your manuscript. Many of the unsolicited manuscripts we receive are inappropriate for our press. You can ensure that your manuscript will be fully read and considered by taking a little time before submission to make sure it is appropriate for us.
We are currently open for submissions.
Poetry Submissions
Graywolf publishes around nine collections of poetry, one or two collections of poetry in translation, and one or two collections of essays on poetry each year. Our list focuses on contemporary poets, contemporary translators, and contemporary perspectives on craft. We very rarely publish poetry anthologies.
When submitting, please upload your finished, book-length manuscript as a Word document (either .doc or .docx), and include a cover letter in the provided field. Please make sure it contains contact information, relevant biographical information, a brief description of the manuscript, and relevant previous publication history. All poetry manuscripts should be single-spaced and should be submitted in a twelve-point font.
We no longer accept submissions of first collections of poetry. Instead, we ask that you submit those collections to the Bakeless Prizes, which are first-book publication prizes administered by the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. Each year Graywolf Press publishes the Bakeless Prize winners in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. It is our hope that this will still provide access to Graywolf for those seeking publication of a first collection of short stories or poetry. For more details, please visit the Bread Loaf website.
Fiction Submissions
Graywolf publishes around nine works of fiction, including novels, short stories, and literature in translation each year. Within all genres, we look for innovative manuscripts that in some way take on the social and cultural challenges of contemporary life; our list focuses on contemporary authors and translators. We do not publish children’s or young adult literature, plays, self-help books, or how-to guides. We also do not publish any genre fiction, such as romance, science fiction, thrillers, detective fiction, horror stories, westerns, historical fiction, etc. We very rarely publish anthologies.
When submitting, please upload your finished, book-length manuscript as a Word document (either .doc or .docx), and include a cover letter in the provided field. Please make sure it contains contact information, relevant biographical information, a brief description of the manuscript, and relevant previous publication history. All prose manuscripts should be double-spaced, and should be submitted in a twelve-point font.
We no longer accept submissions of first collections of short stories. Instead, we ask that you submit those collections to the Bakeless Prizes, which are first-book publication prizes administered by the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. Each year Graywolf Press publishes the Bakeless Prize winners in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. It is our hope that this will still provide access to Graywolf for those seeking publication of a first collection of short stories or poetry. For more details, please visit the Bread Loaf website.
Nonfiction Submissions
Graywolf publishes around nine works of creative nonfiction, including lyric essays, memoir, literary criticism each year. We look for innovative manuscripts that in some way take on the social and cultural challenges of contemporary life; our list focuses on contemporary authors and translators. We do not publish self-help books or how-to guides. We very rarely publish anthologies.
When submitting, please upload your finished, book-length manuscript as a Word document (either .doc or .docx), and include a cover letter in the provided field. Please make sure it contains contact information, relevant biographical information, a brief description of the manuscript, and relevant previous publication history. All nonfiction manuscripts should be double-spaced, and should be submitted in a twelve-point font.