Submission Guidelines

Cleis Press publishes provocative, intelligent books across multiple genres.

*** CLEIS PRESS IS NOW ACCEPTING AGENTED SUBMISSIONS ONLY. ***

WHAT WE ACCEPT:

LGBTQ+ nonfiction
Nonfiction on the topic of sex and sexuality (self-help, sexual guides, LGBTQ+ and/or women’s studies, feminism, dating and relationships, sexual health, memoir)
Erotic fiction (erotica/romance)

WHAT WE DO NOT ACCEPT:

In terms of erotica, we DO NOT publish works that contain any of the following elements: nonconsensual sex or activities, underage characters or minors, incest, politics or characters that resemble a real public figure, substance/alcohol/drug abuse that affect the character's willingness/ability to consent or make sane judgements and decisions (Some exceptions can be made—take on a case-by-case basis), and infidelity or cheating tropes (polyamory and non traditional relationships are ok as long as all parties are consenting).

You can also consult our website for a complete listing of our books and to determine whether your work is appropriate for our publishing house.

If you have read though the information above and wish to submit a book proposal, please follow these guidelines:

Digital submissions should be emailed to acquisitions@cleispress.com /Attn: Ashley

Please note that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are no longer accepting physical submissions sent by mail.

If you are an agent submitting fiction or nonfiction, please submit a book proposal containing:

The book's word count/page count (if completed)
An author bio, accompanied by the authors social media numbers + handles/any other relevant mediums that have garnered successful engagement
A list of the author's previous publications, if applicable
A list of at least 3 comp titles (title/ISBN/publisher/year published) + a description of how the proposed book is the same/different

If you are an unagented author who would like to submit to the next volume of Best Women's Erotica of the Year, click here.