Publishing

People will tell you there are two options when it comes to publishing your novel: indie/self publish, or join the agent hunt and take your place in the query trenches with thousands of other authors. But there's a hidden third path — some publishing houses accept unagented submissions, which means you can query the publisher directly, no agent required.

Below is a list of publishers who take unagented fiction submissions, organized alphabetically and rated out of 100 on longevity, catalog depth, distribution, market reach, and transparency (see the full breakdown below the table). Click any row for the full picture — genres wanted, eligibility, a category-by-category score breakdown, and a due-diligence note. This is a starting point for your research, not a guarantee: always confirm current guidelines on the publisher's own site before submitting.

A number of these publishers also offer indie or hybrid publishing services alongside their traditional list — those aren't what's being rated here. Every entry below reflects a confirmed traditional route: the publisher pays you, not the other way around. If a publisher's hybrid or paid options come up in your own research, treat that as a separate offering from what's tracked on this page.