Chapbook Submissions
SUBMISSIONS CLOSED
Yellow Arrow Publishing chapbook submissions are closed until summer 2024. Thank you to everyone who submitted and shared. Your support means everything.
During open submissions, Yellow Arrow Publishing accepts submissions of poetry, creative nonfiction, and hybrid chapbooks by authors who identify as women from around the world.
Please note that as a small press we produce a limited number of publications each year. We pour our hearts and souls into each submission and each Yellow Arrow publication and thank everyone for their interest and inquiries. We only accept digital submissions. At this time, we would prefer assisting those without agents.
Manuscripts pass through a two-stage reading process involving the readers and editors of Yellow Arrow, who will select the chapbooks we would like to publish in the following year. Though first-round submissions are reviewed anonymously, we do ask for your background and bio.
Click here for an editorial statement from our Editor-in-Chief.
Please read the guidelines below carefully and look for the submissions form when submissions are opening. Any questions? Check out our brand new FAQs to the right. Still need an answer? Send your question to submissions@yellowarrowpublishing.com.
SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES
Chapbooks may be poetry, creative nonfiction (e.g., personal narratives, essays, reflections, flash prose, and micro memoirs), or hybrid, no more than 50 pages long. When submitting, please select the genre that aligns most closely with your chapbook.
Generally, creative nonfiction should be between 15,000 and 25,000 words total (there is no minimum or maximum number of pieces to include, use your discretion) and poetry between 20 and 50 poems; hybrid can be any combination
Manuscripts must be entirely written by the submitting author and may not include AI-generated material in whole or in part. Do not include images or other media. Only one chapbook submission per author at this time.
Submissions must be in English and must be complete (do not send partials or summaries) with a clear, overarching theme and headers (if needed).
We will consider previously published pieces within the manuscript as long as the author currently holds all rights and the content is transformed—if previously published, please list where and when in the acknowledgments (see below).
We do not require exclusive submission; contact us at submissions@yellowarrowpublishing.com as soon as you know that your chapbook has been accepted for publication elsewhere.
We have added a fee to submissions (to learn more about why, please read about it at yellowarrowpublishing.com/show-your-spark-chapbook-submissions-open-2023). The submission fee is on a sliding scale between $0-$10. You’ll be asked to select the appropriate option from the list (detailed below) and attach your receipt.
SUBMISSIONS FEE SCHEDULE
On the submissions form (when available), check the box (explained below) that most aligns with your situation. Please pay for your fee through Venmo (@yellowarrowpublishing) or Paypal (staff@yellowarrowpublishing.com) and attach your receipt where indicated on the form.
$0: Reserved for BIWOC authors (by checking this option, you acknowledge that you are a BIWOC author)
$5: Reserved for those experiencing financial hardship (financial hardship means this is what you can afford right now, no questions asked)
$10: Standard submission fee
In order for your work to be read, you must check the relevant submission fee option and, if needed, pay the fee and attach your receipt.
ARE YOU READY TO SUBMIT?
To submit your chapbook, use the submissions form when available. Please read each question carefully. Our writers and readers come from all walks of life and so do we. We are taking steps across our portfolio to increase representation and give greater visibility to the voices of underrepresented women-identifying storytellers. If you are comfortable doing so, we would appreciate you filling out the optional questions on the form along with those required (marked with an asterisk).
Upload your submission as an attachment to the submissions form. Your text should be 12 pt font with 1-inch margins and consecutively-numbered pages; do not include any identifiers (i.e., personal information) within the manuscript itself. Your submission should include (in order):
a title page
a synopsis (250 words or less)
a table of contents that matches the content
acknowledgments (only for pieces previously published)
text
By sending your submission you agree to the following statements:
You are a writer who identifies as a woman
You have read and submitted within the guidelines
Note that the guidelines can change at any time—check this page before submitting. Have any questions? Send them to submissions@yellowarrowpublishing.com.
Thank you for supporting independent publishing. You can learn more about our authors and our publications program at yellowarrowpublishing.com/publish-with-us.
Submissions FAQs
What is included in the publication package?
collaborative content editing, copyediting, and cover design
a feature interview with our in-house interviewer Melissa Nunez
promotion of your chapbook on social media and in our monthly newsletter, including a cover reveal and interview prerelease, highlights, and an official launch date
coordination of a launch event
opportunity to share your voice and promote your work by hosting a Yellow Arrow workshop
regular meetings with Yellow Arrow staff and chapbook authors to collaborate and share ideas
creation of a unique Conversation Starters guide for book clubs who choose to read your chapbook
5 comp copies and author pricing of chapbooks at cost plus shipping
Are there any costs to me once publication is offered?
No, we do not charge you for publication.
How do I know if my work is a good fit for Yellow Arrow?
The best way to identify whether your work is a good fit for us is to take a look at some of our previous publications, all available in our bookstore (digital downloads are available for less than $6!). When we review submissions we are looking for writing that tells your story. We love writing that feels authentic, that gives us a window into who a writer is and what has shaped them, and that connects us to them. We are interested in pieces with a strong voice that show us the woman behind the words.
How is the cover designed?
Our inhouse Creative Director, Alexa Laharty, works with each author to illustrate their cover vision (and interior images, if wanted). We want each cover to visually represent the content of the chapbook and the author themselves. We often design the artwork internally (check out The most beautiful garden, when the daffodils die, or other publications in our bookstore for examples of our aesthetic). If you prefer working with an external artist, any cost would be the author’s responsibility. We ask that you not enter into any agreement, verbal or otherwise, with an artist for your cover design until it has been okayed by the creative director.
What kind of support do I receive if I am published by Yellow Arrow?
We embrace each of our authors as a member of our Yellow Arrow community and stay in close contact throughout the editorial and publication process and beyond. We provide support with a variety of tasks leading up to publication: how to request blurbs, how to plan a launch event, how to contact local bookstores and libraries, etc. We even have an author support coordinator on staff who serves as a liaison even after release.
How will you advertise my chapbook?
We promote our chapbooks on social media, in our monthly newsletter, and in our blog. In addition, we help coordinate a launch event to celebrate the author and their publication. We also reach out to bookstores and will support you with outreach of stores near your residence. Board/staff attend a number of writing conferences and literary or arts events and will promote chapbooks while there. (We do ask authors to promote their books and interact with their personal and professional networks, as much as possible, and provide guidance along with a How to Get Your Book Out There cheat sheet for current and future publications.)
What is the editorial process like for chapbooks?
It is vitally important to us to retain an author’s voice and style while also helping them showcase their words. Authors work one-on-one with a content editor before copyediting per an inhouse style guide. We view the process as a collaboration between an author and our editorial team. But ultimately, every author has the final say on any changes or additions.
Where will my chapbook be sold?
We sell our books as a paperback and eBook, available on our website (and we prefer that you direct readers there . . . support small presses!). But your book will also be available on Amazon and through most online distributors as well as wholesale for bookstores and libraries. We have had our books sold in brick-and-mortar stores throughout the U.S.!
How do you determine what chapbooks to publish?
We have a team of readers who pour their hearts into our reading period, reviewing each submission thoroughly. Manuscripts pass through a two-stage process involving the readers and editors of Yellow Arrow; first-round submissions are reviewed anonymously. Our readers provide valuable input that helps us determine our finalists and authors.
When will I find out if my chapbook is selected?
After the reading period closes, we provide our team a little more than two months to read submissions, giving each submission the appropriate time and attention. Once we have made selections, we notify all submitters via email before announcing the authors to our community.