We will accept submissions for poetry collections, nonfiction essay collections, and memoir. Selected titles will be published by CavanKerry Press and receive national distribution.

Who May Submit?

  • CavanKerry Press publishes works that explore the emotional and psychological landscapes of everyday life.
  • We are particularly interested in receiving more work from queer, trans, and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) voices.
  • With our LaurelBooks imprint, CavanKerry is also especially engaged with work from people living with physical and/or mental illness and disability.
  • Writers who reside in the United States and primarily write in English.

The Reading Fee?

  • To better meet the financial needs of our fellow writers, we have revised our submission fee to offer a “Pay what you can” structure, with $10$18, and $25 options.
  • The sliding scale will in no way impact consideration of your manuscript.
  • If you need additional financial assistance, please email Gabriel Cleveland, Managing Editor, as we are able to accommodate a limited number of free submissions for writers-in-need on a first-come, first-served basis.

Manuscript Guidelines?

  • All manuscripts must be a minimum of 50 pages.
  • Submit your previously unpublished manuscript with a table of contents.
  • Manuscript should be formatted on a Word document using a standard font (such as Times New Roman or Calibri) and standard margins. Prose entries should be formatted with 1 and 1/2 or double spacing,
  • All manuscripts will be read anonymously. Please do not include your name on any pages of the manuscript.
  • Include a cover letter with the following information:
    1. title of the manuscript
    2. author name
    3. address
    4. telephone number
    5. email address
    6. social media handles and website address if applicable

*Submissions without cover letter information will not be read.

Individual poems or essays in a manuscript may have been previously published in magazines, journals, or anthologies. You may include an acknowledgment page at the end, though this will not affect consideration of your manuscript.

Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted. Please notify Gabriel Cleveland, Managing Editor, promptly if a manuscript is accepted elsewhere.

How to Submit?

All submissions should be made through Submittable. The submission fee of $25 also includes a choice of one of CavanKerry’s books from the image below. Book mailings will begin in September.

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Open Submissions August 1st- August 31

Before submitting your work to CavanKerry, please explore our website and the work of the authors we have published.

Our full submission guidelines can be found here.

Click here to submit