15 Best Book Publishers in Utah (And How to Submit)

Utah has a publishing scene far bigger than its population suggests, from a university press and a nonprofit environmental publisher to some of the best-known faith-based houses in the country. Here are 15 Utah book publishers and author-services companies, with how to approach each one.

The companies below work in different ways, so know which route you want before you write to anyone. Traditional publishers such as the University of Utah Press, Torrey House Press, Deseret Book and Shadow Mountain review submissions and pay to produce your book. Others, including Eschler Editing, Izzard Ink and Idea Creations Press, sell editing, design and publishing services to authors who want to keep control. For a wider view, browse my collection of literary establishments.

Submission policies change without notice, so check the publisher’s own page before you send anything, and never pay a reading fee. Last verified: October 1, 2026.

Here are the top book publishing companies in Utah:

1. University of Utah Press

The University of Utah Press is the oldest press in the state, founded in 1949, and it now has more than 75 years of academic publishing behind it. It publishes scholarly books and creative work in anthropology and archaeology, linguistics, Mesoamerican, Indigenous and American Indian studies, Mormon and religious studies, Western American and Utah history, environmental studies, natural history and regional guidebooks.

The press invites proposals through its information for authors page: a cover letter, outline and sample material, with nonfiction manuscripts of 75,000 to 90,000 words. Creative nonfiction proposals are reviewed each spring and fall, and poetry comes in only through the Agha Shahid Ali Prize. Expect about two years from proposal to finished book.

Working on a book of your own? You can publish it yourself with PublishDrive (affiliate link).

2. Eschler Editing

Eschler Editing, founded by Angela Eschler, is a team of editors, ghostwriters, designers and publicists who help writers make a lasting impact with their books. It is a paid service, so you hire the team and keep the decisions.

Its author services cover story coaching, ghostwriting, developmental editing and copyediting, then one of three publishing paths: coached DIY self-publishing, full-service publishing, or help preparing your book and finding an agent for a traditional deal.

3. Elite Online Publishing

Elite Online Publishing, founded by Melanie Johnson and Jenn Foster, works with business owners and experts who want a book to build their brand and credibility. It takes on a limited number of authors each year.

Elite Online Publishing accepts applications through its author submissions form, and only for inspirational, motivational and educational books by thought and industry leaders. Applications are reviewed in the order received, which can take several weeks. Ask for the full terms and costs before you commit.

4. Izzard Ink Publishing

Izzard Ink is a hybrid publisher that has helped hundreds of authors publish since 2014. You choose your editor from a curated list, and the company handles cover design, interior layout, metadata, distribution and launch marketing. Its process starts with a paid manuscript assessment and action plan.

See the publishing services page for the four stages, from planning and editing to publishing and promotion. The company says its titles have been covered by outlets such as Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and NPR.

5. Gibbs Smith

Gibbs Smith is an employee-owned independent publisher, founded in 1969 and based in Utah since 1973. It is best known for interior design, architecture, cookbooks and books for children, including the BabyLit board books, and it also publishes arts and crafts, humor and gift books.

Gibbs Smith accepts unsolicited submissions by email under its submission guidelines. Send a proposal with a market analysis, your qualifications, a promotion plan, an outline and sample writing, or for children’s books an outline with writing and illustration samples. It replies only if interested and does not take mailed submissions.

6. Signature Books

Signature Books, founded in 1981 in Salt Lake City, publishes on Mormonism, Utah and the American West: history, biography, documentary editions, personal essays and poetry. Read its mission and recent titles before you pitch, because the press asks writers to show how their book fits.

Signature accepts proposals by email under its submission guidelines. Keep the letter to one page and add a marketing plan, table of contents, introduction, sample chapter and CV, but hold the full manuscript until asked. If you hear nothing within six weeks, take it as a no.

7. Cedar Fort Publishing and Media

Cedar Fort Publishing & Media is an independent publisher with nearly 40 years of uplifting books behind it: Latter-day Saint nonfiction, general nonfiction, cookbooks, outdoor guides, children’s books and clean fiction. It works with first-time and published authors, agented or unagented, and also sells self-publishing services.

Cedar Fort accepts full manuscripts through its Submittable portal, linked from the Cedar Fort website. Fiction is paused until mid-2027, and illustrated children’s books are being collected for review in March 2027. Manuscripts should run 30,000 to 90,000 words, and you will need two one-minute videos, one introducing you and one your book.

8. Family Heritage Publishers

Family Heritage Publishers in Salt Lake City prints and binds books that preserve family stories, from personal histories to small runs for reunions. It is a printing and bindery service, so you pay for the copies and keep the rights.

Its printing and binding services include hardcover and paperback bindings built to library specifications, full-color covers, and color or black-and-white digital printing.

9. Future House Publishing

Future House Publishing, based in Pleasant Grove, publishes family-friendly science fiction and fantasy, along with young adult and middle-grade adventure. It keeps its books free of excessive profanity, sexual content and graphic violence, and it favors series with room to grow.

Future House is not accepting new manuscript submissions at the moment. Its submissions page calls the pause temporary and says the reopening will be announced there and on its social channels.

10. Idea Creations Press

Idea Creations Press is a publishing-services company that uses print on demand, so you keep the rights, set your own price and keep the profit. It offers ghostwriting, editing, design and marketing help, with one-on-one contact by phone, email or in person.

Book a free consultation through the contact page and ask for a written quote before you sign up for any service.

11. Torrey House Press

Torrey House Press is a nonprofit publisher in the Intermountain West working where literary arts meet environmental advocacy. It publishes 8 to 12 books a year that explore our relationships with place, land and the changing Earth, and it especially encourages BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, Millennial and Gen Z writers.

Torrey House Press accepts submissions through its online submissions manager under its submission guidelines. It wants literary and genre fiction, short story and essay collections, and creative or investigative nonfiction. Send full manuscripts for fiction, collections and memoir, and a query first for narrative nonfiction. Expect four to six months for a reply.

12. Jackman Music

Jackman Music, founded in 1975 in Bountiful, publishes sacred sheet music for choirs, pianists, organists, instrumentalists and families, much of it written for Latter-day Saint congregations. It is a music publisher, so this is the place for composers and arrangers.

Jackman Music accepts submissions through the form on its submitting music page. Include a notation file, a PDF score, a demo recording and written permission for any copyrighted material. Hymn arrangements need a significant original contribution, and replies are not guaranteed.

13. WiDō Publishing

WiDō Publishing is a small press with a clear test for its list: books that are readable without being formulaic, uplifting without being preachy, and above all “a darn good story.” Several of its titles are now on Audible.

WiDō is open to new manuscripts under its submission guidelines. Email a short introduction to you and your book, with the first three chapters as a PDF and a marketing plan built on your platform. Its hybrid imprint, E.L. Marker, offers paid self-publishing.

14. Shadow Mountain Publishing

Shadow Mountain is the national, general-market imprint of Deseret Book, publishing clean fiction and nonfiction for all ages. It is home to Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series and the Proper Romance line of sweet romances, alongside historical fiction, middle grade and YA, mystery, history, biography and cookbooks.

Shadow Mountain accepts agented submissions at any time under its submission guidelines. Unagented writers can submit through the online form only from March 1 to 7, June 1 to 7, September 1 to 7 and December 1 to 7. It does not want picture books, poetry, science fiction or previously self-published books.

15. Deseret Book Company

Deseret Book is a publisher and retailer whose books reflect the values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It mainly publishes nonfiction for Latter-day Saint readers: gospel teaching, inspiration, scripture reference, and help and hope for life’s challenges.

Deseret Book accepts unsolicited manuscripts through its online portal under its author guidelines. Send a query letter, a short author bio and the complete manuscript. It does not want memoirs, family histories, poetry, devotionals, health or finance books, or fantasy and science fiction.

Names you may be looking for

Firewire Publishing

Firewire Publishing was a Salt Lake City self-publishing studio started by Morgan Crockett. He now runs Firewire Book Printing, a printer for coffee-table books, cookbooks, art books and children’s books.

Conclusion

If you want a traditional deal, start with the publishers that review submissions now: the University of Utah Press, Gibbs Smith, Signature Books, Torrey House Press, WiDō, Deseret Book and, through an agent or in its open weeks, Shadow Mountain. Match your book to each house’s list and send only what its guidelines ask for. If you would rather keep control and pay for help, Eschler Editing, Izzard Ink and Idea Creations Press can take a manuscript all the way to print. Next up, you may want to explore a guide on book publishing companies in Colorado.