23 Best UK Publishing Companies (9 Open Without an Agent)

Britain gave the world Dickens, Christie, and Harry Potter, and London is still one of the busiest publishing capitals on the planet. If you have a manuscript ready, here is where 23 British publishers stand today, and which of them will read your work without an agent.

Nine of the publishers below take proposals or manuscripts straight from authors, though most of them only for a particular kind of book: poetry at Faber, health titles at Hammersmith, illustrated books at Korero, or business and reference titles at Wiley. Three independents read in submission windows, so it pays to watch their pages. The rest, including most of the big five, work only with literary agents or through their academic editors. For each one you’ll find what it publishes, how to reach it, and where its own guidelines live. If none of them fits your book, browse my directory of 2,000+ publishers, or start with the publishers that welcome first-time authors.

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.

UK publishers that take submissions without an agent

1. Faber and Faber

Faber and Faber has been publishing in London since 1929, and its list runs from T. S. Eliot, Samuel Beckett, and Sylvia Plath to today’s prize-winning novelists and poets. Poetry is still at the heart of the house, and Faber also publishes fiction, non-fiction, drama, and children’s books.

Faber accepts direct submissions of poetry from writers without an agent: email six example poems, and if you have not heard back within eight weeks, the answer is no. Fiction, non-fiction, plays, and children’s books need an agent, and it does not take unsolicited children’s poetry collections. Submission guidelines.

2. HarperCollins (UK)

HarperCollins UK traces its roots to William Collins, who started publishing in Glasgow in 1819, and it is home to Agatha Christie, J. R. R. Tolkien, and a long list of commercial and literary bestsellers, plus a large children’s books list.

The main house asks you not to send unsolicited manuscripts to any of its offices, but several of its imprints are open to unagented submissions. Its submissions page names Avon, HarperNorth, Akan Books, Mills & Boon, and One More Chapter, and some of them open only for set periods, so check which inbox is open before you send. HarperNorth’s own site, for example, currently takes only agented work. Submission guidelines.

3. Bloomsbury

Bloomsbury is the independent house behind Harry Potter, and it publishes adult fiction, children’s books, narrative non-fiction such as Yuval Noah Harari’s “Sapiens”, and a large academic and professional list.

For fiction, children’s books, and general non-fiction you need a literary agent. Its specialist lists are different: Military History, Adlard Coles, Conway, Green Tree, Business, Sport, Wildlife, Sigma, Academic, and Education all consider proposals from authors directly, each with its own editor or proposal form. Writing for Bloomsbury.

4. John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Wiley is a global publisher of professional, academic, and reference books, best known to many readers for the For Dummies series. Its trade list covers business, leadership, finance, technology, and education.

Wiley’s trade team welcomes proposals through an online form that goes to one of its editors, with no agent required. Academic and research authors have their own proposal routes on the same publishing hub. Submit a book idea.

5. Hodder Education

Hodder Education, now trading as Hachette Learning, publishes textbooks, revision guides, and digital learning materials for UK schools and colleges, plus professional development for teachers. This is an educational publisher, so it suits teachers and subject experts more than novelists.

Hachette Learning welcomes manuscripts, book ideas, and digital learning material through the contact form on its publishing page. Publish with Hachette Learning.

6. Bitter Lemon Press

Bitter Lemon Press has published literary crime fiction and thrillers since 2003, much of it in translation from around the world, and in 2026 it was named best crime publisher at the CWA Daggers.

Bitter Lemon accepts submissions in the literary crime and thriller area by email. Translators can send the first two chapters with an outline of a novel already published in its original language. Original English-language fiction should come through a literary agent. Submission guidelines.

7. Korero Press

Korero Press is a London independent that publishes visually striking illustrated books on pop culture, art, illustration, street art, kustom kulture, horror, and erotic art, along with graphic novels.

Korero accepts submissions by email and asks for no agent, but it publishes no novels, so pitch it only if your book is illustrated. Submission guidelines.

8. Titan Books

Titan Books is a London publisher of comics, graphic novels, science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and of illustrated books on film, TV, and video games.

Titan is not looking for general fiction at present, since most of its novels are licensed or come through agents. It welcomes proposals for film and TV non-fiction and art and comics reference books, ideally from writers with a track record, and for original graphic novels it asks for a brief synopsis and covering letter. Submission guidelines.

9. Hammersmith Books

Hammersmith Books, also known as Hammersmith Health Books, publishes practical, evidence-based books on health, nutrition, and mental health. It does not publish fiction.

Hammersmith accepts proposals for health books by email, using the address on its authors page, and no agent is needed. Be ready for a modest advance, which the publisher says openly. Information for authors.

Independent presses that read in submission windows

10. Galleybeggar

Galley Beggar Press is a Norwich independent founded in 2012, known for bold literary fiction, short story collections, and narrative non-fiction. It published Eimear McBride’s prize-winning debut “A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing”.

Galley Beggar reads agented and unagented writers, but only during its submission windows. Its inbox is closed to unsolicited manuscripts right now, so sign up to its newsletter to hear when the next window opens. Submission guidelines.

11. Carcanet

Carcanet Press, founded in 1969 by Michael Schmidt and based in Manchester, is one of the UK’s leading poetry publishers, with a strong list of poetry in translation and classic reissues.

Carcanet is closed to submissions between its announced poetry windows, and the last one ended in March 2025, so watch its submissions page for the next date. It is not looking for fiction, essays, or life writing, and work sent outside a window will not be considered. Submission guidelines.

12. Canelo

Canelo is a digital-first commercial fiction publisher founded in 2015, with strong lists in crime, thrillers, sagas, romance, and historical fiction.

Canelo’s submissions inbox is closed at the moment, and it is not accepting unsolicited submissions until it reopens. Its sister company, Hera Books, reads unagented manuscripts of 80,000 words or more in mystery and thriller, romance, women’s fiction, sagas, and horror. Submission guidelines.

UK publishers you reach through an agent or an editor

13. Penguin Random House (UK)

Penguin Random House UK is the country’s largest trade publisher, home to imprints such as Penguin, Vintage, Cornerstone, Ebury, and Puffin, and to authors from George Orwell and Roald Dahl to today’s bestsellers.

Penguin’s policy is clear: it does not accept unsolicited manuscripts or synopses, so you need a literary agent. How to get published.

14. Hachette Livre (UK)

Hachette UK is the British arm of the French group Hachette Livre, with imprints including Hodder & Stoughton, Little, Brown, Orion, Headline, Quercus, and Octopus. Its authors include James Patterson, Stephen King, and Robert Galbraith, J. K. Rowling’s crime pen name.

Outside its Future Bookshelf programme, Hachette UK will only accept submissions sent by an agent. Future Bookshelf is its open submissions platform for writers from under-represented communities, and it runs open calls, so check the page for the current one. Submission policy.

15. Simon & Schuster (UK)

Simon & Schuster UK publishes commercial and literary fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books, with authors such as Philippa Gregory.

Like most UK trade publishers, Simon & Schuster UK does not accept unsolicited submissions, proposals, manuscripts, or artwork, so send your work through a literary agent. Submission policy.

16. Pan Macmillan

Pan Macmillan has been publishing for more than 170 years, with authors such as Ken Follett, Jeffrey Archer, and Cecelia Ahern, a children’s list, and imprints including Mantle, Tor, and Picador.

Pan Macmillan does not accept unsolicited manuscripts for its general list, so approach it through an agent. Its contact page answers manuscript questions and links to the separate Picador Poetry guidelines. Contact and submissions FAQ.

17. Picador Books

Picador is Pan Macmillan’s literary imprint, founded in 1972, and it publishes literary fiction, narrative and cultural non-fiction, and poetry by writers such as Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, and Cormac McCarthy.

Picador’s fiction and non-fiction follow Pan Macmillan’s agent route, and poets should read the Picador Poetry guidelines linked from the Pan Macmillan contact page. Pan Macmillan contact page.

18. Canongate

Canongate is an independent Edinburgh publisher founded in 1973, and it publishes ambitious literary fiction and non-fiction, including Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi”.

Canongate does not accept unsolicited submissions and suggests finding an agent first. It also warns writers about fraudulent emails that impersonate its editors, so treat any unexpected offer with care. Submission policy.

19. Serpent’s Tail

Serpent’s Tail, an imprint of Profile Books since 2007, has published edgy literary fiction, translated fiction, and non-fiction since 1986, including Lionel Shriver’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin”.

Serpent’s Tail is not accepting unsolicited submissions of fiction or poetry at this time. It reads unagented non-fiction only from published, not self-published, authors and university academics, and it charges no reading fee. Submission policy.

20. Granta

Granta Books publishes literary fiction and non-fiction, from history and politics to travel and memoir, alongside Granta magazine, which has championed new writing for decades.

Granta Books does not accept unsolicited proposals or manuscripts for books. The magazine is a separate route for shorter work: it reads unsolicited fiction and non-fiction in quarterly windows, with the next one opening on December 1, 2026, and charges a small fee for full-length prose. Granta submissions.

21. Oxford University Press

Oxford University Press is the world’s largest university press and a department of the University of Oxford, publishing academic books, journals, dictionaries, textbooks, and English language teaching materials.

OUP is a route for scholars and educators, not general trade authors. Academic and textbook authors pitch an outline proposal to the commissioning or acquisitions editor for their subject. Book proposal guidance.

22. Pearson Education

Pearson is one of the world’s biggest learning companies, behind UK qualifications such as BTEC and Edexcel, and it publishes textbooks, assessment, and digital courseware for schools, colleges, and universities.

Pearson’s UK site does not publish an author submissions page, so if you are an educator with a course or textbook idea, contact the team for your subject or qualification directly.

23. Tilted Axis Press

Tilted Axis Press is an independent publisher of contemporary translated fiction, along with poetry and non-fiction, with a focus on writing from Asia. It publishes six to nine books a year and champions diverse voices and their translators.

Tilted Axis lists no open submissions route on its site, so translators with a project should email the press through the address on its about page before sending a sample. About Tilted Axis.

Names you may be looking for

Jo Fletcher Books

Jo Fletcher Books, the science fiction, fantasy, and horror imprint at Quercus, relaunched in 2023 under a new name, Arcadia. Arcadia is part of Hachette UK and says it is proudly open to unagented submissions of complete SFF and horror novels; its guidelines sit on the Hachette UK website. Avoid the old jofletcherbooks.com address, which no longer belongs to the imprint.

Black Dog Publishing

Black Dog Publishing was a London house for art, architecture, and design books. The Black Dog Press site at blackdogonline.com now offers publishing services to artists and organisations, so it is not a place to send a manuscript.

British Book Publishing Companies – FAQ:

What are the big five publishers in the UK?

The big five publishers in the UK are Penguin Random House, Hachette UK, HarperCollins, Pan Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster. All five work mainly with literary agents, although HarperCollins and Hachette run occasional open submissions schemes.

Who is the biggest publisher in the UK?

The biggest publisher in the UK is Penguin Random House, which is owned by the German media group Bertelsmann.

Do you need a literary agent to get published in the UK?

For most fiction at the big houses, yes. But many UK publishers read work directly: poetry at Faber, crime in translation at Bitter Lemon, health books at Hammersmith, illustrated books at Korero, specialist non-fiction at Bloomsbury, and the open submissions imprints at HarperCollins. Independent presses such as Galley Beggar and Carcanet also read unagented work during their submission windows.

Is self-publishing worth it in the UK?

Self-publishing can be worth it for certain authors and genres. You keep full control over editing, cover design, and marketing, and you earn higher royalties per copy. In return, you pay for editing and design yourself and do all of the marketing, so success depends on your ability to build a readership. See my guide to self-publishing companies to compare your options.

Final Thoughts

If you write poetry, crime in translation, health, business, or illustrated books, start with the nine publishers at the top of this list, because each one will read your work without an agent. If you write literary fiction, watch Galley Beggar and Carcanet for their next windows, and look at Hera Books if you write commercial fiction. For the big five and the other agent-only houses, put your energy into finding the right agent. Next up, you may want to explore a guide to the top publishing companies in Cambridge.