25 Best Photography & Art Book Publishers (14 Open Now)

There’s something magical about capturing unique moments and turning them into a book you can hold. If you have a photography or art project ready, here are 25 publishers worth your attention, and how each one wants to hear from you.

The practice of documenting my life and travels helped me develop an eye for aesthetics and a deep appreciation for beautifully made photography books. Fourteen of the publishers below take proposals today, from London’s Thames & Hudson to small photobook presses like TIS books. Two more serve a finished or self-published book, three read only in windows or by invitation, and six publish wonderful work but post no open call, so you contact them first. For each one you’ll find what it publishes, how to pitch it, and where its own guidelines live. Once you’re done here, see my list of 2,000+ publishing entities.

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.

Photography and art book publishers that take proposals now

1. Thames & Hudson

Founded in 1949 by Walter and Eva Neurath as a “museum without walls,” Thames & Hudson is an independent London publisher with offices in New York and beyond. Its best-known lists cover art, architecture, photography, design, fashion, popular culture and history.

Thames & Hudson accepts proposals from photographers, designers and illustrators by email. Send an overview of up to 500 words, a chapter outline, your audience, a short bio, competing titles and up to six low-resolution images, all under 4MB. It does not answer portfolio or commissioning enquiries, and you’ll hear back within three months only if it’s interested. Submission guidelines.

2. Steidl

Gerhard Steidl founded his company in Göttingen, Germany, in 1969, and it grew from a screen-printing workshop into one of the most respected names in photobooks and art books. Steidl is famous for overseeing printing in-house, so each book is made with unusual care.

Steidl accepts proposals by email: a short outline, a PDF of sample images and your CV. It receives a large volume of submissions and gives no feedback, and it asks you never to post valuable prints or maquettes. Submission guidelines.

3. Phaidon

Phaidon is an international publisher of visual-culture books across art, architecture, design, photography, film, fashion, food and travel, with the Phaidon Kids and Monacelli imprints alongside its main list.

Phaidon accepts proposals by email only. Send a short description of your project in English with your CV; Monacelli has its own address and wants a fuller proposal with a table of contents, comparable books and sample visuals. Phaidon gives no feedback, and silence after three months means no. Submission guidelines.

4. Kehrer Verlag

Klaus Kehrer founded Kehrer Verlag in Heidelberg in 1995, and it has become one of Europe’s leading photobook publishers, with contemporary art and sound art on the list too.

Kehrer welcomes proposals at any time, preferably as a single PDF of up to 10MB sent by email, with an exposé, a project statement and your CV. Postal submissions to Heidelberg are also possible. Kehrer replies only to projects it plans to pursue and asks you not to chase. Submission guidelines.

5. powerHouse Books

powerHouse Books is an independent New York publisher of art photography and illustrated books, from fine art and documentary work to pop culture and fashion.

Its Submission Programme accepts proposals by email: a PDF under 60MB with around 40 of your strongest images, a project description, your collaborators and your publicity plans. It doesn’t publish novels or text-only books. Submission guidelines.

6. Laurence King Publishing

Laurence King is a London publisher of illustrated books on art and design, architecture, fashion, film, photography, music, popular culture and nature, known for inventive formats as much as monographs.

Its commissioning team welcomes proposals from authors, illustrators and agents by email. Include a one-sentence summary, a one-page overview, the market and competing titles, a short bio and sample visuals. It doesn’t publish fiction and can’t reply to everyone. Submission guidelines.

7. Prestel

Prestel is an art-book publisher with offices in Munich, London and New York, and part of Penguin Random House. Its list spans art, photography, architecture and design, often produced with major museums.

Prestel accepts proposals for new books by email to the submissions address on its contact page. It can’t always give feedback, will contact you if interested, and asks you not to follow up on status. Submission guidelines.

8. Chronicle Books

Chronicle Books is an independent publisher in San Francisco, famous for its attention to design in books, journals, games and gifts. Art, photography, design, fashion, pop culture, cooking and home are all on its list.

Chronicle accepts submissions in those areas, and its submissions page explains exactly what to send for each category. A photo book with a clear concept and a broad audience fits best here. Submission guidelines.

9. Daylight Books

Founded in 2003, Daylight publishes emerging and mid-career photographic artists, across documentary and conceptual work, in print and online.

Daylight accepts submissions by email with an introductory letter, a project summary, a link to your portfolio and a short résumé. In lieu of a submission fee, it asks you to buy one of its books or magazine editions first and quote the order number, so factor that in. It doesn’t accept attachments or printed material. Submission guidelines.

10. Tis Books

TIS books is a small photobook publisher with recent titles by Tanyth Berkeley, Balarama Heller and Elijah Howe, often released in standard and special editions.

TIS books accepts unsolicited proposals and reviews them on an irregular schedule. Upload a single PDF of up to 20MB through the file request on its submissions page; a designed maquette and a simple set of images are both welcome, as long as the images are embedded, not linked. Submission guidelines.

11. TASCHEN

TASCHEN, based in Cologne, is the publisher behind many of the world’s best-selling art, photography, architecture and design books, from affordable editions to vast collector’s volumes. Take a look at my list of coffee table book publishers if that’s the format you have in mind.

TASCHEN plans its programme far ahead and says it can rarely add new titles, but it accepts proposals: email a brief outline with five to ten low-resolution images of up to 300KB each, and expect a reply within six weeks. Treat it as a long shot. Submission guidelines.

12. Yale University Press

Yale University Press publishes serious, well-researched books for scholars and general readers, and illustrated art and history titles are a visible part of its catalogue.

Yale accepts proposals and manuscripts by email, sent to the one editor whose list fits best. Include a cover letter, your proposal or manuscript and a CV, and describe any artwork and the number of illustrations. It doesn’t publish original fiction, poetry or memoir, so it suits a researched visual history more than a personal portfolio. Submission guidelines.

13. Sasquatch Books

Sasquatch Books publishes visual nonfiction by artists, chefs and naturalists in the Pacific Northwest spirit, plus children’s books through its Little Bigfoot imprint.

Sasquatch welcomes submissions from agented and unagented authors by email, with a cover letter and a complete manuscript or thorough proposal. It isn’t looking at portfolios or website links, so photographers need a real book concept, ideally with a regional, nature or food angle. Submission guidelines.

14. Angel City Press

Angel City Press is now an imprint of the Los Angeles Public Library, and it publishes illustrated books on the cultural and social history of Los Angeles and Southern California.

Angel City accepts proposals by email: a summary, length and illustration count, a table of contents, a sample chapter, copies of the artwork, your audience and comparable titles. It doesn’t publish fiction, poetry or memoir, and replies within about two months. A photo book needs a clear LA story to fit here, and you can find the guidelines on the press’s website.

Routes for a finished or self-published book

15. D.A.P. (Distributed Art Publishers)

D.A.P. in New York distributes art, photography, architecture and design books for museums and independent publishers. It doesn’t commission books itself, which makes it the route for a small press or self-publisher whose book is already designed.

D.A.P. accepts submissions of books for distribution by email, with PDF or JPG files of the design. Its deadlines are mid-February for the fall and winter catalogue and mid-August for spring and summer, and no reply within ninety days means no. Submission guidelines.

16. Blurb

Blurb is a self-publishing platform for photo books, portfolios and magazines. You design online or in its free desktop software, choose formats such as layflat or hardcover and your paper, and order a single copy or a whole run.

There’s no gatekeeper, so Blurb is open to submissions in the simplest sense: you publish when your book is ready, and you can sell through Blurb’s own bookstore. It’s a good way to make a dummy to show the publishers above. Self-publishing options.

Photobook presses that read in windows or by invitation

17. MACK

MACK is a London publisher of art, photography and critical writing whose books regularly appear on photobook-of-the-year lists, with Guido Guidi among the photographers on its current list.

MACK does not accept submissions outside its themed monthly windows. In 2026 these ran from January to July, including a debut photography book window in May and a photography window in June. When a window opens, you send one PDF and the submissions form by email, with no download links. Watch its submissions page for the next dates. Submission guidelines.

18. Dewi Lewis Publishing

Dewi Lewis Publishing has been one of Britain’s leading independent photobook publishers since 1994, with up to 20 titles a year and books by Martin Parr, William Klein, Laia Abril and Simon Norfolk.

Dewi Lewis does not accept submissions outside its fixed review windows, and the most recent one ran from April 27 to May 9, 2026. In a window you email a one-page synopsis, a one-page CV and ideally a sequenced PDF, and replies take 10 to 12 weeks. Be realistic: the press says it mostly publishes established names, major exhibition projects or books with funding behind them. Submission guidelines.

19. Nazraeli Press

Nazraeli Press has published monographs on the fine and applied arts since 1991, more than 400 titles by artists from the United States, South America, Europe and Asia.

Nazraeli does not accept unsolicited proposals, so it’s a press to admire and collect, and one that may find you once your work is known. Contact page.

Publishers to contact before you submit

20. Aperture

Founded in 1952 and based in New York, Aperture is a nonprofit publisher at the center of the conversation about photography, with a quarterly magazine, photobooks, exhibitions and limited-edition prints.

Aperture posts no general route for book proposals. Its main entry points for photographers are its annual Portfolio Prize and the Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards, which closed for 2026 on September 4, so follow its calls for entry for the next round. Calls for entry.

21. Damiani

Damiani was founded in Bologna in 2004 within the Grafiche Damiani printing studio, and it makes collectible monographs in photography, architecture, design, fashion and pop culture, including books by Joel Meyerowitz and Michael Stipe.

Damiani describes a selective, collaborative way of working with artists. Its website has a submission page, so read its current instructions there before you pitch. Submission page.

22. Hatje Cantz

Hatje Cantz is a German publisher of art, architecture, photography, design and visual-culture books, with a large business in exhibition catalogues and artist monographs.

Hatje Cantz posts no open call. Its site describes its workflow with authors and an open-access option with project-dependent costs, so expect some projects to need funding, and approach the editorial team with a concise proposal.

23. Stanley/Barker

Stanley/Barker was founded in 2014 by Rachel and Gregory Barker and makes a select list of carefully crafted photobooks, often in trade and limited editions, with titles by Sunil Gupta, Christopher Anderson and Arthur Tress.

Stanley/Barker publishes no submission guidelines, and its contact page is set up for wholesale enquiries, so make a brief, polite approach before you send a full project.

24. Fabrik Books

Fabrikbooks is a small, award-winning Copenhagen publisher founded in 2015 by the artists Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard. It focuses on high-quality books by contemporary Nordic and photography-based artists.

Fabrikbooks publishes no submission policy, and its contact address is meant for customers, press and retailers, so a Nordic artist with a strong project should make a short first contact.

25. Focal Press

Focal Press is the Routledge imprint for books on photography, film, media and design. Its list is instructional, textbook and professional titles more than artist photobooks, so it suits you if you teach or write about the craft and want to help others master it.

Focal Press has no separate call for proposals; you contact the relevant Routledge subject editor, who sends a proposal form, and proposals are peer reviewed. A professional or teaching track record helps. Routledge author information.

Names you may be looking for

Gingko Press

Gingko Press has published books on graphic design, illustration and street art. Its website isn’t showing publisher content at the moment, so there’s no working way to reach its guidelines.

Amherst Media

Amherst Media is known for photography technique and business guides. Its website isn’t loading its catalogue or guidelines at the moment, so there’s no current route to pitch it.

Shashasha

Shashasha is a Tokyo online bookshop that has sold Japanese photobooks and art books since 2012, including self-published and rare titles. It’s a retailer, not a publisher, so it’s a place to sell a finished book, not to pitch one.

Yard Press

Yard Press is a small Rome-based press for experimental publications. Its website is offline at the moment.

Overcup Press

Overcup Press publishes nonfiction on design, architecture, music and travel, but its submissions policy currently excludes art and photography books.

Final Thoughts

If your project is ready, start with the publishers that take proposals now and match your work to their list: Steidl, Kehrer and powerHouse for photobooks, Thames & Hudson, Phaidon and Laurence King for broader illustrated books, and Chronicle for a concept with a wide audience. Note the MACK and Dewi Lewis windows in your calendar, and if you’d like a printed dummy to show editors, Blurb will make one for you. Follow every publisher’s guidelines exactly. Next up, you might enjoy my roundup of photo managers with face recognition to keep your archive in order.