Oregon, often called the “Beaver State,” is home to a thriving literary community that’s always in search of a new story. If yours is ready, here are 21 Oregon publishers and how each one wants to hear from you.
Six of the publishers below take submissions today, from Portland State University’s teaching press to a thriller and true-crime house in Baker City. One more sells publishing services for a finished manuscript, eight read only in windows or open calls, and six publish wonderful books but aren’t reading new work right now. For each one you’ll find what it publishes, how to reach it, and where its own guidelines live. Once you’re done here, see my detailed directory of publishing firms.
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.
Oregon publishers taking submissions now
1. Ooligan Press
Ooligan Press is the student-run teaching press of Portland State University’s book publishing program, so graduate students read every manuscript that comes in. It publishes regionally significant books from the Pacific Northwest: literary fiction, young adult fiction, nonfiction, books about writing and publishing, and work on sustainability.
Ooligan accepts submissions through Submittable only: a query letter plus your first ten pages, with no email or agented submissions, and a full proposal only on request. It acquires nonfiction in the fall and fiction in the spring, and a decision can take up to six months. It isn’t looking for memoir at the moment, and it doesn’t publish poetry, picture books, middle grade, religious titles, self-help or series. Submission guidelines.
2. Unsolicited Press
Unsolicited Press publishes literary fiction, short story collections, poetry, memoir, essays, narrative nonfiction and experimental work, and it reads writers without an agent. It describes its contracts as traditional publishing, and it doesn’t take previously self-published books or formulaic genre fiction.
Unsolicited Press accepts submissions from unagented writers. Send a query letter with the full manuscript for fiction and poetry, or several chapters for nonfiction, as a Word file. One thing to know before you start: it charges a one-time $5 lifetime submission fee and offers optional paid feedback, neither of which affects acceptance. Allow at least six months for a reply. Submission guidelines.
3. Black Lyon Publishing
Black Lyon Publishing is a small press in Baker City, in eastern Oregon. Its fiction list currently centers on political and legal thrillers, and its nonfiction covers true crime, politics, spirituality and travel. It doesn’t publish young adult or children’s books.
Black Lyon accepts queries for fiction and nonfiction, and you don’t need an agent. Email your name, manuscript title, genre, word count, a one- or two-paragraph back-cover blurb and the first three paragraphs of the manuscript, with no attachments or formal synopsis. It prefers manuscripts of 55,000 to 95,000 words. Submission guidelines.
4. Calyx Press
Calyx is a feminist literary publisher in Corvallis that has championed writing and art by women since 1976. It publishes CALYX Journal of Art and Literature by Women alongside its book imprint, CALYX Books.
The journal is open to submissions of poetry, prose up to 5,000 words, essays and art from October 1 to December 31 each year, through Submittable or by mail, and it takes book and art reviews year-round. It charges a $5 reading fee ($3 for students and low-income writers), responses can take six to eight months, and it has a strict no-AI policy. The CALYX Books side isn’t reading book manuscripts at the moment. Submission guidelines.
5. Six Degrees Publishing Group
Six Degrees Publishing Group runs several imprints, including Kenos Press, WellBridge Books and Sustainable Business Press. It offers two kinds of contract: traditional publishing, and a partnership model in which the author shares the costs.
Six Degrees accepts submissions by email only. Paste your query into the body of the message with a short bio, the manuscript’s status, a synopsis, and your audience and platform; attachments are discarded. It usually replies within 10 to 14 working days and may then ask for three chapters and a table of contents. If you want a traditional deal, ask which model it’s offering before you sign. Submission guidelines.
6. Overcup Press
Overcup Press is a Portland publisher of beautifully designed nonfiction with national distribution. Its interests include creative nonfiction and journalism, popular science, nature and environmental writing, Northwest topics, travel essays, architecture and design, contemporary arts and culture, and music writing.
Overcup reads unagented nonfiction queries on those subjects through the submissions form on its website, and agented authors use its contact form. It doesn’t consider fiction, poetry, children’s picture books, art or photography books, travel guidebooks, religious titles or self-help, and a reply can take several months. Submissions policy.
A paid route for a finished manuscript
7. Dancing Moon
Dancing Moon Press was founded in Newport in 1996, and since 2018 it has been owned by Bend author Kim Cooper Findling. It works with poets, novelists and writers of literary nonfiction, children’s books and specialty books who want personal attention on the way to a finished book.
Dancing Moon is a full-service author press, not a traditional publisher: you buy editing, production, marketing and coaching, either à la carte or as a package, and publish under its imprint. That suits a writer who has decided to invest in a book. Compare quotes, and keep your rights and royalties in writing. Publishing services.
Presses that read in windows or open calls
8. Tin House
Tin House is the Portland literary publisher behind prize-winning fiction, poetry and nonfiction, and it’s now an imprint of Zando. It’s one of the best-known homes for literary debuts in the Pacific Northwest.
Tin House opens short, fee-free windows for unagented writers through Submittable, such as a recent window for debut novels and novellas. Tin House is not accepting submissions right now, so follow it on social media and check its Submittable page for the next window. Submittable page.
Did you know that Oregon, with its misty forests and rugged coastline, was the muse behind Ken Kesey’s iconic novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”? Beyond Kesey, Oregon has been a wellspring of inspiration for countless writers. Its unique blend of wild landscapes and eclectic urban areas like Portland offers endless narrative possibilities. From tales of pioneers on the Oregon Trail to contemporary stories of self-discovery in its coffee shops and bookstores, Oregon’s spirit has a way of weaving itself into the pages of literary greatness.
9. Forest Avenue Press
Forest Avenue Press has published literary fiction from Portland since 2012, about two titles a year. It’s a traditional, royalty-paying press, and it warns writers about scammers who pretend to represent it.
Forest Avenue reads novels of about 60,000 to 80,000 words from US residents during open periods, through Submittable. Its last period, in 2025, drew a record number of manuscripts, and Forest Avenue is not accepting submissions until the next one, which it will announce on its submissions page and social media. It doesn’t consider story collections, novellas, poetry, nonfiction or AI-written work. Submission guidelines.
10. YesYes Books
KMA Sullivan founded YesYes Books in Portland in 2011, and it has become a respected home for bold contemporary poetry, along with fiction and chapbooks. Its terms are generous for a small press: a $1,000 advance, 40 author copies and royalties of 15 to 25 percent.
YesYes reads full-length poetry during an open reading period, which last ran from December 28, 2025 to March 15, 2026 and capped entries at 500, plus a chapbook contest that ran from May 1 to June 30, 2026. Both are over for this year, so YesYes is not accepting submissions until the next reading period, expected around late December. Entries go through Submittable with a $25 reading fee ($20 for the contest). Submission guidelines.
11. Oni Press
Oni Press has published comics and graphic novels from Portland since 1997, and it’s still releasing new titles every month. Its list runs from science fiction and fantasy to humor and slice-of-life stories.
Oni takes creator pitches and artist portfolios only during open calls on Submittable. Oni is not accepting submissions until its next open call, so check its Submittable page for announcements. Submittable page.
12. Future Tense Books
Kevin Sampsell started Future Tense Books in Spokane in 1990 and has run it from Portland since 1992. It publishes three or four books a year, including chapbooks and pocket-sized Scout Books, and it loves unconventional, risk-taking writing.
Future Tense is not accepting submissions now. It opens only occasional, limited windows, and its About page says unsolicited work sent outside them is largely ignored. Watch that page for the next announcement. About Future Tense.
13. Deep Overstock
Booksellers founded Deep Overstock in 2018. It publishes a literary journal whose issues are themed after bookstore sections, and it publishes novels by booksellers and other book-industry workers.
The journal’s guidelines describe rolling windows for fiction, poetry, essays, comics, art and plays, with pieces under 3,000 words preferred and no AI-generated work, sent by email. Its homepage currently says Deep Overstock is not accepting submissions, so wait for the next window before you send anything. Submission guidelines.
14. Atelier26 Books
Atelier26 Books is a Portland independent press, distributed by Ingram, that publishes up to three literary fiction titles a year. It’s a careful, design-minded small press with a taste for ambitious contemporary writing.
Atelier26 is not accepting submissions at the moment. It reads through occasional calls on Submittable, and none is open. When it last opened, it asked for a small “sustainability fee,” or the purchase of one of its books at a discount in its place. Submittable page.
15. Hellgate Press
Hellgate Press has published military history, veteran memoirs, historical and adventure fiction, and adventure travel since 1997. It takes its name from Hellgate Canyon on the Rogue River, near its office.
Hellgate’s submissions page says it no longer accepts queries while its catalog is full. When it reopens, send a brief email query through the contact form, and it will request the full manuscript if it’s interested. Submission guidelines.
Oregon publishers not reading new work right now
16. Harvest House Publishers
Founded in Eugene in 1974, Harvest House is one of the largest Christian book publishers in the country, with Christian living, Bible resources, prophecy, gift and children’s books.
Harvest House does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, proposals or self-published books. It works through agents, and it points new writers to manuscript services such as Writers Edge and to Christian writers’ conferences. Manuscript policy.
17. Hawthorne Books
Hawthorne Books has published literary fiction, memoir and essays from Portland since 2001, and it’s now an imprint of Catapult. Its catalog is small, distinctive and full of strong, unusual voices.
Hawthorne is not accepting unsolicited manuscripts and doesn’t reply to inquiries, so there’s no route in for an unagented writer today. About Hawthorne Books.
18. Not a Pipe Publishing
Not a Pipe Publishing began in Independence in 2013 and now works from Portland. It’s an activist small press for poetry and genre fiction, from fantasy and science fiction to horror, mystery and young adult, with a focus on social justice.
Not a Pipe is not accepting manuscripts for novels or poetry collections. Its only current call is for its Antifa Lit Journal, Volume 4, sent by email. Submission page.
19. Perfect Day Publishing
Perfect Day Publishing is a small Portland press, based in Union Station, that publishes memoir, essays and literary nonfiction a book at a time. Its recent titles include Bud Smith’s WORK, and Propeller Books distributes it.
Perfect Day is not accepting submissions at this time. Contact page.
20. Propeller Books
Propeller Books is a Pacific Northwest independent press publishing fiction, poetry and nonfiction, with a company store on SE Grand Avenue in Portland. It’s still releasing new books.
Propeller is not accepting submissions and lists no channel for them. About Propeller.
21. Craigmore Creations
David R. Shapiro founded Craigmore Creations in Portland in 2008 to publish earth science and natural history for young readers, including the Terra Tempo graphic novels and picture books.
Craigmore is not accepting submissions and says it isn’t making new books for a while, though it still sells its existing titles and answers press and rights inquiries. About Craigmore.
Names you may be looking for
Dark Regions Press
Dark Regions Press published horror, dark fantasy and science fiction from Portland from 1985. Its website went offline in July 2024 and the press stopped publishing, so there’s no route to submit to it.
Final Thoughts
If your manuscript is ready, start with the six publishers taking submissions now and match your book to their list: Ooligan for a regional story, Overcup for narrative nonfiction, Black Lyon for a thriller or true crime, Unsolicited Press for literary work, and the Calyx journal before December 31. Put the Tin House, Forest Avenue and YesYes windows in your calendar, follow each publisher’s guidelines exactly, and look further afield with my guides to publishing companies in Portland and book publishers in Seattle. Next up, you may want to explore the best publishing houses in Virginia.
Rafal Reyzer
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