18 Best Publishers in Washington, DC (How to Submit)

Washington DC isn’t just the epicenter of politics; it’s also a hotspot for literary prowess.

The capital is home to university presses, policy and science publishers, a literary cooperative, and small presses that work closely with authors. Some read proposals from anyone, some read only in set windows, and a few publish only their own institution’s work. For each one below you’ll find what it publishes and how, or whether, it takes submissions right now. Check out my extensive list of over 2,000 publishing companies after this guide.

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 2, 2026.

18 Publishers in Washington DC and How They Take Submissions:

1. Georgetown University Press

Georgetown University Press publishes peer-reviewed books of academic distinction in international affairs, history, languages and linguistics, religion and ethics, global business and economics, and topics related to the Washington, DC, region. Its director describes it as a publisher for the world that is deeply rooted in the local community. Georgetown University Press accepts proposals, and its publishing page walks you through submitting a proposal, peer review, contracts, production, marketing, and royalties. Submission guidelines.

2. Gallaudet University Press

Gallaudet University Press publishes books about and by Deaf people, from Deaf studies, sign language linguistics, and interpreting to memoir, fiction, and a new children’s board book series. Its spring 2026 list includes Irene W. Leigh’s memoir Hiding the Holocaust and a guide to sign language interpreting for theatre, and it has launched a new series on mental health and Deaf communities. The press also publishes the journal American Annals of the Deaf. If you write in this field, start with its author resources. Author resources.

3. Washington Writers’ Publishing House

Washington Writers’ Publishing House is the longest continuously operating cooperative literary press in the United States: an all-volunteer nonprofit that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. It publishes books through annual manuscript contests for poetry, fiction, and works in translation, and its fiction judges are recent winners of its own Fiction Prize. WWPH is closed to submissions until its contests reopen in spring 2027. Fiction manuscripts run about 37,500 to 70,000 words; it welcomes adult literary fiction in any genre, but not young adult, middle grade, or romance novels. Submission guidelines.

4. Bold Story Press

Emily Barrosse founded Bold Story Press in August 2020 as a hybrid publisher dedicated to amplifying women’s voices, and she later created Xander Press for strong manuscripts from authors outside that mission. Bold Story Press accepts manuscripts through its submissions page: send a book proposal and three representative chapters. Every manuscript is evaluated, and accepted authors get editorial guidance, professional design, and distribution support while keeping ownership of their book. As with any hybrid press, the author contributes to costs, so ask for the full terms. Submission guidelines.

5. The National Academies Press

The National Academies Press publishes the reports of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, covering science, engineering, and health policy, and you can download many of them free as PDFs. Its books come out of the Academies’ own studies, so treat it as a superb research resource, not a place to pitch a manuscript. Browse publications.

6. U.S. Government Publishing Office

The U.S. Government Publishing Office is the federal agency that produces and procures printing and publishing for the U.S. government, from official documents to products made by contract printers it qualifies and inspects. It publishes for federal agencies, not for individual authors, so it belongs on this list as part of DC’s publishing landscape, not as a submission target. GPO website.

7. ICS Publications

ICS Publications is the publishing arm of the Discalced Carmelites, known for translations and studies of Carmelite saints such as Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, Thérèse of Lisieux, and Edith Stein, whose complete works it is publishing in a critical English edition. ICS is not accepting manuscripts or proposals at the moment, because it is busy with major projects for the Carmelite Order, and it suggests authors and translators approach other publishers for now. Submission notice.

8. American Psychiatric Association Publishing

American Psychiatric Association Publishing, based on Maine Avenue in Washington, publishes resources for psychiatry and the mental health professions. It accepts proposals for new books on psychiatry and related mental health topics with clinical, research, or educational value. It will consider a completed manuscript, but it prefers to see your project at the proposal stage so its editors can help develop the book. Proposals are evaluated for fit, audience, and how they compare with similar books. Submission guidelines.

9. Island Press

Island Press was founded in 1978 as an independent nonprofit publisher of environmental books, working with authors such as E.O. Wilson, Sylvia Earle, Jan Gehl, and Daniel Pauly. In 2026 it became an imprint of Princeton University Press, and its web address now leads to the imprint’s Princeton page. Its books cover climate and energy, ecosystems, the built environment, health and food, and environmental policy, economics, and law. Island Press is open to book proposals through Princeton University Press, and its editors are named on the imprint’s about page. Island Press imprint.

10. Mage Publishers

Mage Publishers, founded in 1985, is an independent press that brings Persian (Iranian) literature and culture to English-speaking readers. Its list spans fiction, poetry, history, art, and Persian cooking. Its web address now leads to mage.com. Mage lists no submission policy, so use its contact page if you want to pitch a book on Iranian culture. Mage website.

11. Brookings Institution Press

The Brookings Institution Press publishes books that shape public policy debates. It also publishes authors who are not affiliated with Brookings, as long as the manuscript is an analytical study of an important policy issue written for a wide audience. To propose a book, send a brief prospectus describing the work and its audience, a table of contents, and an introduction or sample chapter. Manuscripts that move forward go through Brookings’ peer review. Submission guidelines.

12. Regnery Publishing

Regnery Publishing, founded in 1947 by Henry Regnery, is one of America’s best-known publishers of conservative books, with imprints that reach into history and other subjects. Regnery does not accept unagented submissions: its submission page is addressed to literary agents, so you will need representation to pitch it. Agent submissions.

13. National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is a nonprofit that funds Explorers, innovators who push the boundaries of knowledge about the natural and cultural worlds, and it uses science, exploration, education, and storytelling to protect them. It funds and tells stories; it is not a book publisher you can submit to, so think of it as a source of grants and inspiration. About the Society.

14. Nature America Inc

Nature America is part of the Nature Portfolio, which publishes Nature and its family of research journals. Scientists send research articles through each journal’s online manuscript system after reading its editorial policies and formatting guidance. It publishes peer-reviewed research, not trade books, so it suits working researchers. Nature Portfolio.

15. American Chemical Society Publications

ACS Publications, the publishing division of the American Chemical Society, publishes peer-reviewed chemistry journals. It accepts manuscripts through the ACS Publishing Center, a single submission platform launched across all ACS journals in 2026, and each journal’s author guidelines spell out formatting, funding disclosure, and ORCID requirements. Author guidelines.

16. National Gallery of Art Publishing Office

The National Gallery of Art’s Publishing Office produces the Gallery’s books, exhibition catalogues, and scholarly series, including reports from its Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts. Its publications come from the Gallery’s own curators and fellows, so it is a rich source for art history readers, not a submission target. Gallery publications.

17. American Society for Microbiology Press

ASM Press is the book program of the American Society for Microbiology. Together with its publishing partner Wiley, it creates microbiology textbooks, reference manuals, professional resources, and general-interest titles in print and digital formats, such as the Clinical Microbiology Procedures Handbook and Food Microbiology: An Introduction. ASM members get a discount on its titles. ASM Press.

18. Bacon Press Books

Bacon Press Books is a small, selective press that helps authors produce professional books. Authors contract directly with its freelancers, which keeps costs down and lets you shape the book, and the press is open about the drawbacks. It says it is not a vanity publisher: it turns down books it doesn’t believe in and never forces authors to buy copies. To start, it accepts submissions in the form of a brief letter about your book and why you want to publish with Bacon Press; skip the synopsis. Submission guidelines.

Conclusion

Washington’s publishing scene runs from policy and science to poetry. If you have a scholarly or policy book, start with Georgetown, Brookings, APA Publishing, or Island Press through Princeton. If you write literary fiction or poetry and live in the region, mark Washington Writers’ Publishing House’s spring 2027 contests on your calendar. If you want more control, Bold Story Press and Bacon Press Books work closely with authors who invest in their books. Next up, you may want to explore a guide on publishing companies in Wisconsin.