Willow Books, the award-winning imprint of Aquarius Press, is currently accepting unsolicited manuscripts from September 3, 2024 - December 15, 2024. The mission of Willow Books is to develop, publish and promote writers of color.

Previous Open Reading Period selections include Califia’s Daughter by devorah major, San Francisco’s Third Poet Laureate, Why I Am Like Tequila by 2022 Texas Poet Laureate Lupe Mendez, Where I Was Born by Naoko Fujimoto and Fabric by Lucinda Roy.

Poetry Manuscripts should include a cover letter, brief statement about the collection, an estimated page count (no more than 150 pages) and a brief bio.

Fiction & General Interest Nonfiction Manuscripts should include a cover letter, brief summary of the project, an estimated word count (no more than 100,000) and a brief bio.

All submissions must be uploaded by December 15, 2024 by 11:59 p.m. Reading fees are nonrefundable. Aquarius Press LLC in no way guarantees that a submitted manuscript will be accepted. The editors’ decisions are final.

Response Time

You will receive a response within 30 days if your manuscript is accepted. If you do not hear from us within 30 days, you can assume that we have passed on your manuscript. Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to provide personal feedback.

Simultaneous Submissions

Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please notify us and formally withdraw from Submittable if the manuscript has been accepted elsewhere.

For more information, visit www.WillowLit.net