WTAW Press provides several opportunities to submit manuscripts for publication during open reading periods. To stay  current with our open reading periods and other news, sign up for our newsletter.  

We welcome submissions from writers of all backgrounds and especially encourage submissions by women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+ or nonbinary gender people, persons with disabilities, and all traditionally underrepresented groups. We welcome submissions from new, emerging, and established voices.

 WTAW offers the annual Alcove Chapbook Series Open. Submissions of unpublished chapbooks of prose will be accepted for the competition June 30 through August 15, 2023. The winner will receive book publication, a $250 honorarium, and 25 copies of their book. All submissions will be considered for publication and finalists selected for publication will receive 10 copies of their books. There is a nonrefundable $15 fee. Read the guidelines carefully and be sure to follow them to the letter. Any submission that doesn't follow the guidelines will be disqualified and any fee forfeited. 

WTAW will offer the annual Kevin McIlvoy Book Prize for a full-length book of prose (novel, memoir, creative nonfiction, collection of stories or essays, hybrid forms, etc.) Submissions will open September 15, 2023, and the deadline is November 15, 2023. There is a nonrefundable $28 fee. The winner will receive book publication with a standard publishing contract that pays royalties, a $2500 honorarium, and 25 copies of their book. All submissions will be considered for publication. Peter Turchi, Joan Silber, and Nina McConigley will serve as final judges. Guidelines for the Kevin McIlvoy Book Prize can be found on our website. 

Betty Books will open late in 2023 for full-length books of prose by women. 

General guidelines for submissions

We do not publish translations, how-to or self-help books, reference texts, YA, children's literature, or poetry. Previously published or self-published books are not eligible.

WTAW Press conducts reviews during which authors and reviewers are kept anonymous. Multiple reviewers—anonymous to one other and unable to read any other reviews—read each manuscript. 

​Identifying information for the author must not be included anywhere on the manuscript, including in the name of the file or in the title field in the submission manager. Manuscripts containing identifying information in any way will be automatically disqualified and any submission fee forfeited.

A manuscript in its entirety must be previously unpublished, though it may contain previously published portions. It should contain a majority of new work. Please acknowledge any portions of the manuscript that have been previously published in your cover letter, not within the manuscript itself. Manuscripts that include acknowledgements will be disqualified and any fee forfeited.

All material in manuscripts must be of the author’s own composition and free from copyright restrictions. We don't accept material generated by AI tools or language models.

Simultaneous submissions are welcome, but authors must notify WTAW immediately if their work is accepted elsewhere and must withdraw it in our submission manager.

Multiple submissions are welcome with each accompanied by a separate reading fee. Each submission must be unique.

Submissions cannot be edited once they are submitted. Manuscripts selected for publication will go through an editing process with the editors.

Manuscripts should be submitted as a .doc or. docx file in a 12-point standard font such as Times New Roman, double-spaced, with at one inch margins, and paginated. Include a title page with a total word count and a table of contents, as applicable.

​Include a cover letter in the appropriate field in the submission manager and not within the manuscript file itself. Any manuscript that includes a cover letter will be disqualified and the fee forfeited.

Please provide the following information in your cover letter

• Your contact information (address, phone, email)
• The manuscript’s title, genre, and word count
• List of credits for any previously published portions
• A brief synopsis of the work (a paragraph)
• A brief biography with publishing history, if applicable; include your website address and social media handles
• Indication if the manuscript is submitted simultaneously and your pledge to withdraw it if accepted elsewhere
• Where you heard about the call for submissions

Any submission that doesn't follow the guidelines will be disqualified and the submission fee forfeited. Make sure to review the specific guidelines for each submission opportunity.

WTAW does not offer editorial comments on submissions. Editorial relationships with authors are developed once they have signed a contract. Every book accepted for publication receives careful, thorough, and sensitive editing, and necessitates the author's collaboration and commitment to the process.

WTAW Press responds to every manuscript it receives at the email address you use to submit your manuscript through Submittable. It can take time, so please be patient. Please note that Submittable will require you to validate your email address.

Thank you for considering WTAW Press. We look forward to reading your manuscripts.