Sarabande Books is an award-winning independent literary press headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Established in 1994 to champion poetry, fiction, and essay, we are committed to creating lasting editions that honor exceptional writing. With nearly three hundred titles in print, we have earned a dedicated readership and a national reputation as a publisher of diverse forms and innovative voices.
For more information, visit: www.sarabandebooks.org.
Annual Submissions Opportunities
January 1 - February 15: Annual Prizes in Poetry, Short Fiction, and Essay
NEW! April 1 - 30: The Sarabande Chapbook Prize
July 1 - 31: The Sarabande Open (poetry, short fiction, hybrid, and nonfiction manuscripts; translation proposals)
NEW! September 1 - 30: The Sarabande Chapbook Prize
Please submit your work to the appropriate category. If you are submitting a hybrid manuscript, please select the submission category that best fits your work.
THE SARABANDE OPEN: OPEN TO ALL
Each year during the month of July, Sarabande offers writers and translators the opportunity to get their manuscripts in front of our editors without the mediating factors of agents or judges. Providing direct access to writers is a core Sarabande value, rooted in our long-held belief that you, writers, know best what kind of work we're going to love.
We can’t wait to read your full-length manuscripts of poetry, fiction, hybrid work, literary nonfiction, and literature in translation!
ELIGIBILITY
The Sarabande Open is open to manuscripts in English. Employees and board members of Sarabande are not eligible. Agented manuscripts are not eligible. Works that have previously appeared in magazines or in anthologies may be included.
It is highly recommended that those who intend to submit a manuscript familiarize themselves with Sarabande’s catalog. You can find some of our recent titles below.This submission period is open to manuscripts in English. We recommended all those who intend to submit a manuscript familiarize themselves with Sarabande’s catalog.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS — POETRY
- Submission form must include a cover letter with a brief author bio and acknowledgements of past publications.
- Manuscript must be anonymous.
- Manuscript must be typed, standard font, 12 pt.
- Poetry manuscripts should have a minimum length 48 pages.
- Manuscript should be paginated consecutively with a table of contents.
- Submission must be submitted electronically through Submittable, accompanied by a $30 submission fee.
THE SARABANDE OPEN: OPEN TO ALL
Each year during the month of July, Sarabande offers writers and translators the opportunity to get their manuscripts in front of our editors without the mediating factors of agents or judges. Providing direct access to writers is a core Sarabande value, rooted in our long-held belief that you, writers, know best what kind of work we're going to love.
We can’t wait to read your full-length manuscripts of poetry, fiction, hybrid work, literary nonfiction, and literature in translation!
ELIGIBILITY
The Sarabande Open is open to manuscripts in English. Employees and board members of Sarabande are not eligible. Agented manuscripts are not eligible. Works that have previously appeared in magazines or in anthologies may be included.
It is highly recommended that those who intend to submit a manuscript familiarize themselves with Sarabande’s catalog. You can find some of our recent titles below.This submission period is open to manuscripts in English. We recommended all those who intend to submit a manuscript familiarize themselves with Sarabande’s catalog.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS — FICTION
- Submission form must include a cover letter with a brief author bio and acknowledgements of past publications.
- Manuscript must be anonymous.
- Manuscript must be typed, standard font, 12 pt.
- Prose manuscripts should be between 150 and 250 standard, double-spaced pages.
- Manuscript should be paginated consecutively with a table of contents.
- Submission must be submitted electronically through Submittable, accompanied by a $30 submission fee.
THE SARABANDE OPEN: OPEN TO ALL
Each year during the month of July, Sarabande offers writers and translators the opportunity to get their manuscripts in front of our editors without the mediating factors of agents or judges. Providing direct access to writers is a core Sarabande value, rooted in our long-held belief that you, writers, know best what kind of work we're going to love.
We can’t wait to read your full-length manuscripts of poetry, fiction, hybrid work, literary nonfiction, and literature in translation!
ELIGIBILITY
The Sarabande Open is open to manuscripts in English. Employees and board members of Sarabande are not eligible. Agented manuscripts are not eligible. Works that have previously appeared in magazines or in anthologies may be included.
It is highly recommended that those who intend to submit a manuscript familiarize themselves with Sarabande’s catalog. You can find some of our recent titles below.This submission period is open to manuscripts in English. We recommended all those who intend to submit a manuscript familiarize themselves with Sarabande’s catalog.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS — NONFICTION
- Submission form must include a cover letter with a brief author bio and acknowledgements of past publications.
- Manuscript must be anonymous.
- Manuscript must be typed, standard font, 12 pt.
- Prose manuscripts should be between 150 and 250 standard, double-spaced pages.
- Manuscript should be paginated consecutively with a table of contents.
- Submission must be submitted electronically through Submittable, accompanied by a $30 submission fee.
Sarabande is pleased to offer a fully open reading period for literary works in translation.
Eligibility
Publication of a translated work is contingent upon the agreement to grant English language rights and other contractual terms. Sarabande reserves the right to reject any submitted manuscript or to withdraw a publication offer if contractual obligations are not met. We recommended all those who intend to submit a proposal familiarize themselves with Sarabande’s catalog. You can find recent bilingual titles and works in translation here.
Submission Requirements
Translators wishing to submit a query should include:
- A one-page cover letter that that addresses the book’s cultural, historical, and artistic significance
- A brief biography of the poet and the translator, including previously published works
- A sample translation of at least 20 pages (more complete manuscripts are preferred, but not required
- A statement confirming that permission has been granted to the translator(s) for English translation and publication of the original text by the rights holder
- Submission of more than one proposal is permissible with separate reading fees.
- Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are permitted. We ask that you notify us immediately if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
Sarabande Books is seeking manuscript readers for poetry, essay, and short fiction. Each year, submissions to Sarabande’s annual prizes and open periods are read by a rotating panel of enthusiastic and highly-qualified manuscript readers in their respective genres.
If you’re interested in joining our panel of readers, we invite you to inquire by completing the form below.
We are accepting readers on a rolling basis, so we recommend inquiring early! The inquiry form should take approximately ten minutes to complete.
ELIGIBILITY
This opportunity is open to any reader of the English language who does not and will not have a manuscript under consideration with Sarabande Books through 2024.