JLRB Preſs

Publish

If you're here because you want your poems to be seen, read, and touched on the printed page, you've come to the right place. We love poetry and, if you want to get your verse into the hands of eager readers, we're here for you.

JLRB Press works with authors of chapbook-length (25–50 pages) and book-length (50–150 pages) manuscripts. Be­cause our editorial prac­tices bind us to the promise to re­spond with specific feedback to every submission, we tailor our responses to our assessment of the readi­ness of your work, according to the following three categories:

• 📗 Manuscript Ready for Publication
  The submission raises the bar for poetic concepts, forms, and techniques and includes a tight-knit collection of poems that have a broad unifying theme and have been grouped into sections, typeset, and edi­ted.

  We contact you within 4 business weeks with specific feed­back and schedule a free, 1-hour, one-on-one con­sultation with one of our editors. You and your editor discuss your sub­mission. You decide whether to pursue the traditional or hy­brid publishing path. You receive a contract and discuss next steps with your editor.

  Submit your manuscript

• 📓 Manuscript Partially Ready for Publication
  The submission includes a consistent col­lection of po­ems (with a few outliers) that have a broad unifying theme but haven't been grouped into sections, typeset, or edited. The poems might be arranged partially and might have received some preliminary editing or type­setting.

  We contact you within 4 business weeks with specific feed­back and schedule a free, 1-hour, one-on-one con­sultation with one of our editors. You decide to either pursue the hybrid publishing path or to continue work­ing on your collection and to resub­mit it in six months. If you decide to proceed, you receive a contract and dis­cuss next steps with your editor.

  Submit your manuscript

• 📑 Manuscript in Early Stages of Preparation
  The submission comprises a mixed collection of strong poems and pieces with room for improve­ment. The collection might lack a central unifying theme or over­arching vision, might seem uneven in tone or mood, and might flow in a way confusing to readers.

  We contact you within 4 business weeks with specific feed­back about the strongest aspects of your work and the most important areas for improvement. We invite you to continue work­ing on your collection and to resub­mit it in six months.

  Submit your manuscript

Is JLRB a Vanity Press?

No. A vanity press (or predatory press) is an organization that acts unethically by publishing every and any paying submitter, often without rigorous vetting of manuscripts or a well struc­tured editorial process. Many publishers also set the cost of publication between $3,000 and $6,000. 🤯 We believe in owning the tools of your own success and that it shouldn't cost an arm and a leg to get your verse out the door.

The central ethos of JLRB Press isn't profit, but bringing the best poetry to the hearts and minds of willing readers. We not only accept a small portion of manuscripts for publication, but also consider the cultural space that a manuscript might fill up, specifically within the queer, neu­rodivergent, and outsider discourses. We read your sub­missions very carefully and treat every single engagement as a way to help an author grow, regardless of whether the work is ready for publication.

Although one of the two publishing models we offer does let authors hire JLRB Press staff to perform specific editorial and prepress tasks (such as editing, proofreading, cover design, and interior layout).

No matter what, payment never has any bearing on the selection criteria that guide us towards publi­shing the most significant works of poetry.

Learn about our values

Choosing Between Traditional and Hybrid Publishing

Once we accept your manuscript for publica­tion, you de­cide between the traditional and hybrid publishing models.

Traditional Publishing

In the traditional publishing model, JLRB Press as­sumes the entirety of the risk associated with producing and publish­ing a work; however, the amount of creative control and the royalties for the author are lower.

Hybrid Publishing

In the hybrid publishing model, JLRB Press shares risk with the author, and the author has a great amount of creative control, by virtue of paying only for the services she might need. To help our authors grow, we set all prices for edito­rial and prepress services at 10% below market. We provide the following services:

• Editing with Feedback
  This type of editing involves technical and stylistic sug­gestions, mechanical writing cor­rections, and creative feedback.

  $4 per 100 words

  Note: Because of the peculiarities of editing poetry, we don't differentiate bet­ween developmental edits, content edits, and copy edits.

• Proofreading
  This type of editing is best suited for a manu­script nearly ready for publication. It involves final corrections of spelling and grammar er­rors and checks for typo­graphical and layout issues.

  $1 per 100 words

• Print and Ebook Cover Design, Interior Layout and Typesetting
  Book design involves numerous steps, in­cluding the lay­out of the back cover, spine, and front cover (the num­ber of pages and the printing format determine the book's physical dimensions), licensing of typefaces and art­work, and graphic design services.

  Cover Design: $225 flat fee
  Layout and Typesetting: $275 flat fee

  Note: These fees don't include the licens­ing fees for spe­cific artwork or typefaces.

• Editorial Consultations
  This type of meeting (typically on Zoom) al­lows an author to workshop a specific section of a manuscript with an editor.

  $50 per hour

Publishing Model Comparison

The following table compares the two ap­proaches to publishing. The main distinction between the two pub­lishing ap­proaches is in whether the benefits to the aut­hor are immediate. Both models include:

• Author profile page on the JLRB Press website
• Announcements and promotions on JLRB so­cial media accounts
• Digital galleys in PDF format
• Preparation of publication in softcover format

Submit your manuscript