Saint Julian Press poetry submissions will resume in early January 2027.

SUBMISSIONS

Saint Julian Press
A book is not only made. It is answered.

Every book that reaches the world has crossed a threshold.
The question is what kind—and who has kept it.

At Saint Julian Press, submission is not a transaction. It is an act of offering. The work we receive is read with care, discernment, and a sense of responsibility—not only to the writer, but to the larger conversation and creative partnership into which the work may enter.

A SABBATICAL YEAR

2026 is a Sabbatical Year for submissions.
We will resume our annual reading period in 2027.

Please check this page for future announcements.

OUR APPROACH TO SUBMISSION

We curate and accept the works we publish. Submissions are reviewed for:

• Content

• Quality

• Originality

• Alignment with the vision of the press

Not every manuscript is taken forward. On average, we publish one book each quarter, close to four new books each year, though publication timing may be flexible.

To publish is to stand behind a work—not only in its completion, but in its coherence, its depth, and its capacity to endure. That requires discernment: the willingness to say yes where something is present, and no where it is not yet fully formed.

We ask that every submission bear the mark of a human voice that has encountered its subject and takes responsibility for what it says and what it offers. The language and style should reflect a writer’s originality and craft rather than assembled text.

Please tell us, in a sentence or two, whether and how you used AI tools in preparing your work, for example for spelling and grammar, research, translation, or anything more. We recognize that many of these tools are now built into the software writers use. Such use does not by itself disqualify a submission; concealing it may.

For our part, we shape every work we accept through careful human editorial review, attentive to accuracy, clarity, and integrity. We do not rely on AI-detection software to judge a manuscript. Before a final contract, distribution, or marketing of a book, we may ask a writer to work closely with one of our editors.

ABOUT SAINT JULIAN PRESS

Saint Julian Press is an independent literary press and educational organization.

We envision creating a local and global community by fostering artistic dialogue that promotes understanding, peace, and shared human experience across cultures and faith traditions.

As a not-for-profit organization, we reinvest all earnings into the press.

Our work is guided by a commitment to:

• Identifying and nurturing transformative literature
• Engaging both emerging and established voices
• Creating a place where artists, poets, and writers may come home to their work

We honor the enduring mystery within creation—
that which draws us into deeper relationship with one another.

READING PERIOD & PROCESS

Saint Julian Press maintains one annual reading period, from early January through the end of February.

In the past, we accepted submissions year-round. As the press has grown, we have needed to move to a more focused and sustainable model. We also receive occasional submissions by recommendation from poets, writers, and members of the academic community.

Response time:
Please allow 8–12 weeks after acknowledgment for a reply.

PUBLISHING MODEL

Saint Julian Press follows an environmentally conscious Print-on-Demand (POD) model.

We work closely with each author throughout the publishing process. With a few exceptions, Ingram Content Group handles global distribution, making our titles widely available.

Our catalog includes nearly eighty published works.

READING FEES

To sustain the work of the press, we charge a non-refundable reading and editorial review fee:

• $50 — Full-length collections (55–120 pages)
• $80 — Manuscripts over 120 pages

These fees support editorial review, publication costs, and the ongoing work of the press as an independent, not-for-profit organization.

FEE WAIVERS

We will always waive reading fees upon request.

This is especially true for:
• Graduate students
• Emerging writers
• Teachers, professors, and academics
• Independent scholars and artists
• Anyone for whom the fee presents a financial burden

If you need a waiver, simply ask.
We are glad to make this work accessible.

For those with the means to do so,
we welcome their support of the press.

A CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP

Author Expectations & Collaboration

Authors are expected to come forward with a mature manuscript—work that has been carefully written, developed, edited, reviewed for originality, and is nearing readiness for publication.

Authors are expected to take an active role in preparing their work—either independently or in collaboration with professionals who bring experience in writing, editing, book design, and layout. Technology lets writers do much of the work on their own with MS Word or other templates. Writers are responsible for meeting ethical standards of originality for all submissions.

Saint Julian Press approaches each publication as a shared creative endeavor, where responsibility is shared and shaped through careful attention. As a publisher, the press practices stewardship for both, on behalf of, and for the benefit of, authors and our work together.

Every accepted manuscript is guided by a process that works closely with the author through:

• Writing, Polishing, & Editorial development (when needed)
• Professional design engagement & guidance (when required)
• Artist collaboration (if desired by an author)
• Manuscript preparation using SJP templates
• Interior layout and design consultation
• Cover design and publishing expertise
• Final publication and global distribution

This is a selective and collaborative process.

It is also a deeply rewarding one—
for those willing to engage the work with patience, care, and intention.

FINAL NOTE

We are not seeking quantity.

We are seeking work that is:
• Attentive
• Responsible
• Alive to its subject

Work that invites not only reading—
but return.

• Donations and reading fees may be arranged through PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle. We actually prefer the later two (Venmo & Zelle) these days.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Saint Julian Press

Please submit all book manuscripts for consideration via the email link provided below.

We are seeking poetry and literary work that is:

• Well-written and engaging

• Grounded in a strong literary voice

• Attentive to language and form

• Reflective of the full dignity and diversity of human experience

• Aligned with the mission and vision of Saint Julian Press

If you are new to the press, we encourage you to spend time with our catalog. Visit the homepage. Read about the work. Order a book or two. The diversity of voices we publish will offer a clear sense of what we value.

AN OPEN AND EVOLVING PROCESS

As we get to know new and emerging writers through our creative community, we may invite some to submit manuscripts or contribute as guest authors on the website.

We aim to keep the process open, relational, and flexible.

Each year, we also select a small number of emerging writers and poets with whom we work closely—helping to sponsor and underwrite the cost of publishing a first book of poetry or prose.

OUR PUBLISHING MODEL

Saint Julian Press is an independent, non-traditional literary press.

We publish using a Print-on-Demand (POD) model, partnering with Ingram Content Group through IngramSpark for global distribution.

Our work with authors is highly collaborative.
We approach each book as a shared creative endeavor.

A REALISTIC VIEW OF THE MARKET

Poetry has always existed within a smaller literary economy.

Even with major publishers, most poetry titles sell modestly—often fewer than 500 copies.

At Saint Julian Press, we focus not on sales volume, but on the quality, meaning, and integrity of the work we publish.

We remain mindful of the realities of the market, while committed to the deeper purpose of literature.

OUR STRUCTURE

Saint Julian Press operates independently, with no paid staff.

We reinvest all earnings to sustain the work of the press.

If you'd like to understand this more fully, we are happy to share a draft contract and an outline of our publishing model upon request.

SUBMITTING PROCESS

Before submitting, please:

• Become familiar with the work we publish
• Review the author checklist below

Submission method:
Electronic submissions via email are required.

Response timeline:
• Acknowledgment of receipt: 2 –3 weeks
• Decision or status update: 8 –12 weeks

AUTHOR CHECKLIST

Please include the following with your submission:

• Email subject line: Author’s full name + manuscript title

• Confirmation number of PayPal reading/entry fee (if applicable)

• If you prefer, you may also arrange donations and reading fees through Venmo or Zelle.

• Please contact us directly to receive those instructions.

• A cover letter with full contact information

• Disclosure statement for any writing tools or software assistance

• A brief biography (250 words or less; concise is preferred)

• Prior publication credits (if applicable)

• Manuscript file attached in one of the following formats:
    PDF, .doc, .docx, or .txt

ONCE A MANUSCRIPT IS ACCEPTED

If a manuscript is accepted for publication:

• A contract will be sent via email (or regular mail if preferred)
• Publication timing will be determined collaboratively, based on the needs of the work and the author

FINAL NOTE

We encourage submissions that arise from care, attention, and a sustained engagement with language. The process is selective; at its best, it is also a new beginning. For a literary press, the question reaches past how a work was written to how it is held in trust. We honor the written word and human language.

At Saint Julian Press, we review each submission for content, quality, originality, and alignment with the press’s vision. We ask that it bear the mark of a human voice that has encountered its subject and takes responsibility for what it says and what it offers. The language and style should reflect the writer’s own originality and craft.

A standard also needs a way to be kept. The Orélien affair shows what happens when the first instrument is a detector and the first venue is social media. We have chosen a plainer course.

We ask writers to tell us, in a sentence or two, whether and how they used AI tools. Did they use it for grammar, research, translation, or anything more? Many such tools now come built into the software writers use, and using them does not by itself disqualify a manuscript; concealing that use may.

We do not rely on detection software to judge how a manuscript was written. Like many universities, we may use it as one check among others, but never as a verdict; if a question arises, we talk with the writer. We rely on editors to review a manuscript’s creative writing quality.

Publishing here is a creative partnership, and we share responsibility. Writers bring a mature manuscript and answer for its originality. The press answers for what it chooses to publish and shapes each accepted work through careful human editorial review.

Before a contract is final and a book published, we may ask a writer to work closely with a writing consultant or editor. That is where we come to know a creative voice, and where a creative voice shows itself. What we receive from any author must carry more than language. It must carry a human presence, understanding, and feeling. Ethos—Logos—Pathos.