Submission Guidelines

Plain View Press has published 180 books in the past 30 years. Many of the writers we have published come to us through workshops, festivals, conferences or are recommended by other writers. We also read manuscripts year around, which come by invitation after an initial querry. Manuscripts must be typed. We receive up to ten manuscripts a week and publish appx. a dozen books a year.

We began in the mid 70s by publishing "fastbooks" which were xerox produced editions of 25 copies, bound with folded wrappers. Our first book was a loose leaf collection of color xerox poetry posters printed on the first color xerox machine in Austin, TX, where we live and work. As print technology has morphed our definitions of "book" have grown and changed. Today we produce standard offset editions of between 500 and 2000 copies, pod editions of 100 or more and CD editions. We produce E-ditions (CD's made to be read on your computer) and spoken word CDs.

To query electronically you can send us an introductory email with a link to a website that features a selection of your work and information about you, or you may include in the email a short selection (several pages) of work. International submissions may be made after an initial query via email. We don't open attachments we are not expecting so query first.

We will let you know if we would like to see more work. Manuscripts should be sent by standard mail. Send S.A.S.E. if you want your ms. returned. Do not send originals or your only copy of your work to anyone. We suggest that writers study our website, catalogs, find our books in libraries or bookstores, or order sample copies so you can see what kind of work we publish. Our editorial interests are literary and issue-based.

Plain View Press grew out of the feminist movement and has grown with that movement into many areas of social change--peace, environment, healing family violence, social and economic justice. We are gender and culture diverse. We don't publish work that celebrates war, or is replete with sexist or racist language unless there is a strong literary justification for such usage. We don't publish porn or soft porn.

Our artistic standards are high. We tell our writers to speak the truth, which is the meaning of the name of our press.

Our method is collaborative. Many of our projects are cooperative. Plain View Press is on the cutting edge of alternative publishing in America, independent publishing. We receive no public support. Many of our writers, however, have been award winners of various sorts. We are not afraid to help new writers get a start.

Send us a sample of your best work. We create, with the authors, individual books and anthologies. Drama, journal, creative non-fiction, poetry, short stories, novels, novellas, experimental work, etc. -- all literary forms ok. Don't e-mail submissions. Do e-mail us with queries. We'll get back in touch as soon as possible. Usually within two months, maybe sooner. We don't meet with writers until after we've seen work.

Send ms. to:

email: Susan Bright
Plain View Press
P O 42255
Austin, TX 78704
512-441-2452