Middle West Press LLC

http://www.middlewestpress.com

Press

Middle West Press LLC is a Johnston, Iowa-based editor and publisher of non-fiction, fiction, journalism, and poetry. As an independent micro-press, we publish from one to four titles annually. In its publishing operations, Middle West Press LLC specializes in book-length projects, such as themed literary and non-fiction anthologies, as well as single-author poetry collections. We are particularly interested in telling stories rooted in the American Midwest (which we define as “the geographic area acquired through the Louisiana Purchase”), although we are not limited to arbitrary boundaries. Regarding our business model: We are a traditional press. We are not a “hybrid,” “vanity,” or “subsidized” press. We pay our authors—even if its just a token advance, or a small royalty; they do not pay us. We do not require authors to guarantee a given number of pre-sales, although we are motivated to work with authors who have established relationships with readers via blogs, social media, and other platforms. As a secondary mission—beyond the American Midwest—we are also motivated to illuminate and complicate modern stereotypes related to military service and veterancy. We want to challenge readers to go beyond Hollywood’s “American Snipers and Navy SEALs” and “TYFYS.” Past and present military service members, family members, and others are invited to submit work. We also think that “everyone has an experience with the military, even if only as taxpayer and voter.” More generally, we are interested in celebrating and featuring voices such as those of women, writers of color, writers who identify as LGBTQ+, and other historically marginalized populations.

Facebook, Twitter, BlueSky

no

Randy Brown

Editor-Publisher

essays, fiction, nonfiction, poetry

Jessi M. Atherton, Ben Weakley, Eric Chandler

We publish from 1 to 4 titles annually. At least one of these is usually a collection of poetry, and one is a themed anthology. Before querying or submitting, please familiarize yourself with our design, poetry, editing, and publishing aesthetics by sampling one or more of our past books: amzn.to/3zvWGmV WHAT TO QUERY OR SUBMIT - Fiction: We are not open to queries regarding book-length fiction at this time. However, our themed anthologies often welcome short-form fiction, including flash. - Non-fiction, including essay collections: Query with cover letter, short biography, competitive market analysis, and up to three chapters as Microsoft Word (.DOC or .DOCX) file. - Poetry: We are typically open to consider poetry manuscripts (thematically complex collections of 50 to 100 poems by a single author) annually between January and March. See “Plans & Open Calls ...” below for more information. - Hybrid: Query with cover letter, short biography, competitive market analysis, and entire manuscript as Microsoft Word (.DOC or .DOCX) file.

No

http://www.middlewestpress.com/p/about-our-press.html

yes

Year round

1 - 6 months

royalties, cash, copies

1

1

2003

IngramSpark via Amazon

1 to 4

15

93

100

11.99

5.99

Randy Brown

Editor-Publisher

I started Middle West Press as a sole proprietorship in 2003—magazine writing, editing, editorial project management. In 2015, we registered as an LLC in the State of Iowa, and expanded business operations as an independent book publisher.

Poet Lisa Stice joined us as an associate editor in 2023. In the past, we’ve also had the pleasure of working with guest editors such as the Line of Advance journal’s Christopher Lyke, and Steve Leonard—the creator of the military-themed DoctrineMan!

We prefer to see business-like cover letters with queries & submissions. - Who you are - Why you're contacting us - What you're sending us - Where we can contact you We give bonus-points for including a 50-word "bio-blurb" written in third-person.

This varies greatly by editorial project. We often include named guest editors and readers in triaging submissions.