20 grimdark publishers accepting unsolicited manuscripts in February 2026
Now that you’ve written your grimdark novel, it’s time to pitch it to a publisher! All of the publishers listed here are currently accepting manuscripts without a literary agent in February 2026. I update this list at the start of every month so be sure to check back if you don’t find a publisher that suits your needs.
Don’t forget to check out my developmental editing services or pre-querying package if you want to make sure your novel is in top shape before you send it to a publisher for consideration. I offer a variety of services to suit all budgets, from writers looking for the standard developmental editing experience to those seeking high-level feedback with a quick turnaround time.
Aethon Books
Aethon Books is a publisher dedicated to readers, passionate about publishing the next generation of fantasy and science fiction novels. Their main concern is finding stories with a compelling narrative that pulls readers through your world.
Genre: Fantasy and science fiction in any subgenre. They are also open to thrillers, especially action, political and military thrillers.
Word count: Novel-length work.
Angry Robot
Angry Robot is an independent publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and books that make you think “WTF?!” (their words!). They like to push genre boundaries and think of themselves as “genrefluid.” They are looking for writing which has a strong voice. At this time, they are only accepting manuscript submissions from Black authors.
Genre: Science fiction, fantasy and horror in all subgenres.
Word count: 70,000 words and above.
Apex Book Company
Apex Book Company is an independent publisher of exemplary works of dark fiction.
Genre: Dark fiction.
Word count: Not stated.
Aurealis
Aurealis is Australia’s most successful science fiction and fantasy magazine.
Genre: Fantasy, science fiction, or horror short stories.
Word count: 2,000 to 8,000 words.
Baen
Baen is an American publishing house specializing in science fiction and fantasy.
Genre: Science fiction and fantasy.
Word count: 100,000 to 130,000 words.
Black Bed Sheet Books
Black Bed Sheet Books publishes horror, science fiction and fantasy.
Genre: Fiction of a dark nature, especially horror, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, young adult, contemporary and thrillers.
Word count: Not stated.
Black Dawn
Black Dawn is the speculative imprint of AK Press. AK Press believes that the voices of the disenfranchised must be heard and that speculative fiction is the perfect tool for exploring paths to bring forth a just and free world. They seek to explore themes that do not reinforce dependency on oppressive forces.
Genre: Fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, horror, and mystery.
Word count: 25,000 to 55,000 words.
Brain Jar Press
Brain Jar Press is a Brisbane-based publisher specializing in shorter works of fantasy and science fiction. Please note some of their submission calls are limited to Australian and New Zealand writers.
Genre: Fantasy, science fiction, horror, crime and thriller fiction.
Word count: 4,000-60,000 words (chapbooks, novellas and short stories).
CamCat Books
CamCat Publishing opened in 2019 and takes pride in facilitating and engaging communication between their readers and writers. They will not publish erotica or books with strong religious or political slants.
Genre: Genre fiction, including mystery, thriller, suspense, science fiction, fantasy, romance, historical, paranormal, horror, adventure, western and young adult.
Word count: 60,000 to 100,000 words.
City Owl Press
City Owl Press is an indie publisher specializing in speculative fiction and romance. Please note that Writer Beware wrote an article on City Owl Press recently so make sure you do your research before submitting.
Genre: Genre fiction in the subgenres of romance (dark, fantasy, historical, monster, paranormal, comedy, science fiction, suspense, small town, time travel) and speculative (fairy tale retellings, cozy, dark, urban). They also accept horror, psychological, thriller, mystery and new adult.
Word count: 50,000 words and above.
ECW Press
ECW Press has published close to 1,000 books, including nonfiction, poetry and fiction. Please note that they accept poetry and fiction from Canadians only but accept nonfiction submissions from around the world.
Genre: Fiction, including literary, mystery, crime, science fiction, young adult, middle grade and humour. They also accept poetry and nonfiction, including sports, pop culture, memoir, biography, science, nature, true crime, travel, business, personal finance, poker, literary criticism and reference.
Word count: Not stated.
EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing
EDGE publishes thought-provoking and well-written science fiction and fantasy novels.
Genre: Adult science fiction and fantasy. They occasionally accept young adult fiction.
Word count: 75,000 to 100,000 words.
Ghost Orchid Press
Ghost Orchid Press was founded in 2021 and is an independent publisher of horror, Gothic and supernatural fiction.
Genre: Horror, Gothic and dark fantasy.
Word count: Not stated.
Hague Publishing
Hague Publishing is an independent Australian publisher of science fiction and fantasy. Please note that they publish work by Australian and New Zealand authors.
Genre: Science fiction and fantasy.
Word count: 30,000 to 80,000 words but they will consider works outside of this range.
Haunt Publishing
Haunt Publishing is an independent publisher of Gothic, horror and dark fiction.
Genre: Gothic, horror and dark fiction.
Word count: Novels and novellas.
Ink Smith
Ink Smith is a small independent publishing house who streamline their genres to best serve their authors and readers.
Genre: Adult and young adult adventure, fantasy (contemporary, dark, fairy tale, heroic, historic, magic, paranormal, shapeshifting, sword and sorcery , urban, medieval), horror, science fiction (near future, apocalyptic, superhero, steampunk, time travel) and thriller (conspiracy, psychological, techno-thriller)
Word count: Not stated.
Ink Smith
Ink Smith is a small independent publishing house who streamline their genres to best serve their authors and readers.
Genre: Adult and young adult adventure, fantasy (contemporary, dark, fairy tale, heroic, historic, magic, paranormal, shapeshifting, sword and sorcery , urban, medieval), horror, science fiction (near future, apocalyptic, superhero, steampunk, time travel) and thriller (conspiracy, psychological, techno-thriller)
Word count: Not stated.
Penguin Random House Canada
Penguin Random House Canada is Canada’s largest book publisher and they accept submissions from authors all over the world. Please note their submissions are usually open exclusively to LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC writers. They usually have open calls for all authors once a year.
Genre: Commercial fiction, including literary, romance, speculative, historical and mystery.
Word count: 70,000 to 120,000 words.
Quill & Crow
Quill & Crow love all things odd and the macabre. They aim to work with authors to create something special.
Genre: Dark fiction, such as horror, historical and speculative.
Word count: 45,000 to 110,000 words.
Solaris Nova
Solaris Nova is a new imprint of the genre publisher Solaris.
Genre: Science fiction, fantasy, or horror.
Word count: 70,000 to 150,000 words.
Best of luck with your manuscript submissions! If you want to ensure your manuscript is in the best position to be accepted, check out my developmental editing services, pre-querying package or my free writing advice. Otherwise, check out my country-specific list of fantasy publishers in Australia and New Zealand.