What Books Press

About

WHAT BOOKS PRESS was founded in 2009 by a small group of like-minded writers in Los Angeles. We came together in order to create an outlet for groundbreaking fiction, poetry, and translation, with extraordinary art on every cover. Since then, we have published a long list of titles by known and unknown authors. Public readings, good reviews, and general recognition and appreciation have followed. Now, year after year, with gratitude and inspiration, we move forward, consistently publishing books that thrill us with a bending of literary expectations, or a striking use of language, or a poignant portrayal of the human condition, or...ideally...all three.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions. (Note: About 14% of publishers always charge fees.)
The fee is USD $25 (above average for publishers that charge).

Important: Query first.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2008

Publication Medium

Print Publication Print Publication

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

12 members set this publisher as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: What Books Press's overall average response time is faster than most publishers.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: People in a specific region.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Novel: No specific word count limits known (our definition: more than 40000 words).

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Place/Regions: Specific region.
Politics/Political Science: General, See guidelines.

Payment:

Unknown advance + Unknown royalties Unknown advance. Unknown royalties.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: People in a specific region.

Lengths:

Book: No specific word count limits known.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Place/Regions: General, Specific region.
Politics/Political Science: General, See guidelines.

Payment:

Unknown advance + Unknown royalties Unknown advance. Unknown royalties.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Temp Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: People in a specific region.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poetry Collection: No page limits known.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms, including: Experimental poetry.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Experimental, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics including...
Place/Regions: Specific region.
Politics/Political Science: General, See guidelines.

Payment:

Unknown advance + Unknown royalties Unknown advance. Unknown royalties.

Submissions:

Method: Submittable submission manager.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

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What Books Press Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

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Accuracy

We have received 7 reports from 7 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

21 min | 55.6 mean avg | 39.0 median | 123 max days (35.5 std dev)

Pending

1 response is pending (158 days waiting).

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $25.00.
Most recent response reported was received on 12 Jun 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 26 Apr 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 09:46 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
For book publishers, it is standard to submit a cover letter, synopsis, and sample instead of the full manuscript. Do this unless otherwise instructed.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 01 Jul 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.