Fantasy and science fiction are two of the most popular fiction genres, which means plenty of publishers are looking to publish the next fantasy or sci-fi book.

Because fantasy and sci-fi include many different sub-genres—high fantasy, steampunk, historical fantasy, military sci-fi, etc.—it’s best to first have a clear understanding of where your book fits so that you can better choose a publisher in your niche.

With that said, here is a list of the top fantasy and science fiction publishers and what type of submissions they’re looking for.

Angry Robot

Angry Robot publishes most fiction, including fantasy and sci-fi books. They’re especially looking for space operas, military sci-fi, and cyberpunk stories and are open to “genrefluid” submissions—books that encompass multiple genres.

You will need a literary agent to submit to Angry Robot, and your book needs to be a novel-length (70k or more words).

TCK Publishing

Similar to Angry Robot, TCK Publishing takes all forms of fiction and has specific guidelines for each genre and even subgenre. While they don’t accept fan fiction, they do accept fantasy works that are at least 40k words in length. Subgenres include Epic Fantasy, YA Fantasy, Military Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Urban or Contemporary Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance.

For sci-fi submissions, the manuscript must also be at least 40k words in length and subgenres include Hard Sci-Fi, Dystopia, Space Opera, Military Sci-Fi, Apocalyptic Sci-Fi, and Alternate History.

Baen

A well-known science fiction and fantasy book publisher, Baen prefers books that are over 100,000 words in length but are open to smaller books if your “novel is really wonderful.”

The publisher wants books with a simple style so as to draw attention to the story rather than the writing and is looking for sci-fi stories with power plots supported by solid scientific and philosophical thought. For Fantasy, Baen wants any magical systems present to be coherent and critical to the plot.

Tor

An imprint of one of the big five publishers—Macmillan—Tor is one of the best science fiction publishers, having won the Locus Award for best sci-fi publisher over 25 times in a row. The publishers also accept fantasy submissions. While there are occasional open-door periods when the publisher will accept un-agented submissions, generally, you’ll need an agent to submit to Tor.

Arcadia

Arcadia is a science fiction and fantasy publisher that accepts longer works if they have some “element of the speculative of the fantastical” in them. The publisher does accept unsolicited fiction submissions and will accept YA crossover (books that can fit in the young adult and adult categories). The publisher does have a manuscript wish list, so be sure to check it first to see if your book would be a great fit.

Ink Smith Publishing

With a current desire for Young Adult and New Adult novels, Ink Smith Publishing is a fiction publisher that accepts most Fantasy and Sci-Fi novels. For fantasy, the publisher wants Contemporary, Dark Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Heroic, Historic, Sword and Sorcery, Magic, Science Fantasy, Paranormal, Shapeshifting, Urban Fantasy, and Medieval stories.

For science fiction submissions, Ink Smith Publishing wants Alternative History, Time Travel Thriller Conspiracy Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Techno-thriller, Near Future, Apocalyptic, Superhero, and Steampunk stories.

PS Publishing

PS Publishing is a science fiction and fantasy publisher that especially welcomes new authors. While their unsolicited submission period is full, anyone is welcome to submit their story for consideration when it opens again. The publisher recommends sending a concise quarry letter with a short introduction and synopsis of the book.

Mirror World Publishing

With a desire for Escapism Fiction, Mirror World Publishing accepts fantasy and science fiction books that transport the reader into a highly creative world unlike our own. Adult, NA, YA, Middle Grade, and Children’s books are accepted, along with novels that are at most 125k words in length and novellas that are at least 25k words.

Tachyon Publications

Tachyon Publications is looking for speculative science fiction and fantasy submissions. They particularly want original stories with unique themes and strong world-building. For sci-fi submissions, they want the science to be as accurate as possible for a more compelling story. The publisher does not accept unsolicited submissions, so you will need an agent to submit your book.

Tell-Tale Publishing

With six imprints and two that publish fantasy and sci-fi books, Tell-Tale Publishing accepts a wide array of books. The Stargazer imprint accepts fantasy and science fiction, including Paranormal, High Adventure Fantasy, Steampunk, and Urban Fantasy. The imprint Thistle accepts YA, NA, and Middle School books, including Steampunk and Fantasy stories.

Final Thoughts

There are plenty of science fiction and fantasy book publishers to choose from. To avoid spending needless time on submissions, it’s best to thoroughly understand what category and subcategory(s) your book fits into and the audience it is for. Once you know that, you can narrow down which publishers you should submit to. Good luck!

Feel free to explore art book publishers, poetry book publishers, Christian book publishers, independent comic book publishers and children’s book publishers.