🎉 2025 Winners

About Us

Write Bloody Publishing publishes 2–8 full-length poetry collections each year. We seek poets whose work is electric on the page and magnetic in the room—not for theatrics, but for presence.

If your poems live beautifully in print and carry weight aloud, we invite you to send them our way. Sarah Kay, Andrea Gibson, Megan Falley, Franny Choi, Anis Mojgani, Clint Smith and more all had their first full length collections launch here.

What We Publish

• Full collections only (no chapbooks)
• Finished manuscripts of 90–140 pages (roughly 40–60 poems total)
• Printed at 6 × 9 inches
• Poems that thrive in print and resonate when spoken
• Distinctive work from solid writers who craft their work for the page
• All writers welcome, including underrepresented voices
• Writers who perform: Open to sharing work at readings/events and comfortable reading aloud

Note: We do not publish "slam books, performance poetry collections, or spoken word books." Our focus is publishing beautiful, honest poems that have craft + presence.

Submission Guidelines

What to Send

• Up to 5 poems, maximum 8 pages total
• One poem per page, 12 pt Garamond or Times New Roman
• Title of manuscript (blind reading process)
• File formats: PDF (.pdf) or Word (.doc/.docx)
• Filename format: WBUSA2026.SUBMISSIONTITLE.pdf
• Link to submittable will be published here, Feb 1, 2026 and not before.

In Your Submission Include:

• Your name
• Hometown
• Submission title
• Short bio (3-4 sentences)
• Social handles/website (if any)

Do not put this info on the manuscript itself.

Process & Timeline

• February 1 – FEB 28th, 2026 → Submissions open via Submittable
• Blind read by the editorial team
• March 15, 2026 → Finalists announced
• Finalists asked for: 20 poems (including original 5 is okay) + a simple video reading (due March 30)
• Videos can be: YouTube links, Instagram posts, or phone videos
• April 15, 2026 → New authors announced (books published the following year)
• Confirmation: All submitters receive confirmation of receipt; finalists get follow-up instructions

Note: Full manuscript is 40-60 poems

If You're Selected

• Work with our team on editing, design, and publicity. You have a voice!
• Join us for readings/events (we ask for ~20 readings in your first year—these can be local or tour across North America!)
• Maintain a basic online author presence and post poems online. We are not publicists.
• Treat publication as a partnership, not just a transaction.

Royalties & Author Copies

• 50% royalty rate after 500 sold
• Full distribution worldwide for your book
• Authors expected to actively promote their book, including purchasing author copies at wholesale cost
• Authors keep all profits from books sold at live events

FAQ