We read year-round, and we read everything that reaches us.
Mount Zion is open to unagented submissions in fiction, poetry, and essays. We commission as much as we acquire from the slush, but every manuscript is read by at least one editor, and we respond to all of them.
Fiction
Literary novels and story collections, 40,000 words and up. We have a particular weakness for the long sentence and the quiet book.
Poetry
Full collections only — we do not publish individual poems or chapbooks. Forty to ninety pages.
Essays
Single-author essay collections and book-length criticism. Memoir only where the writing earns it.
Translation
We accept proposals from translators with rights cleared or clearable. Sample of 20–30 pages with the original.
Prepare
A cover letter, a short bio, and the first thirty pages for prose — or the full manuscript for poetry. PDF or DOCX, set in a readable face.
Send
Email a single attachment to submissions@mountzioneditions.com with the genre and title in the subject line. One project at a time.
Wait
We read in the order received and reply within twelve to sixteen weeks. A request for the full manuscript is not a guarantee, but it is a good sign.
We do not accept simultaneous submissions of the same manuscript to more than three other presses. We do not charge a reading fee, now or ever.