Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

DIRECTORY

Best Book Publishing Companies in Houston

Showing 5 publishers that match your search.

Madville Publishing

Genres: Action & Adventure, African-American, Biographies & Memoirs, BIPOC, Diverse Literature, Fantasy, Feminism, Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Science Fiction, Short Story, Thriller & Suspense, and Women's Fiction

Location: Houston, US

Website: https://madvillepublishing.com/

Accepts unagented submissions

Yes Book queries - View guidelines →

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
Sonju

Wondra Chang

What a Wonderful World This Could Be

Lee Zacharias

Let Me Say This: A Dolly Parton Poetry Anthology

Julie E. Bloemeke and Dustin Brookshire

Bella Books

Genres: Romance, Mystery & Crime, Action & Adventure, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction, Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Diverse Literature, and Fiction

Location: Houston, US

Website: https://www.bellabooks.com/

Diversity: Diverse Literature

Accepts unagented submissions

Yes Manuscript entries - View guidelines →

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
Kiss the Girl

Melissa Brayden

On the Rocks

Riley Scott

At Your Most Beautiful

Harper Bliss

Arte Publico Press

Genres: History, Politics, Diverse Literature, BIPOC, and Nonfiction

Part of: University of Houston > Arte Publico Press

Location: Houston, US

Website: https://artepublicopress.com/

Diversity: Diverse Literature, BIPOC

Accepts unagented submissions

Yes Queries & manuscript entries - View guidelines →

University press

💥 Hit titles
We Were Always Here

Ricardo Chavira

Trust Me

Richard Z. Santos

Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights

Cynthia E. Orozco

Looking for an editor to polish your query letter?

The best professionals are already on Reedsy, come meet them. Create your free account to request free quotes today.

Learn more about the Reedsy Marketplace.

Siren Publishing

Genres: Romance and Fiction

Part of: Book Strand > Siren Publishing

Location: Houston, US

Website: https://www.bookstrand.com

Accepts unagented submissions

Yes Manuscript entries - View guidelines →

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
Millionaire Voir Dire

Stormy Glenn

Hot Cross Bunny

Lynn Hagen

Demons of the Wolf King

Marcy Jacks

RJ Publications

Genres: Urban Fiction, Romance, African-American, Diverse Literature, BIPOC, and Fiction

Location: Houston, US

Website: https://rjpublications.com/

Diversity: Diverse Literature, BIPOC

Accepts unagented submissions

No

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
Hoodfellas

Richard Jeanty

Deceived

The Phantom

Going All Out

Dorian Sykes

What do book publishers do?

Sure, a book publisher prints and sells your book. But what they do behind the scenes encompasses much more than that. Publishers handle the entire publishing process for books, including: 

  • Editing the book, i.e. developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading; 
  • Designing the book, i.e. book cover design and any necessary interior book design;
  • Promotion and marketing, i.e. writing the book’s blurb, email marketing, setting up media interviews, etc.; and
  • Production and distribution, i.e. formatting and distributing hardback, paperback, and ebook versions of the book to stores, both online and brick-and-mortar. 

Note that the structure of publishing companies may differ, depending on their size. Bigger book publishers may be made up of publishing houses which may, in turn, be made up of imprints — each of which will have its own brand identity in terms of the type of books it publishes. 

However, regardless of a publisher’s size, the scope of their work shouldn’t change. Once you sign with a publisher, they will do everything that it takes to bring your book to market. 

What are the most prominent book publishing companies?

If we define success by sheer sales volume, then we might point towards the "Big 5" presses and educational publishers (who rake in a LOT of money). Over the past few decades, these giant publishing companies have merged with and acquired most of the mid-sized publishers in the industry. However, a few still remain. Here are today's biggest book publishing companies:

  • Penguin Random House (Big 5)
  • Hachette Book Group (Big 5)
  • HarperCollins (Big 5)
  • Macmillan Publishers (Big 5)
  • Simon & Schuster (Big 5)
  • Scholastic Corporation
  • Pearson Education
  • McGraw-Hill Education
  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Cengage Learning

Together, these largest publishers dominate the publishing landscape. Countless beloved books come from their imprints, many of which you’ll find in our directory. 

The rest of the publishing landscape is largely made up of small publishers, or independent publishers. Most big publishers don’t directly accept unsolicited submissions without a literary agent — but smaller publishers do, making them a realistic and worthwhile route to publication. 

I have a long list of publishers. What next?

Congratulations! Now take a moment to thoroughly vet every publisher on your longlist. Scams are a dime a dozen in the publishing industry, and you want to make 100% sure that you’re dealing with a legitimate publishing company. Again, we strongly recommend reading this post and Writer Beware to know what red flags to watch out for.

When you’re confident in all of the publishers on your longlist, it’s time for the most nerve-wracking step: submitting your manuscript to them. 

Check out our free resources if you’re feeling daunted by what comes next. Whether you’re learning how to research publishers or how to personalize a submission, we've got you covered.

Free online materials

Reedsy | Looking for a publisher? | 2024-09

Get a professional opinion on your query letter

Reedsy editors have worked at major publishers. Ask for a "query letter review."