Agate Publishing
USA – Literary Fiction, Non-fiction, Food, Business
agatepublishing.com
Submission Guidelines
submissions@agatepublishing.com
Agate Publishing is an independent book publisher based in Evanston, Illinois, USA. The company published its first book in 2003, and was founded by Doug Seibold. Agate and its five imprints publish African-American literature.
Both Agate Publishing and its founder Doug Seibold have been singled out among various Chicago publications as emblematic of the city’s burgeoning independent publishing scene. Seibold regularly appears on NewCity Lit’s “Lit 50: Who Really Books in Chicago,” a list of the fifty most influential people in Chicago’s literary scene.
Agate Publishing Submissions
Unsolicited submissions welcome. No agent required.
Agate is considering submissions in the general areas of food, cooking, and nutrition-related non-fiction, business-interest non-fiction, with a particular focus on improving workplace experience and improving workplace performance.
Send samples first to: submissions@agatepublishing.com
Agate is also considering submissions in the general areas of fiction and non-fiction (including works for young readers) by African American writers.
Agate 2025/2026 titles
– Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
– All the Water in the World by Laetitia Colombani
– We Pretty Pieces of Flesh by Colwill Brown
– Baldwin: A Love Story by James Campbell
– We Pretty Pieces of Flesh by Colwill Brown
Acquisitions (See REAL WRITER’S MARKET)
Authors
– Jabari Asim
– Deborah Mathis
– Mary Schmich
– Anthony Terlato
– Lynn Toler
Author Spotlight: Leonard Garvey Pitts, Jr.
Leonard Garvey Pitts, Jr. is an American commentator, journalist, and novelist. He is a nationally syndicated columnist and winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Pitss is from Southern California, USA.
Agate in the news…
Agate Forms New Imprint
Agate Publishing is collaborating with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism to launch a new imprint. Medill Books will publish non-fiction by journalists, with its debut title scheduled for release in late 2026.
Agate, a Chicago-based indie publisher, is anticipating at least two books to be released each season under the Medill imprint. Medill Books will be Agate’s sixth imprint, Joseph Medill, for whom the school and imprint are named, was an early editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune.
Agate has already published a number of non-fiction books by Pulitzer Prize–winning Black journalists under its Agate Bolden imprint, which publishes African-American literature. A partnership with the Chicago Tribune has produced approximately 20 print titles and 80 short e-books under the Midway imprint.
Agate announced in its release that it is now open to proposals for reported non-fiction works that are between 10,000-30,000 words in length. Journalists wanting to submit their proposals should send them to submissions@agatepublishing.com, with the subject line “Medill Books proposal.”
The best way to see if you’re in the right place is to take a look around. Kick the tires. See if your book fits in with these Agate titles.
Agate Publishing
1328 Greenleaf St.
Evanston, IL 60202
USA
(847) 475-4457
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