We are currently closed for submissions until October 1, 2021.
dam·aged goods
noun, a small press specializing in books by queer and trans people
Damaged Goods Press accepts chapbook-length and full-length manuscripts.
CHAPBOOKS: submit 20-40 pages of poetry, micro memoir, or lyric essay
FULL-LENGTHS: submit 60-120 pages of poetry, prose poetry, lyric essay, or hybrid non-fiction
The content does not have to be queer or trans related
Damaged Goods Press will publish 1-3 books a year, so please, submit only your very best, polished work
Damaged Goods Press does not charge reading/submission fees, but we do accept tip jar donations
We make every attempt to respond to submissions within six (6) months, sometimes it’s shorter, sometimes it’s longer, but we ALWAYS reply
Book runs are open-ended
Payment:
Writers will receive 20 perfect-bound copies of their book, with the option to purchase additional copies at cost (meaning we make no money and there are no royalties).
50% of net profits from book sales will be paid to the writer on an annual basis via PayPal or Venmo.
For an idea of our tastes, please visit Crab Fat Magazine or our bookstore.
Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere. Please submit manuscripts through Submittable:
Got questions, comments, or concerns? Email us at editor@damagedgoodspress.com
UPDATED 01/29/2021
Hi there,
I was wondering if you could clarify for me, are you looking for chapbooks that focus on queer/trans characters and explore queer/trans issues, or chapbooks on any theme written by queer/trans people?
Cheers!
Hi Megan,
We are seeking open themed work by people that ID as queer/trans. Our tastes are pretty open.
Evening!
I’m just looking for a bit of clarification myself.
Are the chapbooks you’re seeking, manuscript wise, only allowed to be flash fiction collections? I have a novelette I’d love to submit that is 30 pages long, but I’m not sure if it coincides with what you’re looking for.
Thanks for your help!
Hi Diana,
Currently, we are only considering collections of poetry and flash, but this may change in the future. Thanks so much for checking us out though!
Hi,
I wanted to submit a chapbook, but I had 3 questions
1.) Do you have specific formatting requirements? (font, font size, etc..)
2.) Do you want us to submit a bio or cover letter along with our work?
3.) If we want art to be included with our chapbook, do we discuss that later if our work is accepted or do we have to submit it in our manuscript?
-Thank you,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Use something standard for your chap, times new roman/garamond size 12.
please submit a bio in the cover letter field on submittable, the cover letter should just tell us what we’re reading.
we don’t typically use art in books, but we’re open to b/w photos and line drawings.
Could one chapbook submission combine poetry and flash fiction, or would you prefer just one genre per chapbook?
hybrid works are good.
Would it be possible to include photographs along with poems submitted as a chapbook?
sure, but photos must be black and white, we do not print color photos inside our books.
Hi,
I was wondering if you only accept works from writers in America. I am a 16-year-old boy living in Taiwan. Though English isn’t my native tongue, I’m quite fluent in it and I like to write English love poems from a gay boy’s perspective. Is this acceptable?
-Thank you.
we absolutely accept international work! please do submit.
HI there
Will you accept previously published poems as part of a chapbook submission?
Thank you
yes, as long as the chapbook as a whole hasn’t been published.
Good Morning Admin
I would like to know if you publish essays as well.
With regards
yes, we accept lyrical/hybrid creative nonfiction essays
Hello, was just wondering if there was a style guide for submissions? I would love to submit the manuscript for a poetry collection but wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing any presentation guidelines.
Hi Louis, as long as your manuscript is in an easy to read font, single poems to a page, with minimal document formatting, then it’s good to go. Accessibility is most important to us, so the easier it is to a page reader the better.
Hi, I have a clarifying question about the chaplet dimensions- 2.75″ width by 4.5″ length or vice versa?
the dimensions will be 2.75 wide and 4.5 long.
Hello!
When submitting chapbooks, should we make it anonymous?
Thanks,
Quinn
Hi Quinn, that won’t be necessary, simply submit your chapbook on Submittable, preferably with as little formatting as possible (page breaks, title pages are good).
About full-length poetry collection submissions: some of my poems are more than one page long (due to line breaks). Should I adjust the formatting in order to “shorten” these pieces to 1 piece per page?
Thanks for your time!
Long poems are totally cool, as long as the total page count isn’t over the maximum length.
Hi,
Should we include additional pages (dedication, forward, acknowledgments, etc. ) in the manuscript, or is this established/added after selection?
Thanks!
front and back matter don’t count in your page count, and can be adjusted after the fact.
Hi there!
If my manuscript is about 18 / 19 pages, is that alright to send? Or is 20 a hard limit?
Thanks so much for your time!
this will be fine! we’ve published chaps as short as 11 pages.
Is it alright to submit more than one chapbook at a time?
Yes, as long as they are in separate submissions.
Hi! I would love to submit my collection, I think it’d be a good fit but it’s 47 pages so I’m not sure where it’d fit in terms of chapbook or full-length. Is there any wiggle room in either category? I could always cut it down if need be!
Thanks and all the best!
Hi! This would be great to submit as a full-length.
I wrote the editor, but I thought it would be good to publish here too if others share the same question. I have a chapbook but with my photographs, it is a full-length. Do you accept work with photos? How do I submit both text and photo? Is it a chapbook or full-length with photos?
Hi Aleticia, we do not currently publish photos, but are happy to review the text portions of your work if you wish.