SPOTLIGHT ON MEMBER PUBLISHERS
Encircle Publications
Farmington | encirclepub.com
Encircle Publications began with the Aurorean poetry journal (1995–2020), and as a service provider (book production—everything from editing to formatting to cover design) for independent authors and small publishers. Encircle grew into a poetry powerhouse (the Aurorean published 1,600+ poets worldwide in its twenty-five years; an annual chapbook contest established in 2011; the publication of dozens of full-length poetry books). In 2016 we were presented with an opportunity to work with an established group of successful mystery authors and began the process of re-branding ourselves to reflect our new venture into trade fiction publishing with a focus on mystery, literary fiction, and historical fiction. While continuing to deliver relevant, award-winning books of poetry, we have crafted a diverse fiction catalog from established authors (many of whom call Maine home) in a variety of reading formats. We continually affirm a commitment to our authors as partners in success.
Goose River Press
Waldoboro | gooseriverpress.com
Goose River Press is proud to represent some of the finest writers and publishers working today. Our thirty-two years of publishing experience ensure your work will enjoy superior design, quality production, and extensive distribution. Why Goose River Press? Because Goose River Press is a traditional full-service publishing house, we can ensure your work will achieve the placement and prominence it deserves. Our team will work with you to achieve this objective. For those who wish to self-publish, we can help you avoid costly mistakes and provide extra benefits not available from a printer. Goose River Press works with Ingram, Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, and many other markets in the United States and internationally to make your title available. We invite you to submit your manuscript for consideration for publication. Alternately, for those who wish to self-publish, Goose River Press can provide fee-based editing, printing, and promotion services at competitive rates.
Islandport is a dynamic, award-winning publisher dedicated to stories rooted in the essence and sensibilities of New England. In 2024, Islandport Press has begun celebrating its 25th anniversary, and they couldn't be more proud given the radical and disruptive change that has swept through the book industry since they published Hauling by Hand: The Life and Times of a Maine Island in the spring of 2000. Today they have published more than 200 titles, not only original works, but also out-of-print books that they have revived and brought new attention to both the book and the author. They accept and review unsolicited completed manuscripts, as well as agented submissions. For submission guidelines, please click here.
KTTD Powers Publishing was founded by mom, Kim Powers, to develop a new type of children's book—books created by kids, for kids. To this end, Kim engages her children, Teddy, and Dylan, in creating illustrations and stories. Their first book series, Emma the Emperor Penguin, features an illustration Teddy created at age 6 during his “all things penguin phase”. They are currently developing new series and titles which feature other little artists and authors. KTTD believes that giving children the opportunity to expand imagination through character development and storytelling truly enhances our collective literary universe.
Littoral Books
Portland | littoralbooks.com
Started in 1975 by members of the Portland Women’s Group, Littoral Books was dedicated to seeking out and publishing the work of Maine women poets. Today Littoral Books, relaunched in 2017, is a Maine publisher of quality books in a variety of genres by exceptional writers and artists regardless of their gender or place of residence. Littoral Books is proud to have been one of the founders of MWPA.
Maine Authors Publishing
Thomaston | maineauthorspublishing.com
Maine Authors Publishing is a new style of independent press. Our goal is to support local, independent authors throughout the publishing process with affordable services such as editing, design, printing, a trade catalog, distribution, and marketing assistance. We want to help you get your book published and into the hands of your readers.
The Maine Review
Dresden | mainereview.com
The Maine Review (MeR) is a triannual online literary journal that publishes culturally significant and innovative writing and visual art by writers and artists living in Maine, across the country, and around the world. Maine Review Publications is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to making contemporary literature accessible to readers and writers of all income levels. Through MeR’s publication, our Community Supported Literature program, and Co-op Reading Series, we aim to be a safe harbor for an inclusive creative community.
North Country Press
Unity | northcountrypress.com
We really love Maine here at North Country Press. We are blessed with amazing authors who have delivered a variety of work from true-life stores about growing up in Maine, to history and environmental sciences, rocks and rivers, birding, Maine spiders, logging towboats, and much more. These are books for people from 9 to 99...who adore Maine and love a great read! We want you to purchase these books for yourselves, your friends and your family—who either live in this wonderful corner of the world, have visited Maine or have always wanted to come here. We promise you an exciting adventure through the pages of all of our books! We hope you return over and over to see what’s new from our beloved authors—both new and old. Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate everyone who purchases our books and hope you will spread the word about the stories and books you have read.
Penobscot Books
Stonington | penbaypress.me
Books by Maine authors celebrating our area’s uniqueness are at the heart of Penobscot Books in Stonington, Maine. Our mission is preservation in book form, keeping alive our history, commemorating the special people of our area, and sharing our spectacular natural resources and culture. Our authors all live in or have ties to the East Penobscot Bay area, making Penobscot Books a truly local independent publisher. Our titles are largely nonfiction and also include cookbooks and children’s publications. Several have won awards. Penobscot Books is a division of Penobscot Bay Press, a 50+ -year-old company that publishes three weekly newspapers covering the towns of East Penobscot Bay. As part of our mission, we also preserve some of that newspaper content in book form. We publish multiple books per year in sync with the summer season and winter holidays. Our books are marketed to bookstores and other venues throughout Maine and New England as well as to Acadia National Park gift stores, and can be found on our website at penbaypress.me, in our offices in Stonington and Blue Hill, and some titles on amazon.com. We accept inquiries and manuscript submissions through books@pbp.com. If we choose not to publish under the Penobscot Books imprint, we will work with authors to self-publish and market if they desire.
Pink Eraser Price
Brunswick | pinkeraserpress.com
At Pink Eraser Press, we believe a newly published book is more than an exquisite object. A Pink Eraser Press book is a cause for celebration. When we bring your writing to print, we help you preserve and honor your milestones, anniversaries, and literary accomplishments for a lifetime.
We create custom books, such as literary anthologies for schools, keepsake books and journals for organizations, and made-to-order books for individuals.
Seapoint Books + Media
Brooklin | seapointbooks.com
“No Two Book Projects are the Same” That’s been our guiding principle for more than a decade. To us, it means that every book is different in design, editing, and marketing. Here at award-winning Seapoint Books + Media there is no cookie-cutter approach to publishing. We are author-centric and market-focused. Our authors and clients are involved in every stage of the editing and design. It is not unusual for us to exchange a hundred or more emails with the author during the editing and design process. Every book is presented to our sales force at National Book Network with sales handles, advance reviews, author biographies and marketing tips. Our books are available on internet sites including Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and through all book stores and major distributors.
Sandorf Passage
South Portland | sandorfpassage.org
Sandorf Passage is a nonprofit publisher dedicated to championing books that create a prismatic perspective on what it means to live in a globalized world. It is a home to writing inspired by both conflict zones and the dangers of complacency. Our titles are distributed in North America and Europe by Independent Publishers Group.
Tilbury House Publishers
Thomaston | tilburyhouse.com
Tilbury House Publishers is an independent publishing company founded forty years ago. Our children’s book division became a major emphasis beginning in the early 1990s, and since then we have continued to publish award-winning children’s picture books for both the trade and education markets. Our picture book focus is on cultural diversity, social justice, mindfulness, science, nature, and the environment. Together with educators who are specialists in their fields, Tilbury House has developed imaginative, user-friendly guides for many of our books. These free guides offer activities and discussion points along with links to additional information and resources. They are ideal for the school or home classroom! These can be found on the Classroom Guides page of this website.
Toad Hall Editions
Midcoast, Maine | toadhalleditions.ink
Toad Hall Editions, a new small press located in Midcoast Maine, offers an alternative publishing platform for women, LGBTQIA+, minority, and gender-diverse writers and artists who struggle to find themselves represented in more traditional publishing models. We will publish 3 titles a year as well as kerning | a space for words, our bi-annual literary journal for adults and Buttered Toast, an annual literary journal for young writers (18 and under). We also provide a full range of book publishing services for those interested in self-publishing. Our philosophy centers on equity, and we’ve developed a more cooperative model to reflect this. Our relationship with our authors is an intentionally collaborative one. We want our authors to feel as committed as we are not only to seeing their work come to fruition but in joining us in finding an audience and sharing their work more widely. In this spirit, we want our authors to feel supported, and to receive a fair share of the profits derived from their work. For more information or to find out how to submit your work, go here.