what are chap books

What Are Chapbooks? and Why You Should Read Them

Lyndsie Manusos

Lyndsie Manusos’s fiction has appeared in PANK, SmokeLong Quarterly, and other publications. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has worked in web production and content management. When she’s not nesting among her books and rough drafts, she’s chasing the baby while the dog watches in confused amusement. She lives with her family in a suburb of Indianapolis.

View All posts by Lyndsie Manusos

In a nutshell, chapbooks are teeny books. Merriam-Webster defines them as a small book containing ballads, poems, tales, or tracts. They are collections of poems, stories, or an experimental mix of both. Chapbooks usually hover in the range of 20–40 pages and are more affordable purchases to their novel counterparts. In a world where there’s a lot of talk of dwindling attention spans and having little time to read (sigh), chapbooks are a great way to soak up great writing—writing that may not quite fit anywhere else—and be able to finish in one sitting. But of course, there’s more to chapbooks than simply being short in length. Chapbooks are a way to make a point. They are an art form as much as a literary form, used for both revolution, protest, and exploration. Many presses take great care in the final presentation of this often-overlooked work.

Fiction and Hybrid Chapbooks

Rose Metal Press is an example of a press who champions short, hybrid works. I interned there for a short period a few years ago. There, I was able to see how a chapbook came together, and I saw the love its founders devoted toward this literary form. Kathleen Rooney and Abigail Beckel founded the press in 2006. Since then, they have published beautiful hybrid and experimental works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Additionally, Rose Metal Press hosts an annual Short Short Chapbook Contest .

The Passion of Woo & Isolde went onto win numerous accolades, such as being a finalist for the Best Small Fictions of 2018, a finalist for the 2018 CLMP Firecracker Award in Fiction, and won the 2018 Eric Hoffer Award for Best Chapbook.

Poetry Chapbooks

For Writers

For you writers out there, chapbooks are a great way to collect pieces that may not fit into a longer work. They are especially great for emerging writers for introducing new work to the world. Many small presses and micro presses host contests for chapbooks, so if you’re on the prowl for a place to submit, The Masters Review  has a small list on their blog .

Then Vs Now

It’s also important to note that, viewing chapbooks as an art form, they can be self-published or made at home. Many artists and writers are publishing and selling their chapbooks on their personal sites and including  on Etsy ! It is an accessible literary form that can be available to anyone. Even history notes that chapbooks were originally made to be passed around. They were affordable pieces of literature, aimed at those who weren’t able to purchase more expensive books.

The same can be said of chapbooks today. They are way to support emerging writers and writers whose work might not fit in the commercial publishing world (and arguably, shouldn’t fit in the commercial world). Chapbooks are passed around for entertainment as well as admired for their artistry. They give voice to writers who need it, and are an outlet for readers who seek something off the beaten path. They can even start a revolution.

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What makes chapbooks so popular?

It’s been said that if a chapbook is good enough, it could even start a revolution. Chapbooks have been the inspiration for literary masterpieces, music, film, and even love. These small books are collected by institutions and libraries around the world. Let’s take a look at why these tiny publications are so well-loved.

1. Short attention spans

We live in a world of dwindling attention spans. Wait, I need to check my Instagram feed. Okay, sorry, I’m back. One of the most enduring qualities of a chapbook is that you can finish the entire book in one sitting, perfect for that early morning lift, lunch hour break, or those few precious pages before bed. Short books are an art form in their own way. The fact that the book is so small means the editing, sequencing, and design are critical.

2. Unique writing styles

Chapbooks are also a great way to experiment with a style of content that might not have an audience in a longer format. Think about experimental poetry or writing styles that showcase the unique literary prowess of a new or unpublished author. So much of what gets published in the commercial publishing world has to fit everything from genre to character style to economics. Chapbooks are the opposite—free to flow in any direction the author chooses.

3. Easy self-publishing

These pocket-sized books are also the perfect object to self-publish and distribute . Historically, many of the best chapbooks were published by the author, passed around, and collected by avid readers. The perfect way to discover new talent. Also, chapbooks are inexpensive to produce but have proven highly successful even without being sold through a mainstream publisher. Plenty of authors sell their chapbooks through their own website, and if your book takes off, it can be a great way to show a publisher that you have an audience ready to consume your work.

The next time you organize a small body of themed writing, think about this lo-fi, affordable approach to showcasing your work.

If you have a stack of poems, stories, or flash fiction ready to go, what are you waiting for? Turn your collection into a one-of-a-kind chapbook you share with the world using Blurb’s free and easy-to-use bookmaking software .

magazines , self-publishing , zines

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What is a chapbook (and should you write one).

• November 1, 2023

Table of Contents:

What is a chapbook, should you write a chapbook, 5 reasons why you should write a chapbook, 1. to show off your creativity:, 2. a great learning experience, 3. share your talents, 4. achieve your goals, 5. short and sweet, 5 reasons why writing chapbook can be challenging:, how to write a chapbook, step 1: find your inspiration, step 2: set a goal, step 3: write, write, write, step 4: organize your work, step 5: edit and revise, step 6: design your chapbook, step 7: get feedback, step 8: finalize your chapbook, step 9: publish your chapbook, step 10: share your work, conclusion:.

Press The Play Button On The Audio To Listen Complete Article!

In poetry, a chapbook is a small collection of poems. By the chapbook definition, they are a short collection of poems, short stories, or other writings printed together in a small format. They’re typically sold at readings or distributed for free by the author or publisher.

When you think of chapbooks, you probably think they are smaller than regular books and often made of less than standard-size paper. But what does that mean for you as an author? Is it worth writing one? And how do you go about publishing one? What makes a chapbook different from any other collection of poems?

We’re going to answer all your questions for you in this guide.

Chapbooks are small, self-published books. If you want to understand chapbook definition; then they can be poetry collections, stories, or essays—of any genre.

A chapbook might be published by the author (often for free) or by a small press specializing in this work. In either case, chapbooks are under 50 pages long and cost around $10-15 per copy. They’re often sold at readings or events where authors sign copies for fans who want them to remember their favorite poems forever!

With chapbooks, you can easily get your work out there and make money simultaneously, similar to how to publish an ebook in 10 easy steps . Without dealing with all the stress of marketing and selling your books. You can sell them at stores, through your website, or on Amazon. You can even sell them by hand if you want to connect with your readers!

With Chapbooks, you can get your name out there if you are new to the writing industry, much like how to build your author brand in 8 key steps . You can use them as a sample of your writing style or as an opportunity to promote other works.

Writing or not writing a chapbook really mostly depends on your needs.

So that you know What is a Chapbook let’s figure out why you should write it. Here are five reasons you should consider writing a chapbook.

Writing a chapbook is like opening a door to your imagination. You can express your thoughts, feelings, and ideas creatively and uniquely.

Whether you want to share your love for nature, tell exciting stories, or talk about your dreams, a chapbook is your canvas for words. It’s a chance to let your imagination run wild and turn your ideas into beautiful stories or poems.

Writing a chapbook is a fantastic way to improve your writing skills. You’ll learn to organize your thoughts, edit your work, and improve your writing. It’s a journey of growth; with each page you write, you become a more skilled writer, akin to the process outlined in how to write a good story: a complete process . The more you practice, the better you’ll get.

One of the most wonderful things about a chapbook is that it’s a way to share your talents with the world. You can easily give copies to your friends and family and share them with a wider audience.

Imagine the joy of seeing people enjoy your work and connect with your words. It’s like sharing a piece of yourself with others.

Completing a chapbook is a big achievement. It’s a project that shows your dedication and commitment to writing. When you hold that finished chapbook, you’ll feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.

It’s like reaching the finish line of a creative race. You set a goal, and you achieved it!

Chapbooks are shorter than full-length books. This is a big advantage, especially if you’re just starting your writing journey. It means you won’t have to write as much.

You can create meaningful and impactful work without feeling overwhelmed.

However, there are times when writing a chapbook isn’t really good. After learning What is a Chapbook and why to write one, let’s also look at some instances where writing a chapbook can be challenging.

• It’s a Big Commitment

Writing a chapbook is a significant commitment, and understanding how to outline your novel in ten simple steps can be beneficial. It takes time and effort to create something meaningful and well-crafted. You’ll need to stick with it, even when you face writer’s block, or life gets busy.

This can be a bit overwhelming for some young writers, especially if you’re new to writing. If you’re not ready for a long-term commitment, you might want to explore shorter projects first.

• Editing Can Be Tough

Editing is a crucial part of writing. It’s where you go back and make your work better by checking for spelling mistakes, grammar errors, and places where you can improve your writing.

For some, this can be a challenging and sometimes frustrating process. It can be tough to spot your mistakes and might require help from a teacher or parent.

If editing is overwhelming or boring, it might be a reason to reconsider writing a chapbook.

• Sharing Your Work Can Be Scary

Sharing your creative work with others can be a little intimidating. You might worry about what people will think or be afraid of criticism.

Not everyone will love your chapbook, and that’s okay. However, if you’re sensitive about your work and not ready to handle different opinions, it could make the process less enjoyable.

• The Limited Length

Chapbooks are shorter than full-length books. They usually contain fewer pages, meaning you must tell your story, express your thoughts, or share your ideas within limited space.

This constraint can be challenging because you have to be concise and focused. For some writers, this limitation can feel confining and frustrating.

• Not Everyone Enjoys Writing

Lastly, not everyone enjoys writing, and that’s perfectly okay. Writing is a creative and personal endeavor, but it’s not the only way to express yourself. If you don’t find joy in putting words on paper, a chapbook might not be your best project.

Exploring various forms of self-expression is important to find what truly resonates with you.

So, after learning What is a Chapbook and reading through the reasons for writing one, you have decided that you also want to write a chapbook. So, to make the journey easier for you, here is also a small guide on how you can write a chapbook:

Before you start writing, you need to find something that inspires you. It could be a personal experience, a feeling, or something you’re passionate about.

Take a moment to think about what you want to write about. It could be anything, from nature’s beauty to your favorite superhero’s adventures.

Once you have your inspiration, it’s time to set a goal. What do you want to achieve with your chapbook? Do you want to share your love for nature with others, or do you want to create a thrilling adventure story?

A clear goal will help you stay focused and motivated throughout the writing process.

Now comes the fun part – writing! Start jotting down your ideas and thoughts. Don’t worry about making everything perfect at this stage. Just let your creativity flow. You can always edit and improve your work later.

It’s time to organize your work after you’ve written a lot. Decide on the order of your poems or stories in your chapbook. Think about how they fit together and create a flow from the beginning to the end.

Editing is an important part of the writing process. It’s where you go back and make your work better.

Look for spelling mistakes, grammar errors, and places where you can improve your writing. You might ask a teacher or parent to help you with this step.

Well, it’s time to think about how your chapbook will look. You can use a computer program or create it by hand. Think about the cover, the font, and the layout. Make it unique and eye-catching.

Show your work to friends, family, or teachers. They can provide valuable feedback and help you make your chapbook even better. Don’t be afraid to make changes based on their suggestions.

Once you’ve made the necessary changes, finalizing your chapbook is time. Make sure it’s ready to be shared with the world. Double-check for errors and ensure it’s the best it can be.

There are a few ways you can publish your chapbook. You can print physical copies, create an e-book, or share it online on websites or social media, or you can also hire a book publishing company .

There are also many new sites like Amazon KDP or Google Play Books Publishing where you can publish this book yourself without needing help from anyone. So, just think about what works best for you and your audience.

Once your chapbook is ready, it’s time to share it with others. You can give copies to friends and family, host a reading at school, or even sell your chapbook. You can also hire a book marketing services provider to help distribute your books to a wider audience.

Sharing your work is a great way to connect with readers and get your writing into the world.

Chapbooks, these pocket-sized marvels, offer a unique canvas for your creativity. Whether you’re drawn to poetry, short stories, or essays, they’re your ticket to sharing your voice with the world. You can write different kinds of chapbooks like poetry chapbooks, essay chapbooks, whichever you find feasible and enticing.

So, should you write a chapbook? Only you can answer that but don’t miss the chance to explore this realm of self-expression.

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• chapbook - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

chapbook , small, inexpensive stitched tract formerly sold by itinerant dealers, or chapmen, in western Europe and in North America . Most chapbooks were 5 1 / 2 by 4 1 / 4 inches (14 by 11 cm) in size and were made up of four pages (or multiples of four), illustrated with woodcuts. They contained tales of popular heroes, legend and folklore , jests, reports of notorious crimes, ballads, almanacs, nursery rhymes, school lessons, farces, biblical tales, dream lore, and other popular matter. The texts were mostly crude and anonymous, but they formed the major part of secular reading and now serve as a guide to the manners and morals of their times.

Many of the earliest English and German chapbooks derived from French examples, which began to appear at the end of the 15th century. The Volksbücher (a type of chapbook) began to flourish in Germany in the mid-16th century. Some were prose versions of medieval German verse romances; others contained tales of foreign origin. Whatever their sources, they satisfied a need for light literature that persisted long after the 16th century. In colonial America they were imported from England and were produced locally. When religious and other more serious tracts appeared, and as publication of inexpensive magazines developed in the early 19th century, chapbooks lost popularity and were discontinued.

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Guides • Book Design

Last updated on Jan 27, 2022

How to Make a Chapbook in 4 No-Nonsense Steps

If you're currently in the process of growing your readership as a poet, you're going to need to know how to make a chapbook. These short books can help kickstart your literary reputation , and may well increase your chances of getting signed for your debut poetry collection. Sounds good?

From polishing your verse to hand-making a DIY chapbook and getting your words out into the world, here is our 4-step guide to making a chapbook:

1. Ruthlessly edit your poems

We assume you already know how to write a poem (but if you want to brush up on your skills, you can read  this blog post ), so it’s now a case of editing your work. Published works live forever, so make sure you’re completely happy with the quality of your writing before committing it to print! Read your poems aloud, share them with writer friends or a critique circle to get feedback , or, even better, get the help of a professional poetry editor .

Poetry, as a form, is about distillation. It’s your job to question every single word, and trim off excess language to sharpen and crystallize your thoughts. Finally, proofread your poems carefully to rid it of typos and errors .

Give your chapbook the help it deserves

The best poetry editors are on Reedsy. Sign up for free and meet them.

Learn how Reedsy can help you craft a beautiful book.

2. Assemble your poems into a cohesive whole

Your next step is to assemble your best work. You have to curate these in an order that makes sense to you , the poet. There’s really no right or wrong way to go about this — you can arrange them in order of the date they were written (e.g. if the book charts a period in time), by theme, subject matter, or simply by mood.

There’s no guarantee your reader will read through the whole thing from start to finish, but you have to work under the assumption that they will in order to shape your chapbook. (Reading a bunch of poetry books should help you understand how other poets go about doing this!)

3. Format your poems (no need to be fancy)

When you're learning how to make a chapbook, formatting and designing the interior layout can sound like daunting fields to venture into. But they don't have to be. Inevitably, less is more. Stick to a simple serif font like Bembo, Garamond or Minion (more on book fonts in our typography post here ), a standard font size like 12pt, and only feature one poem per page, even if they’re short.

Remember to include:

• An interior title page;
• A table of contents;
• An acknowledgements page;
• Your author bio (learn how to write one here );
• Any information related to copyright, e.g. where certain poems were first published.

If any of the above is unclear, head to our breakdown of all the parts of a book to demystify each part or this guide on book formatting — though bear in mind not all of these will apply to chapbooks! Finally, you can use Reedsy Studio to typeset your chapbook to a professional standard for free. (We'll even generate a super serious-looking copyright page © for you.)

We understand that chapbooks don't traditionally get made with a huge production budget, but if you've got the funds, we always advise that you work with a professional book interior designer to prepare your chapbook. Head over to our post on poetry book layout to see how pros can really help your poems seize their readers' hearts.

4. Choose one of four publishing paths

When it comes to choosing how to publish your chapbook, it's a classic self vs. traditional publishing dilemma . Great writers inevitably fall through the cracks of traditional publishing, simply because independent publishers who are unaffiliated to the big 5 don’t have the budget to champion as many poets as they’d like to. For that reason, some poets learn how to make a chapbook and publish it themselves. You definitely stand a better chance of actually making profit from your chapbook if you self-publish it, but that means going without the helpful exposure and publicity a publisher can offer and coming up with a strategy on your own .

Self-publishing:

• The old-school DIY way
• The 21st century way: Print-on-Demand

Traditional publishing:

• Chapbook contests
• Securing a book deal

Let's take a look at your options to help you decide.

Old-school self-publishing: How to make a chapbook by hand

Chapbooks have a long history of self-publishing, so you could embrace that old-school punk spirit and make your chapbook at home. Obviously, this means a very limited edition run, but embracing obscurity is again in line with the punk spirit. Punk isn't mainstream!🤟 That doesn't mean noone will read your work. It just means you won't be selling your book on Amazon or in large brick-and-mortar bookstores (you can definitely try local, independent bookstores). You can still sell handmade copies at local markets or on digital platforms like Etsy, or promote them via an Instagram page. It's simply a matter of reaching a different crowd.

Pro tip: If you have a small following and want to grow it, a self-published chapbook could be perfect for you. However, if you're new to the poetry scene, consider waiting until you’ve published poetry in literary magazines, so your chapbook can attract more attention. More about how to publish poetry here and a list of literary magazines to submit to here .

If you're up for the DIY challenge, follow the following steps. It's super easy!

1. First, you have to figure out which pages correspond to each sheet of paper.

In the printing world, this is called creating a "signature". Here's an example of where you'd need to print each page to create a 16-page chapbook.

Is this making your brain melt? Yeah, same here. To figure out exactly where each page needs to be before you go to print, fold pieces of scrap paper together into a mock-chapbook, and label each page with its number. Then, when you pull the pages apart, each sheet's numbers will guide the placement of pages in your manuscript. 🧠

Pro tip: If you're still having trouble with this, head to your local copy shop to print a sample copy. If you explain that you want to bind a chapbook, they'll know exactly where to place each page, and they'll staple them together, too.

2. Once all of your pages are printed, it's time to fold them.

This can get boring quick, so feel free to pop on a nice audiobook or writing podcast while you're at it. Use your ruler to make sure you fold each sheet in its exact middle. You can also fold the paper along the edge of your ruler to speed up the process! 🎧

3. Now that all of your pages have a middle crease, gather every sheet you need for each copy and unfold it.

Carefully place all the sheets comprising one chapbook in a neat pile on your work surface. Make sure that the cover exterior is the sheet facing upward, and the sheet facing the work surface is the middle of the chapbook. 📄

4. Double check that the pages are in the right order, then secure their ends with bulldog clips to ensure that they stay in place.

You don't want to have to tear staples out because the paper wasn't aligned 15 chapbooks in, so be thorough. 🚨

5. Using your ruler, make a very small pencil mark one-third and two-thirds into the central sheet's middle crease.

Staple the paper together at those two points using your staple. That's one chapbook done!✨

6. Repeat as needed. 🔁

Easy, right? If you loved the DIY aspect of chapbook-making, check out our post on how to make a book (as in, a proper, hardback book) yourself.

21st-century self-publishing: Print-on-demand

Not to kill the punk spirit, but we actually recommend going the print-on-demand way if you choose to self-publish. As the name suggests, is a printing service where, rather than print a large batch of books in advance, you print one copy of your book every time someone orders it . Other services are likely to be  much less cost-efficient .

In comparison to offset printing, print-on-demand is more cost-effective for smaller print runs, it's faster, and also means you won't need to store cardboard boxes full of books in your living room or basement. Instead, the printer sends books directly to customers!

Compared to DIY chapbooks, print-on-demand ones are much sleeker and professionally finished, which inevitably lends your book a more serious look (not saying it should , but it does). Finally, its most obvious advantage over making your chapbooks at home is the simple truth that you also save tons of time you'd otherwise spend fiddling with a stapler and ruler.

Traditional publishing: Chapbook contests

Chapbook contests, with their handy cash prizes and promises of publication and prestige, are a dreamy scenario for the lucky and talented poets who win them. That said, there are two things to be wary of:

❗ As with all writing contests, always read the fine print before submitting your poetry. Some contests will offer cash as a prize , while others consider it an advance for the publication of your chapbook. Make sure you’re clear about what the prize is exactly before you send your work out into the world .

❗ Most contests do charge an entry or ‘reading’ fee, so it’s up to you to verify that each is reputable, legitimate and not a scam contest . You also need to decide which contests’ prizes are worth the entry fees; this is a matter of a simple cost-benefit analysis .

Note: Usually, chapbook contests aim to discover new voices and share them with the public. However, a minority of contests, like the Candlestick Press one , set a theme and publish the selected poems in a single, anthology-style chapbook featuring several poets.

Here’s a few reputable chapbook contests to start you off (note that some of these accept prose, too):

• Rattle chapbook contest , prize of $5,000 and publication
• The International Book & Pamphlet competition , prize of a share (equal among winners) of £2,000 and publication
• Slipstream Press chapbook contest , prize of $1,000 and publication
• Omnidawn poetry chapbook contest , prize of $1,000 and publication
• The New Michigan Press / DIAGRAM chapbook contest , prize of $1,000 and publication
• Button Poetry chapbook contest , prize of $500 and publication
• The Black River chapbook competition , prize of $500 and publication
• Gold Line Press chapbook contest , prize of $500 and publication
• The Adrift chapbook contest , prize of $300 and publication

Traditional publishing: submitting directly to publishers

Large publishing houses don’t really print chapbooks — their focus is on longer poetic collections. So if you’re hoping to place your chapbook with a publisher, you’ll need to find smaller presses specializing in poetry. Several accept direct submissions, so you need to use Google to your advantage to find the best options for you. A few examples include Big Game Press , Noemi Press , Dancing Girl Press and Letter Machine Editions (not open to submissions at the time of writing) in the US, and Maytree Press in the UK.

Whether you follow the traditional or self-publishing route, we wish you a great success with your chapbook!

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• Chapbooks of the Mimeo Revolution

History of the Chapbook

What is a poetry chapbook.

Traditionally, a poetry chapbook is a single signature of pages, folded in half and bound at the fold with thread, staples, or whatever material its maker desires. The term can also be used to describe a poetry book that is smaller in length, size, or print run than a standard poetry collection. As chapbooks are easy to create and distribute, emerging poets often publish collections of poems in the chapbook format. But poets at any point in their careers can publish chapbooks, either as a step toward building a full-length collection or as a discrete project for work that demands a shorter, more focused publication form. Chapbooks help to focus a reader’s attention on a series or sequence of poems, or on a long poem that might otherwise lose its impact amid a larger collection.

Chapbooks can range from photocopied pamphlets to hand-sewn letterpress publications to perfect-bound books. They frequently highlight the tactile and visual qualities of the book, with special attention paid to design, typography, and paper, often including illustrations, photographs, or other artwork. Poets House’s chapbook collection of 11,000 items features many rare and special chapbooks, distinctive for age, rarity, binding, materials, or size. During recent years, Poets House has presented exhibitions of its chapbooks, including  Chapbooks of the Mimeo Revolution: From New American Poetry to the New Sentence , curated by scholars Meira Levinson   and Kyle Waugh. Below is an adapted excerpt of Waugh’s exhibition essay.

A Little History of the Poetry Chapbook

No doubt, from a modern book-maker's point of view, the chapbook is a squalid, degraded product of a rude, now happily by-gone time. Truly in itself it presents little or nothing to please either the eye or the taste; yet, considering it apart from such supersensitiveness, it is a question whether the study and analysis of this low, humble, obscure branch of literature might not reward the investigator with very considerable results, touching upon the manner of thought and intellectual pleasures of the great lower mass of humanity.

—Kyle Waugh

Kyle Waugh  lives in Brooklyn and teaches at the Pratt Institute. He has edited numerous books, including the collected poems of Edward Dorn and Kenneth Irby. His writing has appeared in  Jacket2 ,  Hot Gun! ,  Washington Square , and elsewhere.

Back to Chapbooks of the Mimeo Revolution

A Guide to Chapbooks- What, How and Why

What is a chapbook? A chapbook, also known as an art book, is a small book of poems or stories. The term “chap” derives from “chapte,” which means to cut or divide. Chapbooks are created by authors and artists who want to distribute larger bodies of work without the hassle of full-length publishing books. 

Table of Contents

The history of chapbooks.

Chapbooks originally date back to the 1500s, known as “incunabula,” meaning an early printed book. They evolved throughout time and eventually became popular in 19th century England. At this point, chapbooks had become mass-produced items purchased for low prices (usually about sixpence). 

Some early examples of chapbooks include “A Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye” (1561), “The Merry Tales and Quick Answers of George Peele” (1567) and “England’s Helicon”(1600).

In 1732, a chapbook titled “Poems on Several Occasions by Mr Pope” was sold in London bookstores for one shilling or two pence depending on how many it contained within its pages. This example shows that more expensive books would have been printed with more content inside them while cheaper ones had less to offer readers, which is still somewhat true today! 

This trend of selling ‘less-dense bodies of work, continued into the 19th century. In 1837, The Saturday Magazine published a chapbook called “The Poet’s Vade Mecum”, which sold for five pence and contained seventy-two pages of poetry by well-known authors such as Robert Bloomfield, EH Cobbold, William Lisle Bowles and Mary Shelley.

Do Chapbooks Still Exist In 2021?

Although not as popular, chapbooks still exist. They are most commonly used for self-promotion by authors and artists who want to sell their work at book fairs or meetups, but they are also prominent in art galleries and bookstores!

Where Can You Find Chapbooks

Several places still carry chapbooks such as bookstores, libraries and even museums. Some artists choose to sell their work on Etsy or through the Amazon Marketplace because trading online is always an option!

You can also find great chapbooks on Websites such as Lulu.com, a print on demand website that will allow you to publish your work, whether it’s poetry or prose!

Why You Should Publish A Chapbook

There are many benefits to publishing a chapbook, including exposing you to new readers, gaining more exposure and getting your work in front of more people.

Publishing Tips And Tricks When Publishing A Chapbook

Chapbook alternatives.

If publishing through  Amazon Marketplace  or  Etsy  doesn’t appeal to you either, try looking into Websites like  Blurb , which will allow you to sell your book online without having to worry about printing, distributing or even worrying that someone may steal the contents before they have a chance to read it!

What Are Hybrid Chapbooks

Chapbook mistakes you should avoid.

So do you have a few poems that all centre around a unifying theme? Are you thinking about publishing an anthology? Do you have a couple of off-cut poems that you’re not sure what to do with them? Perhaps you might want to consider publishing your chapbook.

It may seem like quite an undertaking at first, especially trying to find places where people can purchase your book without much trouble, but trust me when I say it’s all worth it in the end!

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A chapbook is a small book that’s published with around 40 pages. The tradition arose in 16th century Europe, and it’s still popular today.

E.g. In the 18th and 19th centuries, chapbooks were small, affordable booklets that brought literature to a broader audience. They served as a precursor to modern paperback publishing.

Related terms: Oral tradition , novel , novella , short story , farce , fable

The term “chapbook” was only coined in the 19th century, though. It came from the term “chapman,” used to describe a salesman who spread these publications. 

Before then, various terms were used around the world. For example, the French term “bibliothèque bleue” or “blue library” is due to the blue papers that were sometimes used to wrap the interior pages. Whereas in Spain, they were known as “pliegos sueltos,” which loosely translates to “loose sheets.” 

The chapbook fell out of popular use during the 19th century as cheaper newspapers began to serve a similar purpose. A great number of them have also been lost to time, a result of their flimsy structure—the oldest surviving examples date to the mid-late 1600s. 

Explore Chapbook

• 1 Definition of a Chapbook 
• 2 Content of Chapbooks 
• 3 Modern Chapbooks 
• 4 Examples of Chapbooks 
• 5 Why Do Writers Create Chapbooks? 
• 7 Related Literary Terms 

Definition of a Chapbook 

A chapbook is a short publication that features a few single pages, folded and bound. These books originated in early modern Europe.

They became popular due to the ease with which they were produced. They were also quite cheap and easy to distribute. The first chapbooks were produced in the 16th century but were at their peak during the 17th and 18th centuries. They contained everything from almanac-like information to folk tales, ballads , nursery rhymes , and more. Sometimes, they featured religious tracts or poetic verses as well. 

These books were printed on single pages that were then folded and bound together with a simple stitch. Sometimes they were illustrated with woodcut prints meant to make the entire book more entertaining but sometimes had little relevance to what was actually on the page.

Chapbooks were most commonly read by the lower classes who couldn’t afford books. This didn’t mean that the upper classes never read or enjoyed these publications. There is a record of wealthier families buying higher-quality chapbooks or those bound with leather or another more structurally sound material. 

Content of Chapbooks 

Today, chapbooks are most commonly used to publish single essays , short collections of poems, or single short stories . But, throughout history, they’ve been used for a variety of purposes. Most commonly, they were used to share information about the popular culture of the day. They allowed gossip and news to travel throughout the country, even into the more rural areas. Chapbooks were meant to entertain with their less-than-sophisticated narratives. Most chapbooks dealt with one or more of the following: 

• History (true and fake)
• Devotion/religious themes
• Farcical humor  
• Marriage and sexual themes

Modern Chapbooks 

Modern chapbooks are usually around the same length as historical chapbooks, but they can also take new, contemporary forms. Sometimes the pages are folded rather than bound. The writer might choose to publish their work on colored paper, with illustrations, and with interesting graphic design choices. Some are quite low-cost and create by individuals with access to small-scale print shops, while others are mass-produced. Some of the big-name publishers, like New York Review Books, have used chapbooks as a way of advertising and marketing.

Chapbooks are popular with amateur and professional poets as well. They can be used to distribute a small collection of poetry that may not, as of yet, attracted a big-name publisher. For some readers, chapbooks are the best possible way to encounter and understand new writer’s materials. 

Examples of Chapbooks 

William and the ex-prime minister by carol ann duffy  .

William and the Ex-Prime Minister is a contemporary example of a chapbook published by well-loved Scottish poet Carol Ann Duffy. It was released in 1992 and featured 16 pages of poetry.  It was limited to 1,000 copies and can fetch fairly high prices to this day.

Discover Carol Ann Duffy’s poetry . 

Memo for Spring by Liz Lochead

Memo for Spring was Lochead’s debut collection. It was published in 1972 and has since been read by a wide audience . It’s forty-eight pages long and can, like Duffy’s ‘ William and the Ex-Prime Minister’ fetch high prices. 

Explore Liz Lochead’s poetry .

Animal Poems by Ted Hughes  

In Animal Poems , Hughes collects some of his best-loved poems. Today, he’s recognized as one of the greatest poets of his age. Often, it is his animal poems that are cited among his best works. Animal Poems was limited to 100 copies, some of which were signed by the poet. The first six included the thirteen poems in the chapbook written out in full. 

Read Ted Hughes’ poetry .

Why Do Writers Create Chapbooks? 

Writers create chapbooks today when they want to share something they’ve written but either don’t have access to or are unwilling to pay for the services of a large-scale publisher. These books are intimate in a way that mass-produced paperback or hardback books are not. For some writers, this is their preferred format. Even quite well-known authors, like Stephen King, have been known to distribute their work in this form. Chapbooks are the perfect format for new writers seeking to share their poetry or short stories as well. Their short length and easily distributed form allow them to be shared simply among friends, family members, and acquaintances. 

Historically, chapbooks were written in order to share stories, news events, religious tracts, and, more broadly, to entertain the everyday reader. They were affordable for the lower classes and still enjoyed by those who were more financially stable. 

To write a chapbook, one needs to have a small selection of writing. This could be poetry, one or two stories, or an essay . No matter what one’s content is, it needs to be brief, no more than forty pages worth. Getting it printed or writing it oneself on the individual pages is the next step. 

The term “chapbook” was introduced into common use in the 19th century. It comes from the term “chapman,” which was used to describe a bookseller who distributed these publications. 

A chapbook could have anywhere from a few poems to 10 or more. It depends on the length of the poem and the writer’s intention. If they just want to share a few poems on a theme, they might stick to 5-8 poems. Or, if they want to share everything they’ve written throughout the year, they might push it to 20 short poems, each on a single page. 

Related Literary Terms 

• Novel : a long, written, fictional narrative that includes some amount of realism .
• Short Story : a piece of writing with a narrative that’s shorter than a novel. These stories usually only take one sitting to read.
• Prose : a written and spoken language form that does not make use of a metrical pattern or rhyme scheme .
• Novella : a prose , fiction work that’s shorter than a novel and longer than a short story.
• Narration : the use of commentary, either written or spoken, to tell a story or “narrative.”
• Farce : a genre of comedic literature. It uses exaggerated and outrageous situations to create humor and make the audience laugh.

Home » Definition » Chapbook

The Definitive Literary Glossary Crafted by Experts

All terms defined are created by a team of talented literary experts, to provide an in-depth look into literary terms and poetry, like no other.

Cite This Page

Baldwin, Emma. "Chapbook". Poem Analysis , https://poemanalysis.com/definition/chapbook/ . Accessed 15 July 2024.

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Special Collections

Middlebury college, a very short history of the chapbook.

When it comes to the time-honored form of the chapbook, the power of literacy comes in small packages.

Such power was on display in the archive last week, when we laid out an array of these bite-sized books for a visit from Karin Gottshall’s  Structure of Poetry class. Students in this class compile hand-bound chapbooks of their own work for a final project, so by bringing them into Special Collections, Karin and I hoped to situate their creations in the surprisingly long and storied history of this short form.

The roots of chapbooks go back to 16th century Europe, when printing technology began to democratize. Books had long been the preserve of the wealthy, who possessed both the education and means necessary to read them. This changed, however, when the increasing accessibility of paper and printing presses made it feasible for unbound books of eight or twelve pages to be sold for a penny or less: in those days, not as negligible a price as it might seem, but still within the reach of a laborer’s wages. Itinerant peddlers called ‘chap-men’ rose to meet this demand, carrying printed matter from presses in the cities to an eager audience of the rural working classes. These early readers thrilled to tales of adventure and roguery. Even those who couldn’t read were able to participate, thanks to the chapbook’s fluid relationship with orality: many early examples came in the form of folk songs, so they were meant to be performed publicly as well as read in private. Early chapbooks also tended to be profusely illustrated, but this wasn’t always an aid to comprehension — because woodcut engravings were so cheap to reproduce, they were often recycled throughout many different texts with little regard for the subject matter.

Chapbooks’ wide accessibility also made them a political force to be reckoned with. Literacy rates burgeoned among the European public in the late 17th century, abetted by the institution of charity schools for educating the poor, but also likely owing to the simple fact that written materials were cheaper and more plentiful than ever before. In any case, whether they merely responded to the demands of an increasingly literate public, or played a part in producing it, the rise of chapbooks accompanied an unprecedented state of affairs: reading was no longer the sole domain of the upper classes.

This might not have been so disruptive if the form were restricted to folk tales and ballads, but by the 18th century, some chapbooks began to reflect the Enlightenment mores that were taking society by storm. Examples include Thomas Paine’s  The Rights of Man , which was copiously reprinted in chapbook form for years after its publication in 1791. The insurrectionary potential of pamphlets like Paine’s, and other radical thinkers, inspired a backlash. While chapbooks had originally sprung up to appeal to their audience’s unstudied interests, relating their stories in an amoral and non-didactic tone, publishers in the 19th century began to prescribe certain interests to their readers for their own good. This led to a proliferation of religious chapbooks, often called ‘Sunday schools’ or ‘godlinesses’, which aimed to bolster the moral fiber of the plebeian masses whom the racier strand of chapbooks had previously entertained.

This sanctimonious turn ushered in a long period of dormancy. Along the way, chapbooks lost their monopoly on the dissemination of cheap print: industrialization reduced the costs of printing once again, allowing lower class readers to lift their sights from the compact octavo or duodecimo bindings of the traditional chapbook towards the sprawling forms of newspapers and novels. By the time the chapbook returned, in the early 20th century, it was to bear the evidence of these radical changes.

By the time of its resurgence, ‘chapbook’ may have been a conscious archaism hearkening back to a preindustrial past. The printing press enjoyed a rush of renewed interest beginning in the late 19th century, thanks to the Arts and Crafts movement — a group of artists and designers who reacted to what they saw as the garish aesthetic standards of the day by advocating a return to traditional methods of handicraft. Chapbooks, which began their history spurred by the early forerunners of industrial technologies, now arose in protest to the alienation thought to be inherent in mass production. Along with this stylistic shift came a major reorientation in genre: where the chapbooks of yore focused on the episodic and the epic, tales of daring and debauchery, the new artisanal chapbook adopted a lyric mode. Its primary genre was poetry.

At first this meant the poetry of the early Modernists — writers like Ezra Pound, H.D., T.S. Eliot, and Djuna Barnes — who published short-form leaflets of their work, as well as placing it in collections and literary magazines. It also saw currency with Dadaists in Europe, and in the tracts of the Russian avant-garde. But the chapbook continued to have an ambivalent relationship with the aesthetics and distribution methods of high and low culture. Soon the 20th century brought its own technological changes, in the form of typewriters and mimeograph machines that put the power of textual reproduction more directly in the hands of writers than ever before. These tools were eagerly seized upon by Beat poets of the 1950s. The utilitarian manuscripts they hacked out of their typewriters may seem like a far cry from the nostalgic designs of Arts and Crafts printers like William Morris, but there is some political coherence to this unlikely pedigree. The creators of chapbooks have always been concerned with circumventing the official channels by which writing is allowed to make itself available to a public. Over the course of the 20th century, this labor was to unite authors as disparate as feminist consciousness raising groups and Star Trek fans, as the chapbook morphed into the zine.

But some chapbooks stayed chapbooks, particularly within the domain of small press publishing. Short, artfully designed books remained an appealing form for poets and writers who wanted to reach niche audiences and sidestep corporate publishers. This is the crop of chapbook most abundant in our archive, and it made up the bulk of what Karin’s students saw last week.

Of course, you don’t have to have a press to make a chapbook. The students in CRWR 175 will approach the task armed with nothing more than a word processor and some sewing expertise (and let’s be clear, there’s also no shame in staples). We hope that some of their creations might find their way into our archive to rest alongside their fellows. If you have a little book of your own that’s been hanging out in a drawer for months or years, consider re-homing it in Special Collections!

For further reading, see:

A Pleasant History of the Chapbook

McGill Library’s Chapbook Collection

A Short History of the Short Book

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How to Make a Chapbook

Chapbook is a nineteenth-century term derived from traveling peddlers known as chapmen who sold, among other items, booklets called chapbooks, many of which plagiarized summaries of published novels and stories.[ 4 ] Chapbooks no longer contain plagiarized text and are found almost entirely in the literary world. Many contemporary chapbooks are books of poetry, often publishing the work of emerging poets. Poets who have achieved success with larger publishers sometimes continue to publish in the chapbook form because they appreciate chapbooks as well as chapbook publishers, who epitomize independent, small presses. In higher education, creative writing faculty and students have long collected and read chapbooks.

• History of the Chapbook from Poets House in NYC
• Ugly Duckling Presse Online Chapbook Archive
• University of York Chapbooks Collection log in to JSTOR with your Pace credentials.The Borthwick and Special Collections at the University of York has a collection of historic chapbooks from the 1700s-1800s
• Chapbooks of the Mimeo Revolution this small digitized collection "celebrates a period extending from the early 1960s through the mid-1980s, when small presses proliferated and chapbooks contained some of the most innovative poetry of the time." at Poets House
• A Look Back: 9 Queer & Trans BIPOC Chaps from 2021 by Muriel Leung, April 6, 2022, on the Lambda Literary website
• Word for Word: Chapbooks – small and covetable Chonchúir, Nuala Ní. “Word for Word: Chapbooks – Small and Covetable.” The Irish Tiimes, 9 Nov. 2013, https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/word-for-word-chapbooks-small-and-covetable-1.1585990. Accessed 28 Oct. 2021.
• A History of Guilty Pleasures: Chapbooks and the Lemoines Bearden-White, Roy. “A History of Guilty Pleasure: Chapbooks and the Lemoines.” The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, vol. 103, no. 3, [The University of Chicago Press, Bibliographical Society of America], 2009, pp. 284–318, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24293816. more... less... log in with your Pace credentials
• Chapbooks (book chapter) BISHOP, WENDY, and DAVID STARKEY. “Chapbooks.” Keywords in Creative Writing, University Press of Colorado, 2006, pp. 25–29, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt4cgr61.10. more... less... log in with your Pace credentials

Poetry broadsides are part of the world of activist, small press poetry. They tend to be larger in format, like art posters in many cases. Read a short blog post about broadsides from the Library of Congress.

The Mortola Pace Library in Pleasantville owns a book about the poetry broadside tradition, focusing on the 1960s. It can be requested through InterLibrary Loan (ILL) if you are at Pace NYC.

Sullivan, James D. On the Walls and in the Streets : American Poetry Broadsides from the 1960s . University of Illinois Press, 1997.

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What’s the Difference? Chapbooks vs. Full-Length Poetry Collections.

 If you’re newer to the poetry publishing world, you’ve probably heard the two different terms commonly used to describe books of poetry, but you might not know the real differences between them. It’s not just about size. Here’s a quick lesson about what makes chapbooks and full-length poetry collections distinct from each other, as well as the intricate rules that the publishing world has built around them.

What Makes a Chapbook?

Although the exact page ranges vary from publisher to publisher, the generally accepted length for chapbook manuscripts is between 15 and 30 pages of poems. There is also a subcategory here called micro-chapbooks that are usually 10 pages or less. But these slim booklets are more than just poetry collections in miniature. If a full-length collection is a house, a chapbook wouldn’t be a Barbie Dreamhouse version. It would be a single room within the life-size house, maybe even the doll room—a small space where the walls are lined with a single obsession, its glass eyes staring back at you from all sides. They don’t need to be explicitly linked or in a strict series, but the poems in a chapbook manuscript should all be poems on the same subject—a meditation that builds to an idea that is greater than any of the individual poems alone.

Many chapbooks (sometimes called pamphlets) are produced as traditional perfect-bound or saddle-stitched paperbacks, but there is also a vibrant subculture of the handmade and DIY zine-type production. Poets and publishers have embraced the smaller stature of chapbooks—both in terms of size and audience—by turning them into physical (and conceptual) art objects in limited editions. One of the best examples of this is the work done by Container Books , where they really do think outside the traditional book-shaped box. They re-imagine the chapbook in a way in which the object itself represents the contents: chapbooks as a View-Master reel and viewer toy, as a series of cross-stitch pillow kits, as tincture bottles on a beautiful wooden stand with the text on the bottle labels, as a mineral collection box with each poem printed on gemstone-shaped origami. Other publishers produce beautiful book-shaped chaps with letterpress-printed covers and hand-stitched bindings. But even for those that aren’t published in limited editions, distribution for most chapbooks is much smaller than for full-length collections because most don’t have ISBNs and aren’t carried by the larger distributors—which means it’s harder to get them on bookstore shelves. In so many ways, chapbooks are treated as not-quite-books, which has its advantages (see above: incredible art objects!) and its disadvantages (see above also: limited distribution & audience reach).

In addition to Container Books, here are a few of our favorite chapbook publishers who are out there doing the good work:

·      Black Lawrence Press

·      Bull City Press

·      Burnside Review

·      The Cupboard Pamphlet (Note: Their chapbooks are prose only, but I bet they’d consider a chapbook of prose poems!)

·      Dancing Girl Press

·      Glass Poetry Press

·      Greying Ghost Press

·      Porkbelly Press

·      Sibling Rivalry Press

·     Tupelo Press

·      Ugly Duckling Presse

What Makes a Full-Length Poetry Collection?

As with chapbooks, exact page ranges for full-length poetry collections depend on the preferences of the publisher you end up working with. But the generally accepted length requirements are between 40 and 80 pages of poems. Obviously, this allows poetry collections to be a little more sprawling in their content. But even in a three-bedroom, two-bath house, there will be themes and threads that connect each of the rooms into a cohesive narrative. Like a chapbook, a collection should contain poems that are closely related to each other in subject and style. But unlike a chapbook, a collection can afford to explore tangential subjects and expand upon those ideas.

Although some get the case-bound, glossy-jacketed hardback treatment, nearly all full-length collections are produced as perfect-bound paperbacks. These are what the reading, reviewing, and publishing worlds consider to be true BOOK books in all the ways that help them to get into the hands of the most readers. Full-length poetry collections, in general, receive much wider distribution. They all have ISBNs, bigger print runs, and large distributors make sure they make it to the libraries, the independent booksellers, and even the Barnes-and-Nobles and Amazons of the world. They get the attention of more reviewers and are eligible for the full range of post-publication book prizes from regional best-book-of-the-year competitions to the Pulitzer and National Book Awards.

Publishers of full-length poetry collections range in size from tiny, volunteer-run micro-presses to large, prestigious publishers of national renown with deep pockets for book production and marketing. Here are just a few of our favorites publishing some of the best poetry collections in the world today:

·      Alice James Books

·      Birds LLC .

·      BOA Editions

·      Coffee House Press

·      Copper Canyon Press

·      Four Way Books

·      Graywolf Press

·      Kore Press

·      Milkweed Editions

·      Octopus Books

·      Persea Books

·      Perugia Press

·      Pleiades Press

·      Red Hen Press

·      Sarabande Books

·      Sundress Publications

·      Tinderbox Editions

·      Tupelo Press

·      University of Akron Press

·      YesYes Books

Further Publication Considerations

So what do you do with all of this information? How do you use it to your advantage? When assembling your manuscripts and preparing to send them out publishers, there are some frequent questions that arise about the rules and etiquette concerning the relationship between these two book formats. Having the answers to those questions can help you better plan out your manuscripts and your publishing ambitions for them.

On First Book Contests

You only get one first book and, in poetry, there’s a lot of importance placed on the “debut.” The debutante balls of the poetry world are the First Book Contests—publisher-run contests (usually with well-known guest judges) for which only poets who have not yet published a book are eligible to submit his/her/their manuscripts. But what if you have already published a chapbook or two? Many poets consider a chapbook a stepping-stone toward a full-length collection, so they will first assemble & publish the former before even attempting the latter. As we mentioned above, chapbooks are considered not-quite-books by the publishing world. So, if a poet has published a chapbook but still hasn’t published a full-length collection, he/she/they are still eligible for these more exclusive contests.

On Publishing Chapbooks After a Full-Length Collection

Although many poets publish a chapbook and then a full-length, this is not a rule or requirement regarding the order in which this is done. You don’t have to publish one before the other. You also don’t have to publish both! You can stick to just chapbooks or just full-length collections. And although it is absolutely a milestone to publish your first full-length, it’s not a graduation from chapbooks, by any means. You can publish chapbooks at any point in your poetic career. The most important thing is for you to choose unapologetically the format that best fits the work.

On Including the Same Poems in a Chapbook & a Full-Length Poetry Collection

This is where the territory gets a little trickier to navigate because the rules are even less clear. The general guide to follow here is order of publication. We know we can publish individual poems in literary magazines and then later publish them in a chapbook or full-length manuscript. But what about publishing poems from a chapbook in a full-length or vice versa? Hierarchically, chapbooks are lower on the publishing food chain than full-lengths, which means it is absolutely acceptable for the poems from a chap to be cannibalized into a full-length manuscript because that cardinal rule of “not previously published in this format” remains unbroken. However, when the roles are reversed, it’s a little more unclear. If poems have already been previously published in a full-length, they have already surpassed the previously published watermark and probably cannot be in a chapbook afterward. But this is a question best answered by the specific publisher(s) you’re working with as they will have their own internal sets of rules when it comes to rights and reprints. If your full-length and chapbook manuscripts sharing poems have found publishers and will be released concurrently then you’ll probably be fine, but you’ll need to monitor the production timelines closely and make sure that both publishers are aware of the situation and in agreement.

If you have any other questions about the wonderful world of chapbooks and full-length poetry collections, let us know and we’ll try to update this post with the answers (if we have them). And remember, if you have a manuscript of any size that you want editorial feedback on, come see us at Tell Tell Poetry Editing for a manuscript evaluation or overhaul.

Comments (2)

Thank you for this interesting look at the ins and outs of chapbooks and full length poetry collections. Knowing the sometimes unmentioned rules and realising such rules are common, but not set in stone is a relief too, if one has taken their own haphazard path to publication.

This is the information that's eluded me for forty years. Thank you

• Contributors

Chapbooks can be loosely defined as the small, unbound, paper-covered books that were carried and sold by itinerant peddlers known as "chapmen". They were in circulation from the sixteenth century until the early nineteenth century and, although the term 'chapbook' has sometimes been employed as a "conscious archaism" (Carter 62), especially for small-press poetry volumes, it has not been in current use since about 1830. In fact, until Jan Fergus uncovered evidence of its use as early as 1747, it was long believed that the term "chapbook" was a nineteenth century convention and that it was used retrospectively to describe "a form of literature that had by then vanished" (Grenby 278). The term "chapman" derives from the Anglo Saxon ceapman , which is a combination word meaning trade + man, but many scholars have speculated that the prefix "chap" might be a corruption of the word cheap, and therefore refers to the quality of the literature.

One of the problems with attempting to reach a ubiquitous and succinct definition of the chapbook is that the literature itself resists any such effort. Although the chapbook has been defined rather narrowly at different times throughout history, traditionally referring only to those works carried by itinerant peddlers, the term has come to broadly represent a body of work that spans four centuries as well as several distinct and seemingly dissonant literary genres. A great number of chivalric romances, adventure tales, histories, children's books, songbooks, and temperance tracts, which were written at different times and for different audiences—and as a result, differ greatly from one another in terms of content—are often collected under the general rubric of 'chapbook.' This is because they all share one or more characteristics in terms of price, format, tone, production, or distribution. As a genre, the term chapbook "is not without coherence" (Pedersen 103), however, as many critics have suggested, a blanket definition of the term can obscure more than it reveals. For example, Matthew Grenby is sceptical of any definition that attempts to make generalizations across the entirety of chapbook literature. Instead, he suggests that chapbooks typically adhere to strict limitations within one or more of the following four criteria: format, price, distribution, and content.

First, in terms of physical form, chapbooks were small, unbound books that featured the title page printed on the first leaf in lieu of a cover. There were two broad groupings in terms of size. Although most chapbooks measured 3 ½ by 6 inches, beginning in the early eighteenth century, chapbooks marketed towards children could be as small as 2 by 3-½ inches. However, despite these differences in size, both groups typically consisted of twelve or twenty-four pages, and both were made from one or two sheets of paper, folded and stitched, with crude woodcuts alongside the letterpress.

Second the price: at a penny or less the chapbook was a comparatively cheap form of literature. This gave chapbooks a wide appeal among members of the lower classes who could read, but lacked the resources to purchase expensive literature. However, even at the cost of a penny, chapbooks were too expensive for labourers to purchase often, and were seen as somewhat of a luxury. In the mid-sixteenth century, a twopenny chapbook would have been "one fifth to one quarter" of a craftsman's daily wages (Watt 261). By the mid-seventeenth century, when he was making up to 16d., the regular purchase of a twopenny chapbook became more affordable, although this still might have entailed "sacrificing two quarts of strong beer at the alehouse" (watt 262). Furthermore, chapbooks were often passed around, which means that even those at the lowest levels of society, who could never afford to purchase even one chapbook, could nevertheless participate in the 'little tradition' of popular culture.

Third, the method of distribution: chapbooks were carried and sold by "itinerant peddlers" (Grenby 278) known as chapmen, rather than booksellers, which means they were more available than standard publications to those who lived in rural areas and who did not have convenient access to markets.

And finally, the content: chapbooks typically featured non-didactic tales of romance and adventure, and were "often abridged from longer works" (Grenby 278). In the late eighteenth century there were several attempts on the part of evangelical societies to appropriate the chapbook format for didactic purposes. These later works, however, stand in stark contrast to the unruly and amoral chapbooks of previous centuries and should not be considered chapbooks according to a narrow definition of the term.

Although these criteria can be generalized to chapbook literature as a whole, none constitute what could be called a universal rule, and none is without exception. There were gradual shifts, from one century to another, between which of these four elements was emphasized as the defining feature of chapbooks. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the chapbook was defined primarily as any literature distributed by chapmen, but by the 18th century, the "plebeian tone" (Grenby 278) had become a more important precondition. Susan Pedersen suggests that the chapbook "is remarkable precisely for its variety," (Pedersen 99) arguing that the generic diversity of chapbooks is itself a defining feature of the literature. Andrew O'Malley prefers to limit the term to an "expression of plebeian popular culture" (O'Malley 20), in order to maintain a formal generic distinction between "genuine" chapbooks and their imitators. In the late eighteenth century, evangelical publications such as Hannah More's Cheap Repository Tracts (CRT), and the Religious Tract Society (RTS), attempted to use the chapbook format as a vehicle for social reform. Although these would not be considered chapbooks according to O'Malley’s narrow definition, they are often preserved in chapbook collections because they appropriated the style, format, and distribution networks of genuine chapbooks.

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The Edge of Memory

Curations and Creations of R. A. Burd, Jr.

33 Publishers of Poetry Books & Chapbooks

This list was compiled for your convenience but is by no means exhaustive. Please respond in the comments with additional outlets as well as your experience with the various publishers listed here. This list was last updated on February 1, 2022.

Anaphora Literary Press   “Avoid sending query letters without the requirements. When submitting a project for review, always send ALL of the materials by email in a single Microsoft Word attachment. Mailed submissions will not be considered. PDFs and other files that cannot easily be opened and commented on in a modern computer will not be evaluated.”

Blue Light Press   “Blue Light Press is dedicated to the publication of poetry, fiction and flash fiction that is imagistic, inventive, emotionally honest, and pushes the language to a deeper level of insight. We are all poets and artists, and our books are respected for their vision, language and artistic design.”

BrickHouse Books “BrickHouse Books (formerly New Poets Series, Inc.) is Maryland’s oldest continuously operating small press. Founded in 1970, with Clarinda Harriss as its editor since 1973, BrickHouse publishes works of poetry, fiction, drama, or artistic nonfiction. We are always looking for submissions of excellent, fresh, non-trendy, literate, intelligent material in any form or style.”

Cawing Crow Press   “At Cawing Crow Press we are committed to  working with authors from submission through publication, using a collaborative process that is individualized and that takes authors from manuscript to publication in a manner that consistently produces books that are well revised, properly edited, and up to, or better than, current publishing standards.”

Clare Songbirds Publishing House   “Previously published poems, stories, essays, excerpts may be included in your manuscript.  Please provide publication acknowledgements (title of poem/story/essay, where and when published) in the body of your email.  We publish poetry, non-fiction, and short fiction chapbooks (40 pages or less).”

Cooper Dillon Books   Cooper Dillon is a small poetry press committed to upholding the virtues of Poetry as a high art and expression of truth, beauty, and sincerity: the values that make poems timeless. We welcome submissions of full-length & chapbook poetry manuscripts. We have a buy-a-book or $10 reading fee for all manuscripts.

Cyberwit   “Cyberwit will work closely with you in publishing books of fiction and non-fiction, including: novels, short stories, poems, biographies, autobiographies, psychology, religion, history, health, humor etc. We encourage writers from all backgrounds to submit; it is our goal at Cyberwit to develop a rich and varied literary tradition.

Dancing Girl Press  “dgp is happy to accept manuscripts from women poets for publication in our annual chapbook series. We plan to publish a varying number of chapbooks per year chosen from the best of the manuscripts we receive.”

Encircle Publications   “Since 2011 Encircle Publications has offered an annual chapbook contest. The winner each year now receives $250, 25 perfect-bound copies of the winning chapbook (with discount on additional copies), royalties on copies sold, discounted promotional materials (bookmarkers/postcards) and marketing assistance. Our authors hail from all over the U.S. and our chaps have gone on to win additional awards.”

Finishing Line Press   We read general submissions year round. Please include a $3 reading fee with your manuscript. Submit from 16 to 35 pages of poetry, PLUS bio, acknowledgments, SASE and cover letter (you can pay by check or money order) or submit online using our online submissions manager.

Fly on the Wall Press   “Poetry Chapbooks: Up to 32 pages of poetry; Poetry Collections: Up to 70 pages of poetry. No restrictions on individual poem length.  Please note, we cannot read submissions which do not follow our guidelines regarding length or without a 2020 book purchase receipt, thank you.” Update: “Now closed for 2020. Our annual reading period opens in Autumn-Winter. Quick [fee-based] manuscript feedback still available at the bottom of this page. For poetry and short story collection submission window updates, subscribe to our monthly mailing list.”

FutureCycle Press   “We read manuscripts from July through December. All submissions must go through Submittable; emailed submissions are ignored. Before submitting a manuscript, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with our our Guide for Authors to ensure there are no deal-breakers.”

Ginninderra Press   “All Ginninderra Press titles go through an editorial selection and review process; only a small proportion of titles is accepted for publication. We do not accept electronic submissions – hard-copy submissions only are considered. We do not accept manuscripts from writers resident outside Australia.”

Golden Antelope Press   “Do you have a creative book project that you would like us to consider for publication? Here is how to get started. What we ask for at present is an email to this address describing your project or manuscript.  We publish poetry, short stories, novellas, novels, plays, and creative non-fiction.  So tell us what you have and send us a sample.  If we are interested we will contact you and ask to see the full ms (doc or docx is fine) if it complete.  If we are not interested, we will let you know as soon as possible.”

Headmistress Press   Headmistress Press is a small press based in Sequim, Washington. Founded in 2013, the press specializes in poetry by lesbian poets. Notable poets who have published collections with Headmistress include Janice Gould, Joy Ladin, Constance Merritt, and Lesléa Newman.

Hedgehog Poetry Press, The   “We are currently only accepting submissions for single-poet-collections via our competitions or by invitation, although in the future we intend to begin to accept submissions directly.”

In Case of Emergency Press   “We publish a small number of literary works every year: poetry, short stories, scripts, and longer fiction. If you have a manuscript ready, we’d be very happy to read it and assess it. We accept submissions in March and October each year.”

Kattywompus Press  “Submissions are currently closed; check back after spring solstice. We want: CHAPBOOKS: Anything that wants to live on about 30 text pages or less. No genre restriction. FULL LENGTH manuscripts: we consider the first 20 pages; if we like that excerpt, we’ll ask you to send the full manuscript.”

Kelsay Books “Kelsay Books is an independent literary press run by Karen Kelsay, an award winning poet, whose primary focus is to publish beautiful books in a timely manner. Four imprint companies have been established to accommodate a variety of published poets. We accept unsolicited chapbooks and full-length manuscripts year-round.”

Lily Poetry Review   “We are currently accepting general submissions of poetry, art and flash fiction for the review, as well as submission for chapbook and full-length poetry books.”

Louisiana Literature Press “Open reading periods for submissions of full-length or chapbook manuscripts will be announced on this website and through our social media accounts whenever the press is accepting submissions.”

Main Street Rag   “We select manuscripts through contests, through recommendations from authors we’ve published, and through the submission options listed. On average we publish between 60 and 90 poetry collections every year. It is the genre for which we are best known.”

Mayapple Press   “We focus on literature not often celebrated by either the mainstream or the avant-garde. This includes poetry which is both challenging and accessible; women’s writing; the rustbelt/rural culture that stretches from the Hudson Valley to the Great Lakes; the recent immigrant experience; poetry in translation; science fiction poetry.”

Mojave River Press   “MRP looks to publish emerging literary talent of all kinds: poets, fiction/non-fiction writers, and experimental authors. Making books is personal here, and we work closely with our selected authors to reify unique and memorable texts.

Origami Poems Project   “We prefer & encourage original work see Warranty & Disclaimer below) but if previously published, provide details. A microchap is a downloadable, single-page PDF. Folding instructions are under the ‘Who We Are’ tab. Our goal is to share poetry freely but this doesn’t mean every submission is accepted for publication.”

Pski’s Porch   “Here is what we like, generally: poetry that is readable. It can be difficult, it can be weird (we very much like it weird), but it shouldn’t be fashionable. If you adhere to the belief that good poets read lots of contemporary poetry, then we probably won’t like it much. If passion matters just a tad more to you than craft, then we probably will.”

Red Sweater Press   “Red Sweater Press is looking to publish book-length poetry and short story collections, with the goal of producing select works of adult and young adult fiction and memoir in the future. RSP also provides editing services and cover design à la carte, if writers are looking to submit manuscripts to contests or other publishers.”

Silver Birch Press   “Throughout the year, we issue calls for submissions based on themes (e.g., Self-Portrait Poetry Series, Mythic Poetry Series) and choose poems based on literary merit and how well they reflect the particular theme.”

Silver Bow Publishing   “Send only fully-edited, final manuscripts. We report within 3 weeks. Do not use any formatting. Do not use headers or footers. Do not number pages. ​Send a cover letter and bio along with manuscript via email in Word.docx file.”

Turas Press   “Turas Press welcomes submissions of poetry and fiction during the next submissions window. This will be open from February 1st until March 30th, 2020. We are unable to read work sent in outside that window, unfortunately, but we do look forward to seeing your work early in 2020.”

Two Silvias Press   “Two Sylvias Press is an independent press located in the Seattle area. We publish poetry, memoir, essays, books on the craft of writing, and creativity tools, such as The Poet Tarot and The Daily Poet.

Unsolicited Press   “We welcome unagented authors, authors with agents, poets with parakeets. Whatever flavor author you are, we invite you to consider submitting (we have a less than 3% acceptance rate, so be nothing short of magnificent).”

WordTech Editions  “We read for chapbooks in May and June; our reading period for full-length manuscripts is November and December. Deadlines may be extended at our discretion. We will also post calls for manuscripts for specific projects from time to time.”

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10 chapbooks to read now

Why you should be collecting these pocket-sized gems and the answer to your question, “What’s a chapbook?”

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.

19 Top Chapbook Publishers

By Katrina Kwan

Have you written a chapbook and are now looking for publishing companies ?

Below you’ll find a list of 19 top chapbook publishers.

1. Projective Industries

Projective Industries is an independent publishing press founded in 2008 that accepts unsolicited chapbook manuscript submissions every year in the month of June. Submissions can be submitted via email . They’ve published chapbooks like “Into the Forest Engine” by Garth Graeper, “Another Limit” by Linnea Ogden, and “Ecce Animot” by Mary Hickman.

2. Big Game Books

Based out of Washington, DC, Big Game Books is an independent poetry press that was founded by Maureen Thorson in 2006. They’ve published a number of chapbooks, and have since expanded into publishing full-length books, as well. Some of their published titles include “Articulate How” by Catherine Wagner, “Wonderous Things I Have Seen” by Brandon Brown, and “Bivalve Sonnet” by Tom Orange.

Because they’re a very small press, they only publish one to two new titles annually. While they are not currently accepting submissions at this time, you’re strongly encouraged to check back later to see when this status will change. They have specific open query periods where you’re more than welcome to submit your work. They’re eager to publish work that’s original and a little out there. It’s a good idea to review their existing catalogue to make sure that your project would be a good fit before you submit.

3. Cuneiform Press

Cuneiform is a small independent publishing press based out of Austin, Texas, that was founded in 2000. They publish poetry chapbooks, artists’ books, and academic writing about humanities. Some of their chapbooks include titles like “The Books to Come” by Alan Loney, “Sudden Address” by Bill Berkson, and “Hanging Quotes’ by Alastair Johnston.

They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. However, if you’re an author with literary representation, it’s highly advised that you have your literary agent submit a query letter on your behalf. If interested in your project, a member of Cuneiform’s editorial team will reach out to you concerning how to proceed. For general inquiries or more information, you can contact the them through their website’s online contact form .

4. Dancing Girl Press

Based out of Chicago, Illinois, Dancing Girl Press is an independent publishing house founded in 2004 that primarily produces chapbooks, as well as visual art books. Some of their titles include “The Patient Admits” by Avery M. Guess, “We Are Birds” by Emily Blair, and “Something Else Entirely” by Even Kenneally. Dancing Girl Press is especially interested in producing works by female poets who have unique writing voices that will engage and capture readers.

They are currently closed to submissions at this time, but will reopen between June 1 st to August 31 st of 2019. You’re strongly encouraged to review their chapbook submission guidelines to make sure you meet all of their necessary reading requirements. All submissions must be sent via email , as no hardcopy submissions will be considered.

5. Hooke Press

Hooke Press is an independent publishing company that was founded by Neil Alger and Brent Cunningham in 2005. They specialize in publishing chapbook poetry collections about a wide range of topics, but are especially interested in works about the political environment. Some of their titles include “At Sea” by Melissa Benham, “Slats” by Nicole Trigg, and “Mandarin Primer” by Rosmarie Waldrop. Unfortunately, they are not accepting submissions at this time. For general inquiries or more information, you can contact the team at Hooke Press via email .

6. Horse Less Press

Established in 2004, Horse Less Press is an independent literary publishing house based out of Providence, Rhode Island. They specialize in publishing handmade chapbooks and pamphlets, full-length books, and online journal articles. Some of their published chapbook titles include “Aluminum Necropolis” by Nichole Goff, “Blank Blank Blues’ by Anna Gurton-Wachter, and “Girl Tramp” by Cynthia Spencer.

They currently do not have an open call for submissions, but it’s highly recommended that you check back later to see when this status will change. In the meantime, you can browse through their existing catalogue to determine if your chapbook would be a good fit with Horse Less Press.

7. Kenning Editions

Founded in 1998, Kenning Editions is a small independent publishing company based out of Berkeley, California, that publishes works of poetry collections (chapbooks), and full-length trade paperbacks. Some of their titles include “Artifact of Hope” by Carla Harryman, “Double Rainbow” by Brandon Brown, and “Left Having” by Jesse Seldess. They are unfortunately not accepting submissions at this time. For more information or general inquiries, you can contact the team at Kenning Editions via their online contact form .

8. Letter Machine Editions

Based out of Seattle, Washington, Letter Machine Editions is an independent publishing house that was founded in 2007 that produces books and chapbooks. Several of their titles have gone on to win awards like the LA Times Book Prize , prizes from the Poetry Society of America , and the Arab American Book Awards . Some of their most recent titles include “Sergei Kuzmich From All Sides” by Jessica Laser, “All That Beauty” by Fred Moten, and “Bijoux in the Dark” by John Yau.

They currently have no open calls for submissions, but strongly urge you to check back later to see when this status changes. Since they’re a small publishing company, they only publish one to two titles per year, so the competition is very high. For general inquiries or more information, you can contact the team at Letter Machine Editions via email .

9. Litmus Press

Litmus Press was established in 2001 as a non-profit literary organization that publishes works from poets, writers, translators, and artists in order to promote open and mature discussion about everything from privilege to politics to feminism. They publish a wide range of chapbooks, including titles like “Well Well Reality” by Rosmarie & Keith Waldrop, “Restless Continent” by Aja Couchois Duncan, and “Towards the Primeval Lightning Field” by Will Alexander.

They currently are not open to submissions, but encourage you to check back at a later date when they reopen. Fore general inquiries or more information, you can contact the team at Litmus Press via email .

10. Noemi Press

Based and operating out of Blacksburg, Virginia, Noemi Press is an independent literary arts organization that was founded in 2002 whose aim is to promote emerging and established authors and artists. They’ve published many chapbooks, including “The Nightyard” by Stephanie Anderson, “Lost Privilege Company or the book of listening” by the Blunt Research Group, and “Notes from the Committee” by Catherine Kasper.

They are currently hosting a chapbook submissions contest and will be accepting entries until May 1 st , 2019. Be sure to review their submission guidelines before proceeding. All submissions can be made on their online submissions form . They are currently on the lookout for poetry and prose. Contest winners will be announced in summer of 2019.

11. Argos Books

Argos Books is a micro-publishing press that was founded in 2010. The publish works of poetry in the form of chapbooks, and are especially interested in works by women, and writers who identify as queer, trans, and nonbinary. Through their publishing efforts, they hope to expose the world of readers to new and unique perspectives about varying topics, and are especially interested in issues pertaining to ability and disability, cross-cultural communication, and overall understanding of the planet we live on.

They are unfortunately not accepting submissions at this time, but you’re encouraged to check back at a later date when this status may change. While you wait, you’re encouraged to browse through their existing catalogue to see if your project would be a good fit with Argos Books. For general inquiries or more information, you can contact the team at Argos Books via email .

12. Octopus Books

Established in 2006, Octopus Books is a small poetry press based out of Portland, Oregon. They’ve published chapbooks like “Things That Go” by Laura Eve Engel, “Noontimes Won” by Tristan Tzara, and “Serenade” by Brooke Ellsworth. Since they’re a small press, they only publish up to four new poetry collections every year. They host an open reading period every April. If you’re interested in working with Octopus Books, you can submit your full-length poetry manuscript in April through their online submissions form .

13. Omnidawn

Omnidawn Publishing is a media publishing company that not only publishes chapbooks and poetry collections, but is also a video production company specializing in short films. Established in 2001, Omnidawn’s published titles have been featured in Publishers Weekly, Boston Review, American Book Review, and the Electronic Poetry Review . Some of their chapbooks include “The Man Who Lost His Head” by Zach Savich, “To Be Read in the Dark” By Maxine Chernoff, and “Sham City” by Evan Harrison.

They are currently hosting poetry and fiction contests. Be sure to review their submission guidelines to learn about submission deadlines. Their current contest is open between January 1 st to February 19 th , 2019. They’re also hosting a poetry chapbook contest coming up between May 1 st to June 17 th , 2019. All submissions should be sent via email . For general inquiries or more information, you can contact the team at Omnidawn via email .

14. Pavement Saw Press

Pavement Saw Press was founded in 1993, and in 1999, they began publishing four full-length poetry collections on an annual basis. They love to work with emerging talent and specialize in publishing chapbooks. Some of their most well-known chapbooks include “Wherever You Want” by Douglas Goetsch, “Their Shadows are Dark Daughters” by Naton Leslie, and “Permutations of the Gallery” by Joshua McKinney. While they are not actively seeking new submissions, you can still send a query letter to their editor via email with a chapbook proposal. If interested, a member of the Pavement Saw Press team will reach out to you with instructions on how to proceed.

15. Phylum Press

Phlyum Press is an independent publishing company based out of Hamden, Connecticut that specializes in chapbooks and pamphlets. They’ve published works like “language of Dog-Heads” by Cathy Eisenhower, “Amulet | Anatomy” by Roberto Tejada, and “Tulips” by Charles North and Trevor Winkfield. They are unfortunately unable to consider unsolicited manuscripts. If you’re an author with literary representation, it’s highly recommended that you have your literary agent submit a query letter or book proposal on your behalf. For general inquiries or more information, you can reach the team at Phylum Press via email .

16. Belladonna*

Founded in 1999 by Rachel Levitsky in New York, Belladonna* is a small publishing press whose primary goal is to publish and promote the work of women and feminist writers. They primarily publish chapbooks that focus on third-wave feminist topics. Some stories that they’ve featured in their chaplets include works like “Songbook for a Boy Inside” by Laura Buccieri, “Mirroring” by Montana Ray, and “Night Landing by Serena J. Fox.

They have just finished publishing their latest chapbook series for 2018 and will reopen again for submission come Spring of 2019. You’re strongly encouraged to check back at a later date to see when they’ve reopened. For more information or general inquiries, you can contact the team at Belladonna* via email .

17. Tarpaulin Sky Press

Founded in 2006, Tarpaulin Sky Press is a literary publishing company that’s focused on publishing cross-genre/hybrid forms of poetry and prose that offer unique perspectives and interesting stories. Their published works have been featured in Publishers Weekly, Huffington Post, LA Review of Books, and NPR Books . Some of their chapbooks include “Intersex” by Aaron Apps, “[One Love Affair*]” by Jenny Boully, and “Stars of the Night Commute” by Ana Bozicevic.

Their open call for submissions in 2019 is unfortunately now closed , but they strongly encourage you to subscribe to their newsletter for the latest updates and notifications about submissions. In the meantime, it’s highly recommended that you browse through their existing catalogue of titles to see if your project would be a good fit with Tarpaulin Sky Press. For general inquiries or more information about the publishing company, you can contact the editorial team via email .

18. Ugly Duckling Presse

Based out of Brooklyn, New York, Ugly Duckling Presse is a nonprofit publisher that was founded in 2006. They publish works of poetry, translation, experimental nonfiction, performance texts, and artists’ books. Some of their newest releases include “Diary” by Liliana Ponce, “Language is a Revolver for Two” by Mario Montalbetti, and “North Was Here” by Ellie Ga.

They are currently accepting submissions via regular mail. Before you send your chapbook manuscript for consideration, you should send a quick query letter via email so the editorial team can determine if your project is a good fit with the publishing company.

19. BatCat Press

Founded in 2009 by Deanna Baringer, BatCat Press is an independent publisher who strives to publish works by both emerging and established writers. They have an annual open reading period between June 1 st to August 31 st where they consider manuscripts for publication. Some of their titles include “Mole People” by Heather Cox, “When You’re Down by the River” by Christopher Lowe, and “Canyons” by Jessica Poli. They publish everything from poetry chapbooks, to nonfiction, to general fiction.

They invite you to submit your manuscript during their open reading period through their online submissions form . For general inquiries, you’re encouraged to contact the team at BatCat via email . They accept manuscripts in all formats and genres, as they’re searching for something truly special and never-before experienced.

Have you had work published by one of the above chapbook publishers? Please share your experiences in the comments box below!

K. Z. Kwan is a freelance writer based out of Halifax, Canada.

5 Awesome Chapbook Presses

Chapbooks rule. These small collections of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry are often a great first publication for up-and-coming writers. They can also be a wonderful way to enjoy work by one of your favorite authors, bound in a new form. Whether you’re looking for a contest to submit your short manuscript to, or simply a fun new book that will fit in your purse or pocket, here is a list of some of our favorite chapbook presses.

Rose Metal Press is, in its own words, “an independent press dedicated to the publication of hybrid genres.” While they also publish longer works (they have a pretty awesome Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction ) they host a great annual Short Short Chapbook Contest. We were happy to review the winner of the ninth contest, Ghost Box Evolution in Cadillac, Michigan by Rosie Forrest. The judge for this fall’s contest is Amelia Gray, so get those manuscripts ready!

Like Rose Metal Press, Black Lawrence Press publishes both chapbooks and longer-form manuscripts, and they welcome submissions during their open reading periods . They also host two competitions for fiction and poetry chapbooks a year, one in the fall and one in the spring. They published Masters Review author Blake Kimzey’s kickass chapbook Families Among Us .

Madras Press publishes short stories as well as novella-length booklets from the likes of Kelly Link, Kevin Brockmeier, and Aimee Bender. Let us tell you: these books are beautiful. Each author chooses a charity for the proceeds of the sales to be donated to.

RopeWalk Press is run through the University of Southern Indiana and hosts an annual chapbook contest. Past winners include the likes of David James Poissant.

Bull City is an awesome micropress based in Durham, NC. Along with publishing a quarterly magazine and poetry chapbooks (check out the Frost Place Chapbook Competition ) they have been publishing fiction and nonfiction chapbooks since 2015, when they partnered with Origami Zoo Press .

by Sadye Teiser

Fourth of July Story Prompts

New voices: "at the dog park" by yasmina madden.

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Your current subscription allows you to be actively logged in on up to three (3) devices simultaneously. click on continue below to log out of other sessions and log in on this device., 9 standout early readers and chapter books | slj 2024 stars so far.

These diverse offerings include stories featuring STEM, mythology, gentle lessons, and more.

AVANT-GARDE, Zaila Words Are Magic! illus. by Felicia Whaley. Random. PreS-Gr 1 –“Words are magic! Have you heard? Pick a letter. Make a word!” This book is sure to entertain and educate families and other library patrons.

BATES, Janet Costa. A Week of Shenanigans . illus. by Gladys Jose. Candlewick. Gr 2-4 –A delightful book full of funny moments, great relationships, and learning opportunities for two best friends.

DAVID, Arihhonni. The Good Game . Holiday House. K-Gr 2 –A clever and charming early reader with a fun out-of-the-blue turn of events and just a few words per page, this is an ideal story for burgeoning readers and a welcome book for any collection.

EZOMOGHENE, Sophia. The Trickster in the Vase . illus. by Sanjay Charlton. Reycraft. Gr 1-4 –A great start to a series featuring Nigerian culture and mythology with characters that are very relatable to young readers.

FERNANDEZ, Caroline. Asha and Baz Meet Katia Krafft . illus. by Dharmali Patel. Common Deer. Gr 1-3 –A charming STEM chapter book introducing young readers to inspiring real-life science, scientists, and history. Highly recommended—and if you don’t have the series yet, purchase the collection.

HENRY, Steve. Friends Are Fun . Holiday House. PreS-Gr 1 –This vibrant, colorful book teaches children to share and work as a team and is perfect for those beginning to read.

IWAI, Melissa. Gigi and Ojiji: Perfect Paper Cranes . HarperCollins. PreS-Gr 2 –A cheery, gentle lesson on the importance of “practice makes perfect.”

LEWIS, Cicely. Imani Picks Up the Pieces . illus. by Anastasia Magloire Williams. Lerner. Gr 1-3 –Vivid illustrations paired with a relatable story make the latest from the uplifting “Hair Magic” series a must-have for any library.

TABOR, Corey R. Fox Versus Fox . HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. PreS-Gr 2 –It’s rare to find an early transitional reader with a captivating plot, humor, and illustrations that also maintains an easy reading level, but this title does all of that and more.

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What Is Project 2025, and Why Is Trump Disavowing It?

The Biden campaign has attacked Donald J. Trump’s ties to the conservative policy plan that would amass power in the executive branch, though it is not his official platform.

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By Simon J. Levien

Donald J. Trump has gone to great lengths to distance himself from Project 2025, a set of conservative policy proposals for a future Republican administration that has outraged Democrats. He has claimed he knows nothing about it or the people involved in creating it.

Mr. Trump himself was not behind the project. But some of his allies were.

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Here is what to know about Project 2025, and who is behind it.

What is Project 2025?

Project 2025 was spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation and like-minded conservative groups before Mr. Trump officially entered the 2024 race. The Heritage Foundation is a think tank that has shaped the personnel and policies of Republican administrations since the Reagan presidency.

The project was intended as a buffet of options for the Trump administration or any other Republican presidency. It’s the latest installment in the Heritage Foundation’s Mandate for Leadership series, which has compiled conservative policy proposals every few years since 1981. But no previous study has been as sweeping in its recommendations — or as widely discussed.

Kevin Roberts, the head of the Heritage Foundation, which began putting together the latest document in 2022, said he thought the American government would embrace a more conservative era, one that he hoped Republicans would usher in.

“We are in the process of the second American Revolution,” Mr. Roberts said on Real America’s Voice, a right-wing cable channel, in early July, adding pointedly that the revolt “will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

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Chapter 10: New Resinotype

• Published: 15 Jul 2024
• Product Type: Popular Science
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Lo-Fi Photography Art from Do-It-Yourself Chemistry and Physics , Royal Society of Chemistry, 2024, ch. 10, pp. 141-177.

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We present, for the first time in print, what we call “new resinotype”—a dry-pigment photographic printing process, with the pigments selectively bound to a thin layer of UV polymer resin that has been selectively exposed to ultraviolet light. Even though the resin is cured enough to have solidified, pigment may stick to it selectively, in direct relation to the exposure to light. A continuous-tone image thus appears. Dark pigment on a light background makes a positive image, while light pigment on a dark background makes a negative image. Multiple layers may be combined to produce a full-color image. The process is suitable for both direct photograms and prints from either in-camera film negatives or digitally printed transparencies.

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