Woodneath Press

Call for Submissions

Woodneath Press, a publishing imprint of The Story Center at Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL), is accepting submissions for full-length, single-authored manuscripts.

This project supports Woodneath Press’ model that focuses on bringing local voices to the residents of MCPL’s service area and connecting the authors to the community through their books. We will be prioritizing promotion within the library system and dedicating library resources to encourage increased engagement and circulation of this book within the collection. Authors will be asked to participate in author events within the community branches upon publication.

Round 1: Submission materials including a query letter and sample chapters will be accepted through Submittable beginning August 29th.
Submissions close September 15th at 11:59pm CDT.

Round 2: If you are selected for the second round of submissions, a request for the entire manuscript will be sent to you by October 18th with a deadline of November 1st.

Submission Guidelines

Authors must be library cardholders at MCPL or a reciprocal library system and reside in those service areas. They must also be willing to participate in author events at select MCPL branches.
There are no subject restrictions, but manuscripts should be narrative driven.
Manuscripts should be 60,000-100,000 words.
We are not accepting poetry, short story collections, or children’s books at this time.
Woodneath Press does not accept works that have been previously published.
We encourage graduates of the Storytelling Certificate Program to submit.

Anticipated Timeline

The projected publication date for this project is November 2025. There will be a book launch event at The Story Center on the date of publication. Author events will take place one program per month from December 2025-February 2026 at select MCPL branches for a total of three programs.

Submit Your Work

Browse Woodneath Press titles

Library-as-Publisher: A Unique Model

Woodneath Press is the publishing imprint of Mid-Continent Public Library’s Story Center which focuses on local authors and local content. Woodneath Press operates as a library-as-publisher model, allowing authors to work directly with a nationally-renowned library system during the publishing process. In addition to working with our award-winning publishing team, this unique opportunity provides the authors:

inclusion in the Library's collection
book group opportunities throughout the Library's 32 branches spanning 3 counties
book launch at Woodneath Library Center
programmatic opportunities with the Library system and partner organizations
access to SquareOne Small Business professionals and expertise
national and international distribution via our partner organizations
opportunity to work with a graphic designer to develop the book cover

Mission

The mission of Woodneath Press is to publish quality work in a variety of genres created by authors a) in the greater Kansas City area or b) about the greater Kansas City area. Submission preference is given to participants (past or present) in The Storytelling Certificate Program.

Editing

Due to our unique library-as-publisher structure, Woodneath Press follows an independent publishing model as opposed to a traditional publishing model. As such, Woodneath Press does not provide in-house editing. We do, however, have a growing database of freelance editors and other fee-based services on our website listed under Local Author Resources*.

*Mid-Continent Public Library nor The Story Center specifically endorses any of the individuals and/or resources provided.

Author Eligibility

In order to be considered for publication with Woodneath Press, at least one of two geographic criteria must be met. Either:

Local Author: The author must reside in one of MCPL’s reciprocal public library systems.
Local Content: If the author resides outside of this, Woodneath Press would consider submissions regarding content within the Kansas City metro area.

Woodneath Press does not accept submissions for work previously published through a traditional publisher. Woodneath Press does accept submissions for previously self-published works.

Note: Individuals currently employed by the Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) are not eligible to be published by the Woodneath Press imprint due to conflicts of interest. Former MCPL employees are eligible to be considered for publication by the Woodneath Press imprint one year after employment with MCPL has ended, provided they meet all other eligibility criteria as listed above. Current and former MCPL employees may still use the Story Center printing services which is not considered publication by the Woodneath Press imprint.

Manuscript Submission

Submissions Closed.

For further questions please contact scpublicationmanager@mymcpl.org.

Woodneath Press Editorial Board Review Questions

Manuscript

Note examples of grammatical or spelling errors within the manuscript if applicable.
Is the story/narrative cohesive and easy to follow? Please explain your answer.
Does the story contain relatable, well-rounded characters (fiction)? Please explain your answer.
Are the facts substantiated (nonfiction)? Please explain your answer.
Summarize the major plot points in 1-2 sentences.
Additional Notes (not required)

Marketing

How does the book lend itself to Mid-Continent Public Library and Story Center programming?
Identify the genre and audience. Is this a broad or narrow/niche audience?
How does the book represent the community and/or how can the community relate to the narrative?
Is the book title intriguing, interesting, catchy, etc.? How does the title represent or capture the narrative?
Is the book title misleading or misrepresentative of the content? What suggestions would you recommend?
Does the synopsis explain the book well/accurately? Please explain your answer.
Additional Notes (not required)

Mission

Does the project represent the values of Mid-Continent Public Library and The Story Center?
Does the book fall within Mid-Continent Public Library's collection development guidelines?
Additional Notes (not required)