Monitor Books is a publication platform for poetry, etc., founded in 2019. We publish necessary, idiosyncratic writing in bespoke editions.

Submissions

Submissions are currently closed, but will open throughout February 2026. In this window we are looking to read pamphlets or short-form works, and we are particularly interested in poetry, creative-critical prose, and works for performance.

Please upload a manuscript and short cover letter via this website when submissions open. Works-in-progress are fine and even encouraged – we expect an involved editorial process – but try to give a sense of anticipated developments in the cover letter.

Monitor publishes writing in English, although we are also interested in translated projects. Submissions are open to writers based anywhere, but the press is based in the UK and we would expect to organise readings or launch events here.

The terms ‘pamphlet’ and ‘short-form’ can be tricky, and some of the titles in the Monitor series fall between categories. Familiarising yourself with the titles we publish will give a sense of the kind of projects we might be interested in.

The work will be read by the editors of the press plus a select panel which will be announced in January, when we will also provide more detailed guidance on the submissions process. We expect to publish works selected during this call from autumn 2026.

Please check back here for more information in the new year. We are looking forward to reading your work.

Who

Monitor is edited by Rory Cook and Rachael Allen. Designers and collaborators include Alan Fielden, Rich James, Joseph Haigh, Joe Hales, John Newton, and S.S. Whetton. Website photographs are by Liam Chilton.

Monitor began as a programme of occasional live events in Manchester entitled Murmur Reading Series. Monitor now runs ‘Feature’, a series inviting interactions between art, poetry, music. ‘Feature’ is organised by Rory Cook and Alan Fielden, and will recommence.

Donations

Monitor is an unfunded press and buying books supports the work we do. If you are able to make a donation, you can do so here.

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Monitor commits to adhering to the Palestinian international call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) and to complying with the underlying guidelines for the Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

Distribution

Monitor titles are represented by Public Knowledge Books – an online store, a physical shop in London, and a worldwide distributor. Get in touch with them for wholesale orders: sales@publicknowledgebooks.com.