J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are hardly the only two Christian authors who loved and crafted fantastical tales. However, for decades, there has been a hard split between the secular or general fiction market, which reaches fans of sci-fi, fantasy, and other popular genres, and the Christian fiction market, which mainly features modern-day romance.
Finally, supply is catching up to demand as small publishers begin to seek speculative fiction by Christian authors or with Christian themes. There’s no easy definition for this genre, but it can include some or all of the following features:
- Books by Christian authors whose worldview informs their writing
- Books that emphasize Christian themes such as faith, redemption, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, and more
- Books that feature Christianity and Christian characters
- “Clean” books that exclude profanity, sexual content, and gratuitous violence (PG-13 rating or less)
- The press is owned or run by Christians, so they are inviting to others of their worldview, but do not necessarily require any of the above elements.
More and more readers are seeking this type of content, but these publishing houses also serve as a beacon for authors who may hesitate to publish with a secular company that disagrees with their beliefs, but have difficulty finding interest for their manuscript within traditional Christian publishing circles.
If you’re a nerdy Christian writer, there’s hope! Check out some of the great publishers below!
Best Overall
Enclave Publishing
Publishes: sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian, military sci-fi, space opera, steampunk, supernatural, and YA
Audience: YA and adult
Do you need an agent? NO
Submission Guidelines
Standout Works:
Best Large Publisher
TNZ Fiction
(Imprint of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, now under the umbrella Harper Collins Christian Publishing)
Publishes: mainly romance and contemporary fiction, but they have published most of Steven Lawhead’s work, plus a growing collection of clean YA fantasy.
Audience: YA and adult
They do NOT accept unsolicited manuscripts.
Submission Guidelines
Standout Works:
Best Mid-Size Publisher
Bethany House (Imprint of Baker Publishing Group)
Publishes: both fiction and nonfiction, mostly Amish and romance fiction. But they have also published about 45 fantasy, supernatural, and sci-fi titles – more than some smaller presses on this list.
Audience: YA and adult
They do NOT accept unsolicited manuscripts.
Submission Guidelines
Standout Works:
NOTE: according to this recent article, Baker Publishing Group is seeking less SFF due to low sales, but their head of acquisitions hopes that will change in the future.
Best Small Presses
Expanse Books (Imprint of Scrivenings Press)
Publishes: fantasy, sci-fi, fairy tales, dystopian, magical realism, urban fantasy
Audience: young adult, adult
(for middle grade, check out their imprint ScrivKids)
Do you need an agent? NO
Submission Guidelines
Standout Works:
Brimstone Fiction
Publishes: fantasy, sci-fi, video game, magical realism
Audience: young adult, adult
Submission Guidelines: website currently under maintenance as they restructure their company to include Brimstone Books and Media and Brimstone Fire.
Standout Works:
Quill & Flame Publishers – Obsidian Imprint
Publishes: spine-tingling science fiction, horror, and fantasy that redeems the dark – they have recently expanded with Obsidian, an imprint that does not require romance!
Audience: young adult, adult
Do you need an agent? NO – next open submissions window July 2025
Submission Guidelines
Standout Works:
Best Middle Grade and Young Adult
Monster Ivy Publishing
Publishes: fantasy, dystopian, thriller, horror, sci-fi, romance, paranormal
Audience: middle grade, YA
Do you need an agent? NO
Open for submissions ONLY during the month of June each year
Submission Guidelines
Standout Works:
Mountain Brook Fire (Imprint of Mountain Brook Ink)
Publishes: fantasy, fairy tales, futuristic, superhero, supernatural
Audience: middle grade, YA, adult
Do you need an agent? NO
Submission Guidelines
Standout Works:
Best Short Fiction
Mysterion Magazine (Enigmatic Mirror Press)
Publishes: sci-fi, fantasy, and horror short stories under 9000 words (preferably under 5K words)
Biannual submissions windows: July and January
Submission Guidelines
Go Havok (Havok Publishing)
Publishes: mystery, science fiction, comedy, thriller, and fantasy between 300 – 1,000 words
Submit ONLY if your story fits their daily genres and seasonal themes. Check their site for seasonal deadlines.
Submission Guidelines
Honorable Mentions
These presses are smaller and have only published a few authors each, but they look promising and are absolutely worth keeping an eye on in the future!
All logos and cover art are the exclusive intellectual property of their respective publishing houses.
*DISCLAIMER* Some other Christian publishing houses do publish speculative fiction under their “general fiction” category. This article highlights publishers whose MAIN focus is speculative fiction, who have an imprint dedicated to SFF, or whose fiction category includes a large collection of successful SFF.
Also, everyone has a different definition of what constitutes Christianity. We make no effort to define any individual’s faith or any company’s stance. Carefully research any company statements and look up the owners and managing editors if their faith is important to you.
Hi, I’m Caylah Coffeen, a freelance editor and marketer of sci-fi and fantasy books. I love reading and writing and am a follower of Jesus Christ.
I’ve worked for Monster Ivy Publishing and Eschler Editing, and am currently a weekly editor with Havok Publishing. Reach out to chat about books and publishing!
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