Duotrope
Duotrope is a bootstrapped subscription platform providing writers and artists a searchable database of 7,700+ publishers and agents, personal submission tracking, and response-time statistics. Its companion service Duosuma offers publishers usage-based submission management tools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersAlbuquerque, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Duotrope does
Duotrope is a bootstrapped, subscription-based online platform serving freelance fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual-art writers and artists. Its core product is a curated, searchable database of approximately 7,773 active English-language publishers and literary agents across more than 40 countries, augmented by a personal submission tracker, a theme and deadline calendar, and statistical reports compiled from over 2.8 million user-submitted responses gathered over 20 years. A proprietary outlier-detection algorithm cleans these statistical reports to surface accurate acceptance rates and response times, which writers use to prioritize submissions.
The platform is complemented by Duosuma, a submission manager launched in August 2020 on Duotrope's 15th anniversary. Duosuma is a two-sided product: submitters use it free (with a Duotrope account) while publishers and literary agents pay usage-based fees ($0.09 per submission base, with volume tiers down to $0.015 at 10,000+ submissions and a $0.10 commission on fee-required submissions). The combined platform processes the entire submission workflow from market research to response tracking on a single integrated stack, with payment processing handled exclusively through Stripe.
Duotrope is privately held by Duotrope LLC, a New Mexico–domiciled entity that has operated without outside investment since its 2005 founding, funded initially by a single $29.95 payment. The company runs a 1-10 person team ("the Duotroopers") of published writers and former editors, monetizes primarily through individual subscriptions ($6/month or $60/year, available in USD/AUD/GBP/CAD/EUR/INR/NZD), gift certificates ($6–$120), and discounted group memberships (25-50% off), and recently announced the first subscription price increase since 2013 for May 2026. Distribution is product-led and self-serve through duotrope.com, supplemented by word-of-mouth, content marketing, SEO, an email newsletter, social media (Bluesky, X, Facebook, Threads), and contest co-sponsorships.
Duotrope firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Duotrope
- Legal name
- Duotrope LLC
- Website
- https://duotrope.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Duotrope is a bootstrapped subscription platform providing writers and artists a searchable database of 7,700+ publishers and agents, personal submission tracking, and response-time statistics. Its companion service Duosuma offers publishers usage-based submission management tools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Duotrope industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Writing Resource Platform
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services) (MPAJAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Self-Publishing Platforms (KDP-style Marketplaces & Portals) (MPAJAJAA)
Keywords
Where Duotrope is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Albuquerque
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Duotrope business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Individual Subscriptions: Monthly or annual subscription for writers and artists to access the database of publishers and agents, submission tracker, statistics, and other features. Monthly: $6 USD, Annual: $60 USD. Available in multiple currencies (AUD, GBP, CAD, EUR, INR, NZD).
- Duosuma Submission Manager: Usage-based fees for publishers and agents using Duosuma to manage submissions. Rate of $0.09 per submission with volume tiers down to $0.015 for 10,000+ submissions. Takes 10 cent commission on fee-required submissions but no commission on tips.
- Gift Certificates: Pre-paid gift certificates available from $6 (one month) to $120 (two years). Provide same features as subscriptions without recurring billing.
- Group Memberships: Discounted group access for writing groups, classes, and organizations with 25-50% discounts for bulk purchases
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Individual Monthly Subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Annual Subscription |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Certificates |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Duosuma Usage-Based (Publishers/Agents) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Duosuma Free Trial |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Duotrope product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Duotrope operates a subscription-based writers' resource platform offering a searchable database of 7,773+ fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art publishers and literary agents, alongside a personal submission tracker, theme and deadline calendar, and statistical reports compiled from millions of data points. The company also operates Duosuma, a companion submission manager platform that enables publishers and agents to receive, manage, and respond to writer submissions on a usage-based pricing model.
Product overview
Duotrope operates as a unified platform comprising two complementary products: Duotrope (the core writers' resource) and Duosuma (the submission manager). Duotrope is the primary subscription-based service providing searchable publisher and agent listings, submission tracking, theme/deadline calendars, and industry statistics. Duosuma is the companion submission manager platform that enables publishers and literary agents to accept, manage, and respond to submissions through an online portal. Together, they serve the complete submission workflow for writers and publishers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Duosuma: Duotrope's Submission Manager platform that helps publishing projects and literary agents receive and manage their submissions quickly, easily, and affordably.
Products and services
- Duotrope Subscription Service A subscription-based writers' and artists' resource providing a searchable database of 7,773+ active fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art publishers and literary agents, a theme and deadline calendar with 39,418 entries, a personal submission tracker, statistical reports compiled from millions of data points, and over 2,475 interviews with editors and agents. Sold to individual writers and artists via monthly ($6) or annual ($60) subscriptions with a 10-day free trial.
- Duosuma Submission Manager An online submission manager platform for publishers, literary journals, and literary agents to receive, manage, and respond to writer submissions. Free for submitters with a free Duotrope account; publishers/agents pay usage-based fees of $0.09 per submission with volume discounts down to $0.015 at 10,000+ submissions. Stripe integration for collecting submission fees and tips across multiple currencies.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4,749 submissions reported in past 7 days
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Duotrope
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Duotrope technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature5 records
Duotrope partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Winning WritersminorDuotrope co-sponsored the 23rd Annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. Awarded each winner a two-year gift certificate valued at $100 as part of the sponsorship.
- CLMP (Community of Literary Magazines and Presses)minorActive CLMP members receive a 20% discount on Duosuma fees. The discount applies to volume tiers but does not stack with other discounts. Duotrope is proud to be an active CLMP member.
- StripecoreStripe is the payment processor used by Duosuma for collecting submission fees and tips. Publishers and agents must go through a one-time Stripe onboarding to charge fees. Supports currencies including EUR, GBP, USD, CAD, AUD, and NZD.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Duotrope competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Reedsy: A broad marketplace and education platform for writers offering services (editing, design, marketing) and discovery tools, overlapping with Duotrope's writer-resource and publisher-discovery positioning.
- Publishers Marketplace: A long-established subscription service for the publishing industry offering deal listings, agent/publisher directories, and rights transaction tracking — overlapping Duotrope's directory function at a broader industry level.
- Poets & Writers: A long-running nonprofit literary organization providing databases of publishers, agents, contests, and MFA programs, partially overlapping Duotrope's listings for poets and literary writers.
Direct peers
- The Submission Grinder (Diabolical Plots): A free submission tracker and market database focused on speculative fiction, poetry, and nonfiction — directly comparable to Duotrope's core offering but free and narrower in genre coverage.
- NewPages.com: An independent directory of literary magazines, publishers, and writing contests, comparable to Duotrope's listing database though less feature-rich on tracking and statistics.
- Submittable: A leading submission management platform for publishers and agents, directly comparable to Duosuma. Submittable also exposes listings to submitters, overlapping with Duotrope's writer-facing discovery layer.
- Manuscript Wishlist (MSWL): A discovery platform for writers to find literary agents and editors based on stated manuscript preferences, comparable to Duotrope's literary agent listings.
- QueryTracker: A subscription-based database and tracking tool for literary agents and publishers, directly comparable to Duotrope's literary agent listings and submission tracker.
Regional players
- Duolit (now part of Submittable ecosystem) / Lit Hub: Lit Hub is a literary news and discovery site with curated content on books, writers, and publishing; thematically adjacent to Duotrope's writer audience with some overlap in community and discovery value.
Emerging players
- Chill Subs: An emerging submission tracker and discovery tool for writers, partially overlapping Duotrope's listing and tracking features with a more modern UI.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Duotrope social profiles
Digital presenceDuotrope financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Duotrope leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Duotrope subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Duotrope funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Duotrope M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Duotrope
What does Duotrope do?
Duotrope operates a subscription-based writers' resource platform offering a searchable database of 7,773+ fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art publishers and literary agents, alongside a personal submission tracker, theme and deadline calendar, and statistical reports compiled from millions of data points. The company also operates Duosuma, a companion submission manager platform that enables publishers and agents to receive, manage, and respond to writer submissions on a usage-based pricing model.
Is Duotrope a public or private company?
Duotrope is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Duotrope founded?
Duotrope was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Duotrope based?
Duotrope is headquartered in Albuquerque, United States, in the North America region.
How does Duotrope make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are duosuma Submission Manager, gift Certificates and group Memberships.
Who are Duotrope's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Reedsy, Publishers Marketplace and Poets & Writers. Direct peers are The Submission Grinder (Diabolical Plots), NewPages.com, Submittable, Manuscript Wishlist (MSWL) and QueryTracker. Duolit (now part of Submittable ecosystem) / Lit Hub is listed as a regional player. Chill Subs is listed as an emerging player.
Does Duotrope have an API?
No public API is recorded for Duotrope.
What industry is Duotrope in?
Duotrope's product category is Creative Writing Resource Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAJAB, Author Service Marketplaces & Aggregators (Vetting, Bundled Services), with a secondary code of MPAJAJAA, Self-Publishing Platforms (KDP-style Marketplaces & Portals). Its NAICS code is 5132.