The press was founded in 2004 by
Kazim Ali and Jennifer Chapis. In 2007,
Stephen Motika became publisher. Nightboat Books publishes manuscripts accepted through general submission and annually awards a $1,000 prize and publication for a book of poems. Nightboat Books are distributed by
Consortium Book Sales and Distribution. The press has received support from the
National Endowment for the Arts, the
New York State Council on the Arts, the
Jerome Foundation, the Fund for Poetry, and the Topanga Fund. Notable authors published by Nightboat Books include
Dawn Lundy Martin,
Joanne Kyger,
Cole Swensen,
Daniel Borzutzky,
Wayne Koestenbaum,
Etel Adnan, and
Fanny Howe.
Brian Blanchfield's book
A Several World was the 2014 recipient of the
James Laughlin Award and was long-listed for the 2014
National Book Award. Brandon Som's publication,
The Tribute Horse, won the
Kate Tufts Discovery Award for a debut book of poetry and was selected as a finalist for the 2015
PEN Center USA Literary Award for poetry. In 2013, Nightboat published
Troubling the Line: Trans and Genderqueer Poetry and Poetics, the first comprehensive poetry collection by trans and genderqueer authors, which went on to be a finalist for the 2014
Lambda Literary Award in LGBT Anthologies. == Notable books ==