February 18, 2012

Submissions

General Submissions: Genre and Formats

We are closed to new unsolicited without an agent submissions at this time.


New unsolicited submissions received while Falstaff is closed to new unsolicited submissions will be deleted upon receipt unread and not have a response of any sort.

 


What we are looking for: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Romance, Weird West, and, of course, misfit toys. Our Falstaff Crush line specializes in romance but should include elements of the other genres as well. Our Falstaff Dred line specializes in horror but should include elements of the other genres as well. No Young Adult, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, or Picture Books please. We are not set up to market to these audiences. Also no Erotica; though we do accept work that has erotic elements, they can’t be the focus of the story/narrative itself—even in the Falstaff Crush line.

Novels — Falstaff Books prefers novel-length submissions in the range of 60,000 to 110,000 words. Please submit the first three chapters with your cover letter for consideration. Include in your cover letter if your work is a standalone novel or part of a larger series.

Novellas — Falstaff Books considers novellas in the 30,000 to 40,000 words across various genres. When sending a sample from a novella, submit the first 1,000 words of the novella for consideration.


General Submission Guidelines

Solicited submissions should be sent to the email link the editor provided with a cover letter and the requested sample, sized by format as indicated above. Should your work be accepted by another publisher during the 30 to180 day period of your manuscript’s consideration, we would appreciate you letting us know.

Please format your work in Standard Manuscript Format, which is:

  • MSWord documents ONLY (.doc and .docx format). The Manuscript should be submitted as an attached file, not embedded in the email.
  • 12pt. Times New Roman Font
  • 1-inch Margins
  • Double-Space between lines
  • DO NOT INDENT MANUALLY
  • Number your pages in the UPPER-RIGHTHAND CORNER starting on the SECOND PAGE
  • Please include your name, email, address, and phone number on the COVER PAGE
  • CHAPTERS must start on a NEW PAGE.

Finally, please wait 60-90 days for our first response to your submission before following up with us. We will request more of your work or send a rejection during that time. While we would love to provide feedback to everyone, we are unable to send a personal rejection with each submission.


To-do List before Sending Submissions

  1. Remember to send only solicited submissions at this time. Unsolicited submissions will not receive a response of any sort. Send it to the specific editor who requested the submission.
  2. Read and follow the submission guidelines.
  3. Review in MSWord Spellcheck and Grammarcheck before sending.
  4. Reduce/eliminate Copula Spiders (eight or more copula on a page). While some copula is necessary, a plethora of copula spiders indicates too much exposition or passive language. See link here for more details: http://www.magicalwords.net/melissa-gilbert/friday-fundamentals-copula-spiders/. Further reading is also available here: http://www.erinpenn.com/2017/11/editing-rant-not-to-be/.
  5. Run an Amazon search (in the book section) on the proposed title of the manuscript. If you get more than 100 hits, consider renaming before sending.

If you were asked by an editor to send in a submission (i.e., a solicited submissions – for example, during a panel at a convention), please use the following guidelines. Remember to send it to the email the editor provided. Unsolicited manuscripts go through a different procedure.


Agented Submissions

  1. When sending in a submission, only send in the first three chapters (or first 1,000 words for a novella), make sure it matches the formatting listed in the general submissions guidelines, and the manuscript should be completed before sending it in. We only work with completed works and do not take work on query or spec.
  2. Send the manuscript to john@falstaffbooks.com. In the subject line write: “Agent Submission: <book title>”
  3. If you are not agented and send a manuscript in this route, it will be deleted and the publisher will make a note of your name and put you on the naughty list.