Bywater Books Manuscript Submission Guidelines

At Bywater Books and Amble Press, we’re always looking for well-written commercial manuscripts.Amble Press primarily publishes fiction and narrative non-fiction from writers who identify as people of color, and those writing across the broader queer spectrum.

Bywater Books primarily publishes lesbian and feminist fiction and narrative non-fiction.

Both imprints are interested in the following fiction and non-fiction categories.

  • Contemporary General Fiction
  • Crime Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers
  • Historical Fiction
  • Action/Adventure
  • Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Cli-Fi/Spec Fiction/Steampunk
  • Graphic Novels
  • Young Adult/New Adult
  • Romance
  • Narrative nonfiction
  • Memoirs/Biographies

We do not publish poetry or erotica.

Please submit your completed manuscript according to the instructions outlined in Step 1 below. Previously unpublished full-length manuscripts should be approximately 60,000+ words—anything with fewer words can be considered to be a novella, so please keep that in mind.If you are submitting either a completed graphic novel or a proposal for a graphic novel, please follow the instructions outlined in Step 2 below.

We consider the submission of a manuscript to be an offer from the author to enter into contract negotiations. Because of this, it is imperative that the person submitting to us should have the legal right to do so, that no other publisher is currently considering its acquisition, and that the rights we may wish to acquire are available. As a small press, we can’t invest the acquisition resources only to find that the project is under contract or otherwise unavailable. For this reason, we cannot accept simultaneous submissions. If there is any issue with the rights to the manuscript you are submitting, please include an explanation of the issues in the section titled Other Pertinent Information in the online manuscript submission form.

Step 1—for traditional manuscripts

When preparing to submit your manuscript, please make sure it follows the manuscript submission guidelines below:

  • Read our tips on manuscript submission.
  • Use 1-inch margins on all sides.
  • Use 12 point Times New Roman, or another clean, legible font.
  • Double-space your document.
  • Number all pages.
  • Have the author’s name and title of the manuscript on the first page.
  • We accept .doc, .docx, and PDF files.
  • Include with your manuscript submission:
    • A 1-2 page synopsis.
    • A short author’s bio.

Step 2—for graphic novels

If you are submitting a proposal for a graphic novel, it can be submitted in PDF or Word format and should include:

  • Short overview (~1 paragraph)
  • Synopsis (~1 page)
  • Outline (~1 page)
  • Creator bios and contact information (include lists of previously published works, if any)
  • Estimated page count and the timeline for the creation of the work
  • Five pages of complete, representative art from the proposed graphic novel—in PDF.

If you are submitting a completed graphic novel, it should be between 60 and 100 pages and should include:

  • Short overview (~1 paragraph)
  • Synopsis (~1 page)
  • Outline (~1 page)
  • Creator bios and contact information (include lists of previously published works, if any)
  • A PDF of the complete work submitted for consideration

Step 3—for both manuscripts and graphic novels

Complete the online submission form, which includes uploading your files. We suggest that you print a copy of the submission receipt that will be displayed on the successful completion of the form. If you have questions, please reach out to us via our Contact Us link—please reference your submission title.

For Bywater Books submissions, click here to use this manuscript submission form

For Amble Press submissions, click here to use this manuscript submission form

Thank you for your interest in Bywater Books and Amble Press!

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