Authors are welcome to send in unsolicited manuscripts for our consideration, following the guidelines detailed below. We are a small team and we aim to reply within three months of receipt, but it can sometimes take longer, so please be patient.
PICTURE BOOKS
We do not originate picture books. Please do not send in picture book propositions.
FICTION
Our fiction list falls into four categories:
Young fiction : black and white illustrated fiction for children starting to read on their own
7-9 : stories for more confident readers with varying levels of black and white illustration
9-11 : more challenging reads with no illustration
11+ : historical or social commentary reads aimed at pre-teens and teenagers
SUBMISSIONS TICK LIST:
A cover letter
This should include full contact details (address, phone, email) and indicate the title, target audience and length of your book. You may also choose to include a little relevant background information.
A brief synopsis
A synopsis should be no more than 2 pages long and divulge the complete plot of your book. A synopsis should neither be a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the book, nor a blurb – but somewhere between the two.
The first three chapters
We ask to see the first three chapters because this is the amount of time you have to grab a reader’s interest. If you do not think your first three chapters are representative of your story-telling ability, then it might be worth reassessing the structure of your book.
Your submission should be printed on one side of A4 with your name and page numbers on each page. Use a simple font that won’t distract from the content in a size that is easy to read (e.g. Times New Roman, 12pt), double space, use paragraph indents and left-align.
Feel free to fasten pages with staples, paper clips or an elastic band.
A stamped, self-addressed envelope
If you want your ms returned, please ensure that it has the correct postage on the SAE, otherwise, a standard envelope for a reply letter is sufficient. If you have not supplied an SAE, or an email address, then you are unlikely to receive a reply.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND:
Original artwork or the only copy of your manuscript. Catnip Publishing does not accept responsibility for loss or damage to any of the manuscripts we receive – although we do try to take care of them as best we can.
We do not accept handwritten manuscripts, email submissions or those sent on CD/DVD.
A CV. We’re more interested in reading what you’ve written rather than reading about you at this stage.
Something unsuitable. We do not publish non-fiction, poetry, graphic novels, or one-off short stories.
ADDRESS FOR SUBMISSIONS:
Catnip Publishing Ltd
14 Greville Street
London EC1N 8SB
Tel: 020 7138 3650
Fax: 020 7138 3658
FINALLY
It’s a good idea to read through all your material to double-check spelling and grammar.
