Submission Guidelines

On February 2, 2016, Walrus Publishing will close to all submissions unless presented by an agent.  

Walrus Publishing is pleased to review fiction manuscripts of any genre except for pornography.  We are dedicated to helping new writers bring their works to publication.  Walrus takes pride in know that it reviews manuscripts other publishing houses will not.  That being said, Walrus is a very small press and only publishes a small number of manuscripts per year.  To be considered for publication, please complete our submission form.

Submissions are considered on an on-going basis.  You will receive notice from Walrus of either acceptance or rejection after your submission has been read. Please be patient. However, if you haven’t heard back from us within a couple of months, do not hesitate to let us know.

Submission Guidelines: Walrus seeks excellent writers who are committed to and excited about marketing their book, fostering their author presence online and off, and building a community of readers. You do not need to have an agent to submit your work.

  • We do not publish poetry.
  • We don’t accept novels less than 50,000 words. Preferably, manuscripts will be at least 60,000 and no longer than 120,000. (Exceptions can be made but only in extraordinary cases.)
  • We don’t accept poetry collections.

Submission checklist:

  • We only accept manuscripts in Microsoft Word and will only read them if they are formatted properly.
  • Fill out the Submissions Form here.
  • After you fill out the form, upload your your one-page, single-spaced synopsis, and your full manuscript, and then click the Submit button.
  • Remember, we’re tiny and there are only so many hours in the day, so please be patient and keep submitting to other presses and agents.

Formatting checklist:

  • Set up your document using Microsoft Word Styles. It makes life easier for you (once you figure it out) and life easier for us (and other agents and editors) as we go through the reading/editing process and as we format the interior of the book. We want to consider your writing, not your taste in fonts.
  • Double-space, Times New Roman, 12 pt.
  • Five-space paragraph indents (set up in Paragraph/Styles)
  • Header and body styles (to easily create a Table of Contents) set up in Styles on the Home tab
  • One inch margins
  • New chapters start approx. half-way down a new page
  • Name, title, genre, page number in the upper right hand corner of the header
  • Children’s Submissions: Picture books – submit the entire manuscript. If you are the author/illustrator, please submit your illustrations as well. If you are not an illustrator, only send your manuscript. Middle Grade and YA: Please submit the entire manuscript, along with your synopsis.

>> TO SUBMIT YOUR MANUSCRIPT, CLICK HERE. <<

What makes a great manuscript for Walrus: Excellent character development. Characters must be fully fleshed out, and the reader must sympathize with characters in some way whether or not they are “likeable.” They should be interesting and empathetic, with emotional depth and personal histories. Secondary/tertiary characters are not exempt from good characterization. Sense of place & creative world building. Whether this place is in a city, in outer space, or a characters mind, there should be grounding evidence of where this story is happening. This includes description, dialogue, contextual events, etc. Place influences character personality and vice versa, so its importance should not be underestimated. A life-changing struggle. The character’s struggles and evolution must be important—to the reader, to society, but especially for the characters. Whether or not a character changes for the better, readers must understand the journey and their motivations. Makes the reader think. Themes and conflicts relevant to universal human struggle, societal issues, or philosophical values. Or all three. Characters should battle serious demons. Creative story. The book must be engaging and keep us turning the pages. Good, solid writing. This means realistic dialogue, sensory descriptions, clear narration, purposeful word choice, and few grammatical errors. We recognize that no one is perfect and that typos and grammatical errors will slip by unnoticed–that’s why editors and proofreaders exist. That said, a manuscript with too many blatant errors and careless misspellings will not be considered no matter how wonderful the story. That’s it. We look forward to reading your book! Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions about our fiction submissions guidelines. E-mail donna.essner@walruspublishing.com or donna.essner@amphoraepublishing.com for answers. (Make sure to delete the spaces in the e-mail address.)

>> TO SUBMIT YOUR MANUSCRIPT, CLICK HERE. <<

Comments2
BIG NEWS | blankslatepress.com Posted June 5, 2015 at2:55 pm  

[…] Walrus Publishing is looking for science fiction/fantasy, romance, regional fiction and non-fiction, and humor. […]

[…] Walrus Publishing […]