Submissions Guidelines

Overview:

Driven Press is a publisher of quality fiction.

We seek submissions in the following genres:

• Contemporary
• Historical
• Literary Fiction
• Woman’s Fiction
• Chick Lit

• Paranormal/Sci-fi/Fantasy/Urban Fantasy
• Mystery/Thriller/Crime
• Horror
• Steampunk/Dystopian
• New Adult
• Young Adult
• LGBT Fiction
• Romance ( published via our associated imprint: Bottom Drawer Publications - www.bottomdrawerpublications.net )
  
  
  Accepting novel length manuscript submissions (60,000 – 120,000). Series, or stand-alone stories that may eventuate in a series, are encouraged. We are looking for well-paced, interesting stories. Unique themes as well as time-proven tropes are all welcome.
  
  
  Contracted works will be published in print as well as e-book.
  
  
  Submissions will only be accepted via email. We will only accept one manuscript per author at a time, and only completed manuscripts will be considered. Unsolicited manuscripts will be accepted at any time as long as the author has followed the Submission Procedure.
  
  
  We are happy to receive manuscripts that have been submitted to other publishers, but please let us know if your manuscript is being considered elsewhere. If you decide to withdraw your manuscript from consideration by Driven Press, please let us know as soon as possible.
  
  
  Driven Press will not consider manuscripts that glorify depravity or illegal acts, including but not limited to: pedophilia, bestiality, racial intolerance, rape as titillation, necrophilia, etc. All characters involved in explicit sexual activities must be at least eighteen.
  
  
  If Driven Press offers a contract we will:

• edit your manuscript

• produce a cover design and all graphics
• format each manuscript ready for print and e-publication, and if specified, audio
• convert formatted manuscripts into applicable e-reader formats
• distribute to major book sellers (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, All Romance, etc.)
• promote you and your book on our website, blogs, and other social media

Submission Procedure:

You will need to provide Driven Press with a query letter, a synopsis, and a full manuscript.

Send your query letter (within the email) to submissions@drivenpress.net and include:

• in the subject line of the email: Submission Enquiry - (Genre) - (Your Title) - (Your Name) - (Date) [eg.: Submission Enquiry - Contemporary YA - The Adventurer - John Smith]
• in the body of the email: personal information: your legal name, your pseudonym (pen name) if applicable, and a contact email address.
• the working title of your manuscript, including series name if applicable.
• the genre and word count.
• a blurb about your manuscript.  This should be a short 2 – 3 paragraph description of your story giving enough information to "hook" the reader/editor into wanting to read more.
• if you have a promotional website, provide a link. Tell us of any writers’ groups you are associated with and any contests you may have won. Do not be embarrassed to say you are a first-time author; everyone starts somewhere.
  
  
  Attach to your email a detailed synopsis.
  
  
  This will be a summary of your story, no more than 2 pages in length, that introduces the major characters, details major plot points, and gives the story’s conclusion. The synopsis is not a blurb, nor is it excerpts from the story itself. Our editors need to get a feel for your story from your synopsis, which includes the story's ending. 

Attach to your email the complete manuscript.

Please ensure the file attached is an acceptable format and you have followed all Formatting Guidelines.

What happens next?

• We will notify via email that we have received your manuscript within 7 days.
• All submissions will be directed to an editor for evaluation, and you can expect a response within 12 weeks, usually sooner.
• Occasionally authors may receive a “revise and resubmit” letter. Don’t despair at this. If we feel some changes may make your manuscript more viable then a Driven Press editor will contact you with a list of areas to work on and a request that you resubmit your full manuscript for consideration again once they have been made.
• A contract will be offered if your manuscript is accepted for publication.
• All contracts are electronic and will be exchanged via email.
• Driven Press does not offer advances at this time. In the future, dependent on an author’s publication history with us, that may change, and will be considered on an individual basis.
• Royalties will be paid at 45% of net receipts.
• Driven Press will hold the rights of any print or electronic manuscript for a period of 3 years from the date of publication.

Formatting guidelines for submission manuscripts:

Driven Press edits manuscripts using The Chicago Manual of Style as our primary grammar resource.  We use the following dictionaries: US spelling - Merriam-Webster; UK spelling - OED; and Australian spelling - Macquarie Dictionary.

• Manuscripts will be accepted in .doc, .docx, .rtf, and .txt formats.
• Standard 12pt serif fonts are preferred

• 1.5 line spacing.
• 2.54 cm (1-inch) margins (left, right, top, and bottom) with a 1.27 cm (0.5-inch) indent for the first line of each paragraph only.
• No tabs or spacing to indent the first paragraph line are to be used. No extra lines between paragraphs. Only one space between sentences, please!
• Page numbers are to be included in top right of a header.
• The header of the manuscript must contain author name and title in the top left corner.  Example:   John Smith / The Adventurer
• All submissions should be spell-checked based on US English, UK English, or AU English spelling standards, dependent on the setting of the story; regional words and slang are accepted where appropriate.
  
  
  Editing your work to these standards prior to submission will help both in having your submission accepted and facilitating the publication process.

If you have any queries, please email us at submissions@drivenpress.net

Disclaimer:  Driven Press reserves the right to alter any of the above Submission Guidelines at any time.

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