Basic Information for Authors
Submissions are open now through midnight July 31, 2010.
Mainly Murder Press (MMP) is a traditional publishing company, not an e-publisher. Our niche is mystery novels with an emphasis on New England-based stories by New England authors. However, mysteries authored by others, even if the stories are set outside the region, will also be considered for publication.
 Depending upon the intended primary market, MMP publishes in trade paperback and/or hardcover formats. Authors retain the right to e-book publication. Our titles are distributed directly by MMP and by our broad-based distribution network, which includes Ingram, Amazon.com, Baker & Taylor, and Barnes & Noble.com.
MMP offers a three-year author contract for worldwide trade paperback/hardcover rights. Royalty payments to authors are quarterly based on industry commission standards. Mainly Murder Press charges NO FEES of any kind to authors for publishing services. Editorial services, cover art design and production, print set-up fees, ISBN numbers and barcodes are provided at absolutely no cost to contracted authors.
We are currently seeking submissions for consideration for our 2010 list.
Initial Submission
To submit your work to Mainly Murder Press, please provide us with the following required items as your submissions package emailed to subs@mainlymurderpress.com:
- Cover Letter. Include the working title of your manuscript and any past publication experience as a writer, including books under contract with other publishers and out-of-print titles. Give us the outline of your manuscript, including the word length and a brief synopsis covering the beginning, middle and end of your story. Describe major conflicts and their resolution, as well as your main characters. Be sure to include complete contact information for yourself.
- Business Plan. Your intention and ability to market your work will count heavily in our decision. Tell us how you intend to promote and market your published manuscript. Do you have a current author website? Bear in mind that an active author website is mandatory for all MMP authors. How else do you plan to participate actively in the marketing of your book?
- First Three Chapters. Submit these as a Microsoft Word document attached to your email. Do not email your completed manuscript until you are invited to do so. However, please be sure your manuscript is complete before asking us to consider it for publication.
Please note:
- We accept ONLY electronic submissions in Microsoft Word. No hardcopy submissions, and no electronic submissions in Microsoft Works, Mac, or Word Perfect formats. Submit in Microsoft Word 2003 or higher.
- We publish novels in the 50,000 – 70,000 word range.
- No simultaneous submissions. We will respond to your query within 30 days.
For consideration for the 2010 list, your complete submission package must be emailed to subs@mainlymurderpress.com for receipt by midnight July 31, 2010.
If you are invited to submit a complete manuscript, follow these formatting guidelines:
In the upper left corner of your cover page, include:
- Author’s Name
- Author’s Address
- Author’s Phone Number
- Author’s E-mail Address
Center vertically and horizontally on the cover page:
- Title of Manuscript
- Author Name and/or pseudonym
- Word Count
Manuscripts should be::
- Single spaced
- No page numbers
- No footer
- No header
- All underlined words or phrases changed to italics
Additionally, there should be no white space at the top of the first page of each chapter. The word “Chapter” (not in all caps) and the chapter number (1, 2, 3, etc.) should be centered at the top of the first page of each chapter. A hard page break should be at the bottom of the last page of each chapter. For ease of reading use Times New Roman 12.
Please do not use HTML. Instead use:
- Word 2003 or above
- Rich Text Format
- No Mac, Word Perfect, or Microsoft Works submissions
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