Tip #8

Finding a publisher who is actually willing to read unsolicitored manuscripts can be a nightmare for the novice writer.  Thankfully there are a couple of publishing houses that have a certain day of the week where writers can submit their work via email.  The publishers then promise to read your manuscript and reply within a very short period of time.

Two Publishing Houses I have found are Pan Macmillan and Allen and Unwin.

Pan Macmillian Australia is a major Australian publisher and distributor that has released a number of titles under the group imprints Macmillan, Pan, Picador, Macquarie Dictionary Publishers, Pancake, St Martins Press, Tor, Forge, Griffin and Sidgwick & Jackson.

According to their website, they are looking for:

• Commercial fiction – women’s fiction, thriller, crime, historical, humour, paranormal, fantasy; a story can have romantic elements but romance will not be assessed
• Literary fiction and non-fiction – novels, short stories, and narrative non-fiction only
• Children’s books and young adult – junior and middle grade fiction, young adult fiction; we are not accepting picture book submissions
• Commercial non-fiction – history, memoir, mind body spirit, travel, health, diet, biography

Every Monday, in what they call Manuscript Mondays, they accept electronic submissions between 10 AM and 4 PM AEST. If they are interested in your work and you follow their guidelines, they will get back to you within 1 month. www.panmacmillan.com.au.

Allen & Unwin is a leading independent, and Australian, publisher who releases about 250 titles per year and who has handled work by authors including Fleur McDonald, Helen Brown, and Mary Groves. According to their website, they cover a wide range of material including “literary and commercial fiction, a broad range of general non fiction, academic and professional titles and books for children and young adults.”

Every Friday for the last 5 years, they’ve been accepting submissions for fiction and non-fiction through their website called The Friday Pitch. If they are interested in your work, they will get back to you within two weeks.

Visit their website for more details and submission guidelines at allenandunwin.com.