Submissions
Submissions must be for completed works only. Please don't send concepts, ideas, or pitches; we're only interested finished stories.
If you're planning on writing a series, the first book must be finished and the second must be ready to be edited before we'll treat it as a series. That said, each book in the series will be evaluated on its own merits, and will have to meet the same submission requirements as every other novel.
Just because we publish one of your stories doesn't mean you're guaranteed to get published with us again, nor is it a contract for future books. Every book must go through the submission process, no exceptions.
Works must not have been published professionally. International submissions are accepted, but all works submitted must be in English.
Is DFP accepting submissions at this time?
We're open for submissions of novel-length fiction from August 1 through November 30, 2009. The next open submission period will be in early spring of 2010.
- Anthology call for submissions: Masquerades
- Anthology call for submissions: Fractured Fairy Tales
SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED OUTSIDE OF AN ANNOUNCED OPEN SUBMISSION PERIOD.
We're not doing this to be a pain, we're doing this to allow us to more effectively manage the time we spend publishing books. Please don't ask for exceptions. Any manuscripts submitted outside of open submissions periods will be automatically refused.
What needs to be submitted?
NOVELS
- In the body of your submission email, please include the following information:
- Author information (name, email, web site)
- Pseudonym?
- Have you been previously published (any format)?
- Are you eighteen years of age or older?
- Title
- Genre(s)
- Approximate word count
- Relationship type, if any
- Is it part of a series? What is the status of the series (are the first two books finished or the entire series, etc.)?
- A complete synopsis of the novel, with three to five paragraphs per chapter.
- Complete first chapter.
- No graphics or pictures.
ANTHOLOGY STORIES
- In the body of your submission email, please include the following information:
- Author information (name, email, web site)
- Pseudonym?
- Have you been previously published (any format)?
- Are you eighteen years of age or older?
- Title
- Genre(s)
- Approximate word count
- Relationship type, if any
- Which anthology?
- The entire short story.
- No graphics or pictures.
COVER ART
- In the body of your submission email, please include the following information:
- Artist information (name, email, web site)
- Pseudonym?
- Has your work been previously published (any format)?
- Are you eighteen years of age or older?
- Title
- Which anthology?
- Is this finished artwork or is a concept sketch? If it's a concept, tell us more about your idea (colors, media, etc.)
- The graphic file should be of sufficient size that details can be easily viewed on a very high-resolution monitor, and may be in any of the following formats: JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, EPS, PDF.
Please do not include any information other than what we've asked for, and do not include a cover letter or any personal information. Simultaneous submissions to multiple publishers are fine, just keep us updated. One submission per open submission period. A completed series is considered one submission.
What format should my submission be in?
- Email attachments only; hard copy submissions are not accepted.
- Open Office or Microsoft Word file; RTF is fine.
- Stories should be formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed.).
- We don't have any other specific formatting requirements, but keep in mind that this is a professional presentation, so please plan accordingly.
Now what?
You'll get an auto reply email letting you know we've received your submission. Once you've received your confirmation email, please don't contact us about your submission. We will respond to all entries within thirty days from the end of the submission period.