Writer's Guidelines

What We’re Looking For

Literati Library is an eBook publisher. This means that we welcome submissions in all genres, but we are particularly interested in works that take advantage of the technology. For example, recipe books with clickable links to a glossary of cooking terms, an adventure story where clicking on a choice takes you down a different story line, or an academic work with web links that allow readers to do further research.

We are not a subsidy press, vanity press, or self-publishing company. Submitting your manuscript to Literati Library does not guarantee acceptance or publication. Manuscript selection is at the sole discretion of Literati Library’s editorial staff.

We will not consider erotica depicting minors, animals, or non-consenting adults. We also will not consider hate literature; that is, statements that incite hatred against any identifiable group - any section of the public distinguished by colour, race, religion, ethnic origin, or sexuality - where such incitement is likely to lead to a breach of the peace.

What We Offer

First, and foremost, we offer publication to authors with quality manuscripts - a genuine entry for your portfolio or resume. We acquire rights only to the electronic versions of your manuscript, leaving you free to market other versions. We will publish and distribute your title to the major retailers within our network, and publicize the work and information about you, the author.

What We Don’t Offer

We do not offer advances to our authors. This is simply because the eBook market is still too difficult to track, and it is not possible to accurately predict sales in advance.

We also cannot offer or organize things like book tours, launch parties or signings. We will endeavour to market your book online, place it with major retailers within our distribution network, issue press releases and place your book in front of the appropriate reviewers and so on. We will also market our publishing company and website in general - indeed, it's in our interests to try to sell as many copies of your book as we can. But please be aware that eBook publishing is a different world from traditional paper publishing; if you're looking for a swanky book launch in downtown Manhattan, or an espresso-fuelled reading in a packed London café, eBooks should not be your only medium. We are happy to work with and alongside your paper publisher.

We also do not offer a means for you to quit your day job. Sales of eBooks vary widely - you could sell as few as two copies a month, or as many as 300 a month. In today’s still fledgling eBook market, you should regard publication in this format as: A) supplemental or residual income and B) an excellent way to promote yourself and other works you may have in print or on the web. If your book does sell well, by all means quit the day job then, when you have the money in your bank.

What if I Have Already Been Published in Traditional Print Media?

Simply check your existing contracts to see if you still own the rights to electronic versions of your manuscript. If you do, you're welcome to submit your manuscript for consideration. If you don't own the rights, or aren't sure, have your publisher get in touch with us about producing an ebook version of your manuscript.

How to Submit a Work for Consideration

In a single MS Office compatible file (.doc, .wps., .rtf, or .wpd - absolutely no zip files, and no Mac files), please prepare:

• a brief synopsis of the work
• a table of contents or outline
• a sample chapter
• a query letter addressing your qualifications, your previous publishing credits (if any), what you think the target audience would be, why it might work as an eBook, and anything else you think might be relevant

Please Do Not:

• send us multiple copies of the same submission
• send us zipped files, Mac files
• send follow-up queries or emails requesting an update on the status of your submission. We do eventually answer all authors one way or the other, and we would rather devote our time to reviewing your manuscripts than your query emails.

Please use our manuscript submission form to submit the work.