Message: What are the steps to submitting  a manuscript to you? It's my first book.

 

Answer:

Congratulations on getting to this point with your first book! Let's see whether Moose House is a good fit for it.

 

What we are looking for

We publish books about, or written in, rural Nova Scotia. So, for example, if you are in Toronto and write a book that takes place in Ecum Secum, great! If you are in Ecum Secum and write a book that takes place in Toronto--also great! Also, of course, if you are anywhere in rural Nova Scotia and write a story that primarily takes place outside of our Two Big Cities.

   We have not yet published any children's books, although we have released books for both middle-school and young-adult audiences.

   For novels, short-story collections, and non-fiction, we are looking for manuscripts of 50,000 words or more. Skinny books are hard to sell, even if the writing is magical, because the browser in the book store just does not take them seriously.

   Of course there are exceptions. Helen Opie's glorious Aboard Picton Castle has fewer than 15,000 words...but it also has about 100 water-colour paintings.

 

Submitting a manuscript

If I haven't scared you off, feel free to send a digital copy of your manuscript (Word document or PDF file by preference) to info @ moosehousepress DOT com, Add a little "pitch" statement if there is something special about your situation or the potential audience for the book.

   We will do our best to get back to you within a month or two, but please know that the editorial desk is overflowing with submissions.

 

What would happen next

If you and we think Moose House is a good fit for your book, we would offer you a contract to publish. Publishing with us does not cost you anything (except some time getting the manuscript into shape and helping to publicize your eventual book); in fact, we send a tiny cheque, an advance on eventual royalties, to each author we sign a contract with.

   Then we take the manuscript through an intensive editing process. The goal is to get the text into the best shape possible to deliver your story to readers.

   Our publishing calendar is quite full, so probably six or nine months will elapse between when we sign that contract with an author and when the author can hold a physical copy of their book.

 

Use our Contact form if you have other questions about us and your manuscript.

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Andrew Wetmore

Editor