Submission Guidelines

Please read this in it’s entirety. As with all publishers we have guidelines that must be followed for your project to be considered.

Let’s start by giving a detailed list of all the genres we accept. This goes for all of it, freelance services and publication alike. These are the only genres we accept:

• Fantasy (all subgenres)

• Science Fiction (all subgenres)

• Steampunk

• Philosophy

• Religious Fiction of any Denomination or Belief Structure (specific guidelines, see below)

• LGBTQ Fiction (all genres)

• Memoir (specific guidelines, see below)

• Humor

• Literary Fiction

• Self-Help (specific guidelines, see below)

• Police Procedurals (no crimes against children or rape themes)

• Romance (specific guidelines, see below)

• BDSM Erotica (case by case basis and it had better be accurate)

• Social, Political, or Environmental Non-fiction (on a case by case basis)

Here is the list of services we provide. If what you are looking for is not on this list, you are welcome to ask, but the answer is likely no.

• Content and Line editing services

• Cover Art for ebooks and audiobooks

• Manuscript formatting services

• Digital publication of novels in our accepted genres

• Audiobook negotiations for our accepted genres

• Marketing of our publications and authors

• Hosted author profile on our website

• Weekly blog posts and blog tour opportunities

Now that you know what we accept and what we provide, let’s talk a bit about format. We do not, and never will, publish paperbacks or hard copies of any of our titles. Not going to happen. Do not ask. Why? Because we have seen record breaking wildfire seasons globally for the last decade. Every year is worse than the last. We have very few forests untouched by wildfire. We will not contribute to the decimation of our natural resources by turning finite supplies into pulp for paper. As much as we all love holding, and smelling, a paper book, that luxury is not worth the destruction of our planet.

If you are looking to publish with us, there is no out of pocket expense for our services. When your manuscript is accepted for publication, we will negotiate a contract for rights and royalties and give detailed information about the process.

We do provide limited freelance services to individuals. These services and our rates are:

• Content and Line Editing: $5 per 1,000 words

• Manuscript Formatting: $2 per 1,000 words

• Cover Art: dependent upon project, email to inquire (generally around $150 for ebook cover art)

Here’s where we get to the really important part. If your book is in one of our approved genres, triple check the guidelines below prior to sending us an email. Anything that is not in the approved format will be summarily declined without any further explanation. Seriously. If you’ve written a book then you know how to read. Follow the directions.

Every single title we accept must follow these rules:

• Do not shame, cut down, use derogatory language and themes outside the direct needs of the plot toward any demographic. For example, if you have an LGBTQ romance and homophobic hate crimes are part of your plot, that is acceptable so long as it remains a part of your plot and character arcs. However, if you write a religious fiction piece and in it you are consistently excluding or suppressing any demographic, that is unacceptable. Likewise, if you are writing a liberal political piece and decide to use derogatory language when describing conservatives in general, that is unacceptable. This isn’t kindergarten. Play nice.

• Accept that by submitting your work you are supporting a lesbian hippie conservationist and her publishing company. If you have a problem with that, please don’t submit your work here.

• RELIGIOUS ETC: Any denomination means just that. We take an interfaith approach to religion, meaning that we believe everyone has something of value to say and that everyone has the right to say it. We do not have to believe the same doctrines as someone else in order to respect their perspective. We will accept manuscripts so long as there is no superiority language associated. In other words, if you write that your god is the only god and everyone else is going to your version of hell, we will not accept your manuscript.

• MEMOIR: If you have had a crazy life, or a giant life change, or an epiphany about the nature of the universe, we’d love to hear your story. Please, make it compelling, make it interesting, make it humorous, make it real. Please just don’t make it a journal.

• SELF-HELP: We don’t take pseudo-science. We won’t accept “warble at this frequency everyday and the demons will leave your body”. If you have real advice for real people we are all ears. We are particularly interested in any works with LGBTQ and racial identity themes. Coming out advice, self-love, standing up in the face of adversity, upholding your cultural heritage while overcoming prejudice, anything that provides real advice and comfort to real people.

• ROMANCE: Your story, plot, and character arcs must support your romance not the other way around. If you have a loosely developed story for the sake of getting sex on every page, then we are not the right fit for you. If you have a complex and compelling story that centers around the romance between two, or more, characters, then we are definitely interested.

• BDSM: Do your research. I cannot stress that enough. Yes, the idea is sexy and fun and exciting, but there is a giant community of people who engage in Risk Aware Consensual Kink. If you don’t know what that means, you should not be writing BDSM anything yet. Do your research. We have knowledge of what an accurate representation of BDSM looks like. We have done extensive inquiries and will not accept anything outside the realm of reality. Do. Your. Research.

• SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL: Our society, global community, and planet is in a vulnerable and dire situation. Turning a blind eye on all that is wrong will not fix any of it. Be honest, clear, and passionate. There is a certain amount of “blame” to go around. However, focusing on who did what will not help. If you want us to publish your manuscript, provide solutions. Give us hope and actionable steps that will get us where you want the world to be. Whining, complaining, finger pointing, and all the other childish things I have to send my sons to time-out for will not be tolerated in our literature.

Alright! You made it all the way to the end. Woohoo! You are almost ready to send your email. How do you do that? Simple:

• Choose which service you would like (freelance services or publication) and put that as the subject of your email along with your name and the genre of your project. Example: “Publication Michel Lee King Fantasy”

• Send us a one page, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt font synopsis of your work in the body of the email

• WE WILL NOT OPEN ATTACHMENTS. I know we all know this, but I just have to say it again for the people in the back. Copy and paste into the body of an email. Do not attach any documents.

• Be very clear and specific about what you want from us. If you just want us to edit your book, cool. Let us know. If you just want us to tell you that you are the coolest author in the whole world and nothing is ever wrong with your manuscript, well you can say that, but that’s not realistic and we won’t do that. Sorry.

• Give us 2 weeks to read through your email and make a decision. We will respond either way. But if you harass us, we will turn down your work. Give us time.

• If we accept your project, we will give you further instructions as well as a quote and timeline. For freelance services we will instruct you on payment options and procedures. For publication, there is no charge for our services up front. We will negotiate a contract, send it off, and urge you to visit a lawyer to review it and make an informed decision. We will not begin work on the process until we have payment for freelance work, or a signed contract for publication in hand.

• The magic email to send all this to is: submissions@LNDLit.com