Submissions

Navigating the publishing world has never come with so many options: traditional publishing houses, self-publishing, small press. Choosing can be difficult. Why not opt for something different? With Fierce Ink Press you’ll get a professional team specializing in editing and marketing (along with wicked organization skills) and a group of like-minded people ready to jump in and help when needed. We’ll also help you with social media training and support.

Right now we’re looking for authors who currently live on the East Coast of Canada. This isn’t to say we won’t be expanding in the future, but for now we’re all about the Atlantic Canadian authors.

Genres: Young Adult (13+)

We’re fans of pretty much all YA genres (contemporary, speculative fiction, fantasy, romance, paranormal…). Basically, if it’s about teens, then we’re interested. We’re looking for books with broad national and international appeal, something that readers can dig into. Don’t get us wrong, it doesn’t mean we’re not looking for stories about the East Coast. We love living here and value the storytelling tradition of the Atlantic provinces. But if you’re looking to capitalize on the gift/tourist market you may want to look at some of the other East Coast publishers in the area who specialize in that.

If you’re writing in a genre that’s trending now that’s cool, but you’ve got to bring something new to the table. It’s said quite often that all the good stories have been told. It’s how you tell it that really makes yours stand out. And don’t be afraid of challenging conventions because we’re not looking for formulaic fiction. We want new, fun, weird, unique, kick-ass fiction. We’ll embrace diverse faces on our covers and varied voices within each book. Nothing cookie-cutter about us.

And we’re interested in young adult stories about older teens (fifteen and up). If your book is about about a younger teen, you should look for a publisher who publishes middle grade novels and ‘tween books.

Start by sending us a query letter with a one page synopsis and the first three chapters in the body of your email. (We will not open attachments.)  Bonus points if you include a pitch via YouTube in under 2 minutes.

Your query/pitch should include:

• genre
• approximate word count of your completed novel (50,000-80,000)
• title
• elevator pitch: in under five sentences (email) or thirty seconds (YouTube) tell us what your book is about
• tell us about you (previous publishing experience, what makes you stand out)
• detailed synopsis (check out this handy how-to by the lovely Hélène Boudreau and these fun samples from Writers Digest)
• social media links*

Send all submissions to submissions@fierceinkpress.com

PLEASE NOTE: while we do accept simultaneous submissions we would ask that you mention this in your query/pitch. We also currently aren’t accepting submissions that have already been self-published.

*A word about social media and why we require it.

In this ever-changing digital landscape you need to be a savvy self-promoter. Not the kind who shouts “BUY MY BOOKS!” from the rooftops but the kind who understands the value of building relationships with your readers. While we’re willing and able to help you on this front, we need to know that you’re a committed learner and there’s no time like the present to get started. So sign up for Twitter, take a boo at Tumblr, or register a Facebook account. Learn the basics and we’ll help you from there.

What do you get out of this besides a beautiful book distributed through major and indie retailers? A bigger cut of the pie. That’s right, we know we wouldn’t be able to publish books without authors and we’re offering you more than the 10% net royalties that most traditional publishers negotiate. We’re able to do this because we don’t have a lot of overhead and because our focus is on Print On Demand and eBooks. Traditional print books are just plain expensive to make and distribute, so while we have to follow the standard royalty model there, that doesn’t mean we can’t offer you more elsewhere.

Turnaround time

It’s currently taking us 2-3 months to respond to submissions. If you haven’t heard back from us within that timeframe, feel free to send us a friendly email reminder.

Words of advice
Getting published is a long process so don’t rush it. If you’ve finished the first draft of your novel, that’s wonderful! Go out and celebrate. Eat a cupcake. When you’re done, realize that there’s still a long road ahead of you. Draft one is not the draft to send out to a publisher. You need feedback, so find a writing group or critique partner(s) that you trust. But be aware that not all readers are created equal and individual reading interests are varied as are opinions. You need to make judgement calls on what you’re going to take away from the process. Don’t take any comments personally but think objectively about them.

Fierce shorts
If you’ve got a short creative non-fiction piece you’d like to tell, check out our digital imprint where we give back to local youth-related charities.