Send communication to: editor@poisonedpenpress.com

POISONED PEN PRESS DOES NOT ACCEPT PAPER SUBMISSIONS.

Themes

Please note that we don’t consider manuscripts which use the following themes as the central focus of the story:

• Incest of any kind, especially father/daughter
• Murder of children; child abuse
• Abuse when it’s a pivotal point or supplied motivation all by itself
• Serial killers when their point-of-view is part of the narrative
• Serial killings that depend on exceptional gore or weird twists to work;  we don't think psychopathology enhances our list
• Drugs, including drug abuse and smuggling of illegal substances
  
• Thrillers set on a world stage of conspiracies, presidents, military force or technology, international drug rings, terrorists, mafia, or global stakes in general. This is very hard to define as some thrillers, for example a jewel robbery, theft of a painting, or a small stage local story might interest us.

• Vampire, witch, and werewolf paranormals, although the occasional ghost is welcome.

Evaluation Criteria

• Excellence in writing      
• Originality
• Plotting
• Voice
• Setting
• Character
• Dialogue

Initial Proposal

• Send a single-page query email, listing your contact information and email address, a short paragraph introducing the book, and a brief bio including pieces you have published. If we accept your query, we will ask to see a synopsis and the first thirty pages.

Synopsis

• Send up to a three-page synopsis, single or double-spaced.
• Give us a fairly complete, though concise, description of the story.  The synopsis is our guide to your book. Write an overview of your novel—beginning, middle, and end—covering themes, characters, settings, and conflicts. 
•  Present your story with clarity and style, which gives us confidence in the pages to follow.
• Avoid treating the synopsis as a blurb that hints at events, or that tries to hook us into wanting more. Don't say that the story has twists, turns, and a surprise ending.  We expect that with any mystery.

Manuscript Format

• The first 30 pages represent the standards of the full manuscript. 
• Put your work in its best light.  Make sure that your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and page layout are professional and error-free.  
• Start with a title page listing the writer’s name.
• Double-space all pages, with one inch margins and 12 point font.
• Place headers at the top of each page displaying the writer’s last name, the title, and the page number.  For instance: 

                            Poe/Rue Morgue                       21

• Begin each new chapter with its number and first sentence halfway down the page.
• Tell your full story in about 65,000-90,000 words.

Delivery

• You can email the letter, synopsis and 30 pages as attachments: PDF, MS WORD, or RTF. Include all chapters in one file; don’t send them chapter by chapter.  Other word-processor files may be acceptable—please check first.
• You can also mail them in one of the above formats on a Floppy Disc or a Compact Disc (CD). Discs will not be returned.

Contact Us

• To send an e-mail inquiry, please use the following address:

                            editor@poisonedpenpress.com

• To send an inquiry through regular mail, please use the following address:

                            Editors

                            Poisoned Pen Press

                            6962 East First Avenue, Suite 103

                            Scottsdale, AZ 85251

• If you don’t receive an email confirmation that we have your submission, please check with us.

Caveats

• We use the Chicago Manual of Style.
• We do not publish short stories.
• Please do not submit your manuscript elsewhere during our review.
• We cannot consider any work which has appeared in another form, such as e-book or Print On Demand.