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Manuscript Submission Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in Poisoned Pen Press.

We are not accepting submissions between June 1, 2009-August 30, 2009.  Please check back for updates.


We do NOT accept Paper Submissions

E-mail Submissions Only


Caveats: These won’t work.

Due to the high volume of submissions and to marketing realities, we have some restrictions.
  • Please do not submit your manuscript elsewhere during our review.
  • We do not consider self-published or Print On Demand writers.
  • We cannot consider any work which has appeared in another form, such as e-book or P O D.
  • We seldom consider writers who have previously been published in print and/or as e-books.
  • We seldom consider writers living outside the USA because their participation in promotion activities within the US is crucial to the book’s success.
  • We do not consider any paper queries or submissions.
  • We do not publish short stories or collections.
  • We do not publish nonfiction.



Themes: Neither will these.

Please note that we do not consider manuscripts which use the following themes as the central focus of the story:

  • Incest of any kind.
  • 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 or psychopathologies that depend on exceptional gore or weird twists to work.
  • Drugs, including drug abuse and/or smuggling of illegal substances.
  • Thrillers, which we define as a duel or escalating contest between two characters or groups. Thrillers usually include global stakes and a world stage of conspiracies, espionage, and intelligence such as CIA, MI5, NSA, presidents and high government officials, military force or technologies, international drug rings, terrorists, or mafia.
  • A “soft thriller” may interest us if the story is tightly contained and local, not political or global; for example, a jewel robbery, theft of a painting, or action packed into a small location among its residents.
  • Vampires, witches, werewolves, paranormals, aliens, future realities, and New Age psychics as protagonists do not fit.



Evaluation Criteria: Heads up.

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



Manuscript Format: Look professional.

  • 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 Times New-Roman 12-point font.
  • 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.
  • Place headers at the top of each page.  Show the writer’s last name, the title, and the page number. For instance

     Poe/Rue Morgue 21

     Siger/Murder in Mykonos 175

  • Please adhere to the PPP Style Sheet and The Chicago Manual of Style.


Process: This works.

  • Begin with a single-page query e-mail to our editor: editor@poisonedpenpress.com
  • List your contact information and e-mail address, a short paragraph introducing the book, and a brief bio including pieces you have published.  If you have an agent, tell us.
  • If the query is successful, follow with a one- to three-page synopsis and the first 30 pages, e-mailed by attachment to annette@poisonedpenpress.com AND to geetha@poisonedpenpress.com.
  • The synopsis is our guide to your book. Give us a fairly complete, concise description of the story. Write an overview of your novel—beginning, middle, and end—covering themes, characters, settings, and conflicts.
  • Present your story with clarity and style.
  • Avoid treating the synopsis as a blurb that hints at events, or that tries to hook us into wanting more. Give us the details. Do not say that the story has twists, turns, and a surprise ending. We expect that with any mystery.



Delivery: Electronic only.

  • E-mail the query letter, synopsis/30 pages, and full manuscripts as attachments: We prefer MS Word (.doc) format.  We also accept PDF or RTF documents. Other word processor files may be acceptable. Please check first.
  • Include all chapters in one file; do not send them chapter by chapter.
  • You can also mail them in one of the above formats on a compact disc (CD) or flash drive. Materials will not be returned.



Contact Us

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

editor@poisonedpenpress.com

Inquiries through regular mail will not be read.  Save the stamp.

If you do not receive an e-mail confirmation that we have your manuscript submission within one week, please check with us.  If you do not receive an e-mail answer to your query within a month, please check with us.


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