SUBMIT YOUR MANUSCRIPT

We publish books on seasonal lists and launch each season approximately 14-16 months prior to the date that can expect to be published.  Our books are distributed to the trade by Simon & Schuster.

At SparkPress, our submissions process is more than just a transaction. We have a two-tiered submissions process, which gives you the opportunity to get two points of feedback—from reviewers who are in the business, as well as our internal editorial staff. Our primary goal is to get your project ready for publication. If it already is, we’ll give you the green light. If it needs a bit more work, the assessment will detail weaknesses and suggest steps forward.

We are looking for high-quality and engaging content that enhances readers’ lives. We will be looking for manuscripts in the following genres for SparkPress:

  • Women’s Fiction

  • Edgy/Dark Fiction

  • Young Adult

  • Middle Grade

  • Thriller/Mystery

  • Health/Fitness/Lifestyle

  • Literary Fiction

  • Memoir

  • New Adult

  • Non-fiction

  • Self-Help

  • Business

  • Cookbooks

  • Contemporary Fiction

  • Poetry

SparkPress specializes in commercial fiction, genre fiction, young adult, juvenile/MG, and new adult. We do not publish illustrated children’s books.

Before submitting to SparkPress, please read about how our press works. To submit, please fill out the blank fields in the submissions form, and attach a Word or PDF file that includes your chapter summaries, as well as a Word or PDF file that includes the first fifty pages of your manuscript (see “Submit Now” below). For examples of chapter summaries, click here for fiction and here for memoir.

Formatting specifications include:

  • Double-spaced
  • Common font (Times; Times New Roman; Georgia)
  • 12-point font size
  • Page numbers included

Please label your file: LAST NAME_SUBMISSION.docx.

At this point in the process, please do not send your entire manuscript.

We charge a $35 submission fee in order to assess whether or not your work is ready for publication. This is part of SP's vetting process, which we strongly believe will ensure the quality of your project and our ongoing list.

We are committed to bringing viable projects into the marketplace. Once you submit payment below, you will receive an email confirmation that your submission has been received. Please allow six to eight weeks for a response. 

Please see Our Process for a detailed outline on how our model works and to understand our two-part submissions process.

If we determine that your manuscript is ready for publication, we will email you with a SP contract which includes all the details of the SparkPress package. If we determine that your manuscript needs a bit more work, we will give you editorial feedback and a recommendation for what your next steps with SparkPress should be. 

A note on our publishing seasons with Simon & Schuster:
Spring publication months: January-April
Summer publication months: May-August
Fall publication months: September-December

Thank you for your interest in publishing with SparkPress.

Submit Your Manuscript

Name(Required)
You manuscript's working title
Please include information about any editorial work your manuscript has undergone to date
What's your book about in 300 words or less?
We ask that you disclose in what capacity you have used AI in your manuscript. Our AI policy is that we will proceed with the publication of works whose authors might have engaged with AI for research, conversation, or thought partnership, but not the publication of works whose authors have AI-generated content in their manuscripts. New guidelines are that AI-generated works cannot be copyrighted, and as a press with strong literary roots, we expect that authors will be the sole authors of their own books. If you have used AI to generate your work, we encourage you to go back over those sections and write them in your own words before submitting to SparkPress.
Upload the first 50 pages of your manuscript
Accepted file types: pdf, docx, Max. file size: 32 MB.
Please upload a chapter-by-chapter summary so that we can understand the full arc of the narrative. We specifically look at this to look for plot holes and pacing issues, so please make your summaries as comprehensive as possible. This document should not exceed ten pages. If your book does not have chapters, please upload a detailed and comprehensive summary not to exceed 5,000 words.
Accepted file types: pdf, docx, Max. file size: 32 MB.

QUESTIONS?

We only accept manuscript submissions through the instructions above. If you send via email, your submission will not be reviewed.