Regal House (literary, historical, contemporary fiction, poetry via our Terry J. Cox Poetry Award, memoirs, short story collections via our W.S. Porter Prize), and our imprints Fitzroy Books (childrens, MG and YA fiction) and Pact Press ( full-length fiction, memoirs, essay collections, anthologies), are open for submissions from authors and literary agents.
Please note that during our contest window for the Petrichor Prize (April 15 – July 15, 2020) we will be closed for regular submissions.
We are currently seeking manuscripts within the genres of literary fiction, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, and memoirs. We only accept poetry submissions (from both debut and previously published poets) through our Terry J. Cox Poetry Award that opens for submissions in November of 2020. We only accept short story submissions via our W.S. Porter Prize, which opens for submissions September, 2020.
For submissions please send us:
A query letter, a one-page synopsis of your story, and the first three chapters of your novel or the first fifty pages, whichever is more.
We accept only electronic submissions via Submittable.
Please remove all running headers, footers, illustrations, images, and special type from your submission. We are best able to assess work that is formatted simply, according to the guidelines below.
Please be aware, too, that we are unable (given the number of submissions we receive) to provide manuscript feedback to individual authors for which we do not request fulls.
If we have requested the full manuscript of your work, please take the extra time to read the following:
Manuscript Preparation for Full MS requests:
Almost every publishing house, magazine, and agent will have preferences or requirements for how to format and present a manuscript (sort of like having a dress code). Professional courtesy means becoming familiar with and following these preferences. Here is a list of what we at Regal expect:
- Put your manuscript in a Microsoft Word (a recent vintage, please) file.
- Before sending in your manuscript, run the Spelling and Grammar check (just remember to think through every suggestion it makes).
- Set margins to 1.25 inches on all sides.
- Double-space your manuscript.
- Insert page numbers (bottom center, please).
- Use a standard twelve-point serif font (Palatino, Times New Roman, etc.)
- Remove all special formatting (words in italic or bold style are fine). Turn off any automatic formatting, get rid of any internal or external hyperlinks, remove running headers. Please, however, be sure to retain first line paragraph indents.
We really appreciate authors who take the time to make sure their manuscripts are ready for prime time. A well-prepared manuscript allows us to review a submission efficiently and indicates its author is genuinely interested in working with us. Thank you for dressing your work in the proper apparel before sending it out!
Manuscript Reading Times & Acquisition Decisions
Have we requested a full manuscript from you? Please be aware that we typically require three to four months to complete our read of full-length manuscripts. Once the acquisitions editor has finished reading your submission, and if they would like to recommend publication to the RHP team, your manuscript will be discussed at the next scheduled quarterly acquisitions meeting, which fall upon the following dates:
Early Summer Acquisitions Meeting: April 15, 2020
Late Summer Acquisitions Meeting: July 15, 2020
Fall Acquisitions Meeting: October 15, 2020
Spring Acquisitions Meeting: January 15, 2021
The RHP team may ask you for additional marketing information that may be useful in our assessment.
