Novel query submissions are now closed. If you'd like to submit a novel to Engine Books, please enter the Engine Books Novel Prize. Full information is here.
Story collection queries are now being considered via electronic submission (link below). In your query, please include a description of the book, your qualifications, and either one story or the first 10-20 pages of the manuscript. Expect a reply within two months. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Submissions that do not comply with these guidelines will not be considered.
Submit a story collection query.
The editors are currently reading manuscripts for publication in 2014, and will soon be reading for mid-late 2014 and 2015. Because the press can only manage 4-5 titles per year, and so many of you are sending in excellent work, we have to be extremely selective and will be reaching fairly far into the future as we accept manuscripts; if you've written a book that you must see in print within the next year and a half, for whatever reason, this may not be the best time for you to query Engine Books.
All styles of literary fiction are happily considered. Of course, that’s not a very helpful answer. Instead of attempting to prescribe an aesthetic for the press, I present here a list of my favorite books. The one quality they all share is a big storytelling heart—human stories large in scope. If you feel your manuscript bears similarity to any of the books below or to the excellent titles already in the Engine Books lineup, please consider sending a query letter.
If your manuscript contains vampires, werewolves, ghosts, or other supernatural creatures, or if its plot relies heavily on references to said creatures, it is extremely unlikely that Engine Books is the right press for you. If your primary readership will be YA or teen readers, Engine Books is definitely not the right press for you. Excellent publishers exist for such books; please look elsewhere to find one.
