Mainly Murder Press Logo



 


 

 

Submissions

Basic Information for Authors

Mainly Murder Press (MMP) is a traditional publishing concern launched in 2009.  Our niche is mystery novels with an emphasis on New England-based stories. However, mysteries written by New England authors, even if the stories are set outside the region, will also be considered for publication.

Depending upon the intended primary market, MMP publishes in trade paperback and/or hardcover formats. Authors retain the right to ebook publication.  Our titles are distributed directly by MMP and by our printer’s broad-based distribution network, which includes Ingram, Amazon.com, Baker & Taylor, and Barnes & Noble.com.

MMP offers a three-year author contract for worldwide trade paperback/hardcover rights.  Royalty payments to authors are quarterly based on industry commission standards.  As a traditional publisher, Mainly Murder Press charges NO FEES of any kind to authors for publishing services.  Editorial services, cover art design and production, print set-up fees, ISBN numbers and barcodes are provided at absolutely no fee to contracted authors.

* Submissions are currently CLOSED. *

Initial Submission

To submit your work to Mainly Murder Press, please provide us with the following required items as your submissions package emailed to subs@mainlymurderpress.com:

  • Cover Letter.  Include the working title of your manuscript and any past publication experience as a writer, including other books under contract with other publishers and out-of-print titles. Give us the outline of your manuscript, including the word length and a brief synopsis covering the beginning, middle and end of your story.  Describe major conflicts and their resolution, as well as your main characters.  Be sure to include complete contact information for yourself.
  • Business Plan.  Tell us how you intend to promote and market your published manuscript.  Do you have a current author website? Bear in mind that an active author website is mandatory for all MMP authors. How else do you plan to participate actively in the marketing of your book?

  • First Three Chapters.  Submit these as a Microsoft Word document attached to your email.  Do not email your completed manuscript until invited to do so.  However, your manuscript must be complete before asking us to consider it for publication. We accept ONLY electronic submissions.  We publish ONLY manuscripts in the 50,000 – 70,000 word range.

Please note:

  • No hardcopy submissions, and no electronic submissions in Microsoft Works, Mac, or Word Perfect formats.  Submit in Microsoft Word 2001 or higher.
  • No simultaneous submissions. We will respond within 30 days if we are interested.
* Submissions are currently CLOSED. *

If you are invited to submit a complete manuscript, follow these formatting guidelines:

In the upper left corner of your cover page, include:

  • Author’s Name
  • Author’s Address
  • Author’s Phone Number
  • Author’s E-mail Address

Center vertically and horizontally on the cover page:

  • Title of Manuscript
  • Author Name and/or pseudonym
  • Word Count

Manuscripts should be:

  • Single spaced
  • No page numbers
  • No footer
  • No header
  • ALL underlined words or phrases changed to ITALICS

Additionally, there should be no white space at the top of the first page of each chapter. The word “Chapter” (not in all caps) and the chapter number (1, 2, 3, etc.) should be centered at the top of the first page of each chapter. A hard page break should be at the bottom of the last page of each chapter. For ease of reading use Times New Roman 12.

Please do not use HTML. Instead use:

  • Word 2001 or above
  • Rich Text Format
  • No Mac, Word Perfect, or Microsoft Works submissions

Sample Contract (PDF file)