How to Submit to Owl's Nest Publishers
To submit to Owl’s Nest Publishers, please send a query letter, a one-page synopsis, and the first twenty-five pages of your manuscript in the body of an email to: [email protected]. The subject line should read: QUERY: [TITLE] by [Name] (for example: QUERY: THE GREAT QUEST by Jane Doe)
Your one-page synopsis is distinct from the plot summary included in your query letter and may be single-spaced. Your manuscript sample of twenty-five pages should be in 12-point font and double-spaced.
Please do not include any attachments. (Submissions sent by snail mail will be discarded unopened.) We accept agented* and unagented submissions.
Your query letter should include:
Are you submitting a book that is the first of a series? We love that—especially if your series spans from a Middle Grade to a Teen audience. Be sure to indicate in your query letter that your book is the first in a series and be prepared to present a one-page series synopsis if we follow up and ask for it.
*For guidelines on how to submit an agented submission, scroll down.
**At Owl’s Nest, we value timeless stories—whether they were popular a year ago or a hundred years ago. We want to know what makes your story fit into the universal nature of the adolescent experience.
Your one-page synopsis is distinct from the plot summary included in your query letter and may be single-spaced. Your manuscript sample of twenty-five pages should be in 12-point font and double-spaced.
Please do not include any attachments. (Submissions sent by snail mail will be discarded unopened.) We accept agented* and unagented submissions.
Your query letter should include:
- Title, word count, genre, and audience
- A brief 1-3 paragraph plot summary
- A short bio mentioning your writing credentials (if applicable)
- 2-4 Comparative titles **from any era of publishing history
- Your email address, phone number, and social media links
Are you submitting a book that is the first of a series? We love that—especially if your series spans from a Middle Grade to a Teen audience. Be sure to indicate in your query letter that your book is the first in a series and be prepared to present a one-page series synopsis if we follow up and ask for it.
*For guidelines on how to submit an agented submission, scroll down.
**At Owl’s Nest, we value timeless stories—whether they were popular a year ago or a hundred years ago. We want to know what makes your story fit into the universal nature of the adolescent experience.
What Are We Looking For?
Owl's Nest publishes books for young people between the ages of 8-18 in all fiction genres. In your query letter, be sure to indicate your genre (and any sub-genres) and whether your book targets a Teen or Middle Grade audience. If your book falls between Teen and Middle Grade, let us know! We are happy to accept manuscripts that bridge the in-between years.
We are actively seeking series—especially series that span the Middle Grade to Teen audience.
We are accepting submissions for all fiction genres, but would love to see queries for our current wishlist:
For Middle Grade/Upper Middle Grade:
We are actively seeking series—especially series that span the Middle Grade to Teen audience.
We are accepting submissions for all fiction genres, but would love to see queries for our current wishlist:
For Middle Grade/Upper Middle Grade:
- Mystery
- Fantasy
- Sci/fi
- Historical
- Mystery
- Historical
- Contemporary
- Sci/fi
- Romance (No spice, please!)
What Are We Not Looking For?
Owl's Nest is currently closed to poetry submissions.
We do not publish nonfiction, erotica, adult fiction, early readers, picture books, or short story collections. Please also do not query us with anything that contains vivid or extensive descriptions of abuse or assault. (If it would require an R-rating to depict in a movie, it's not for us.)
*Please do not query us with unfinished manuscripts! If your book is still in progress (being written), in revisions, or otherwise not in a final draft format, hold off on that submission. You want to put your best foot forward, and that means submitting the most polished, complete, version of your work possible. We certainly don't expect manuscript submissions to be professionally edited, but querying a work that is unfinished is of no benefit to you as we will be unable to move forward with any submissions for works in progress.
*Please do not have your queries or manuscripts professionally edited before submitting to Owl's Nest. We expect your queries and manuscripts (if we request them) to be polished, but it is important at the querying stage that we see what you can do as a writer outside of a professional edit. If we acquire your manuscript, all editing will be done in-house.
*Please do not query us if you are a minor—you must be eighteen or older to publish with Owl's Nest Publishers.
We do not publish nonfiction, erotica, adult fiction, early readers, picture books, or short story collections. Please also do not query us with anything that contains vivid or extensive descriptions of abuse or assault. (If it would require an R-rating to depict in a movie, it's not for us.)
*Please do not query us with unfinished manuscripts! If your book is still in progress (being written), in revisions, or otherwise not in a final draft format, hold off on that submission. You want to put your best foot forward, and that means submitting the most polished, complete, version of your work possible. We certainly don't expect manuscript submissions to be professionally edited, but querying a work that is unfinished is of no benefit to you as we will be unable to move forward with any submissions for works in progress.
*Please do not have your queries or manuscripts professionally edited before submitting to Owl's Nest. We expect your queries and manuscripts (if we request them) to be polished, but it is important at the querying stage that we see what you can do as a writer outside of a professional edit. If we acquire your manuscript, all editing will be done in-house.
*Please do not query us if you are a minor—you must be eighteen or older to publish with Owl's Nest Publishers.
Please read through our FAQ Page before submitting to Owl's Nest Publishers as you will find more information there about what we do and do not accept for publication.
Writing for Owl's Nest Classics
*We are not currently accepting Classics submissions*
Agented Submissions
We are happy to accept agented submissions at Owl's Nest. If you are an agent looking to submit a manuscript for an author, please send your cover letter as an email to editor Karin Hoyle and the full manuscript attached as a Word document or PDF to [email protected]. Thank you!
- Please do not send a full book proposal
- Our timeline for responding to full manuscripts is 3-4 months
What to do if We Request a Full (or Partial) Manuscript
If we request your full (or partial) manuscript please attach it to an email as a Word document. We do not accept (unagented) pdfs, Google docs, or Pages. Format it as follows:
- 12 pt Times New Roman Font
- Double spaced (with all extra spaces between paragraphs deleted)
- 1" margins, 1/2" indents
Questions about our submissions process? Check out our FAQ Page. Still have questions? Feel free to reach out here:
