Unlike most publishers, we do accept unsolicited submissions.

You can send your work directly to our editorial team by email. Please send a synopsis and complete manuscript via email to: submissions@johnwilkes.co.uk

Manuscript Guidelines

In the first instance, please send the following:

• Cover letter

• A synopsis and complete manuscript

• Word count (of complete manuscript)

• Genre and target audience

• Your name and contact details

• Any relevant information about the author should also be included

• Please send all material for review as a single Word document or PDF file format

Electronic versions of your manuscript should be in one file and not separate files for each chapter or section. Use Microsoft Word format and 12pt Times New Roman font.

Publishing Process

Once your submission is received it is considered for publication by an editor, who will assess content, subject matter and suitability.

If the editor considers the work to be appropriate for our lists, we will put forward an offer of publication, either under a traditional contract or a hybrid publishing contract.

Good luck!

Advice about submissions

If you are interested in being published by us, we’d recommend finding yourself an agent first. Here are some tips on how you can do this:

The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook is a good place to start. This directory is updated annually and also offers good advice for where to begin on finding an agent. Research agencies and familiarise yourself with their submission guidelines and clients. Often, agencies prefer you to submit to only one agent so do spend some time working out which agents represent books like yours and might best respond to your manuscript.

Take the time to work on your submission and think about your synopsis, sample material and cover letter carefully. A synopsis should be about a page long and doesn’t need to contain a breakdown of the plot developments of every chapter.

In a cover letter, it might be useful to include some information about yourself, whether you’ve written anything before, why you’ve chosen to submit your work to this particular agent and a very short pitch for the book. Do tailor your letter to personally address the agent you are submitting to, rather than sending a blanket letter and don’t forget to include your contact details.

If it’s fiction you’re writing, make sure the manuscript is complete and the best it can possibly be. For non-fiction, your proposal should contain an overview and sample material, and should make clear why you’re best placed to write the book. First impressions do count, so edit, edit, edit.

Here are some links to further advice; how to write fiction here, how to get published here and here, and how to get a literary agent here.