ALL SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED
Guideline for The Growlery Submissions
The Growlery, Run Amok Books‘ new blog about writers and writing, is seeking essays in the 500-1000 word range. What exactly are we looking for? Well, like our publisher, we tend toward the obscure and the strange, the irreverent and the profane. We love experimental forms and diverse voices. Above all, we love stories. We believe the story is better than the truth. Or maybe the story is the truth.
We are looking for submissions for the following regular features:
Greatest Misses: Writers On Failure. We want to hear about the story idea that was perfect in your head but fizzled on the page, the novel that stalled after three chapters or that you couldn‘t rein in even after a few hundred thousand words, the unanswered query letters, the emails wishing you the best of luck placing this story/poem/essay elsewhere. We’re not sadists, but simply forever impressed by the way writers sneer in the face of disappointment and keep coming.
Killer Reviews. Writers love and fear reader reviews at the same time, which is what makes them an interesting topic to explore. Here authors discuss reviews they love, chuckle at, and/or are perplexed by.
The Workshop Experience. We’ve all been there, man. Tell us about the inspiring and mortifying, the insane and heartbreaking, the awkward and hopeful moments from your time in creative writing workshops.
What The Hell Am I Thinking: Writers On Why They Write. Why did you start writing? Why are you still at it? What motivates you and what does it mean to call yourself a writer? What the hell are you thinking?
PLEASE, PLEASE read a few posts on the blog to get a sense of the direction we‘re going before you submit. Submissions should be NO LONGER than 1000 words.
We are using STACK Submissions Manager. Follow the link below to submit. (You need to register first--requires an email and password only.)
SUBMISSIONS: In fiction, we are looking for works with marginalized voices, out of the ordinary stories, and anything that might be considered off-the beaten-path (yes, the fringe). However, keep in mind that we are generally not fans of vampires, zombies, or anything that involves magic wands and the likes. We publish adult fiction only--mainly crime and some literary fiction. No YA fiction please. Also note that we NO LONGER publish poetry. We are not actively looking for nonfiction; however, if we were, we prefer humorous memoirs, essays and creative nonfiction. Please no cookbooks, and nothing related to health, spirituality, or religion (see above motto). In fiction, we’ll look at just about anything. That’s about it. So fire away.
HOW TO SUBMIT: Submit a cover letter, synopsis, and the full ms through STACK (the button is above). Please make sure that your name is on the manuscript somewhere.
We will respond with an initial e-mail to let you know we have received your submission. A final decision can take anywhere between 2 weeks and 6 months. Apologies for that, but we are a small press and our staff and resources are limited.
ACCEPTANCE: Please be aware that we will take the quality of the ms into account while we are reviewing it. If we feel it is not ready to publish as is (or very close to it), we will most likely reject it. If we love the book and feel that it’s ready to publish, we’ll begin negotiating a contract with the author. At that time, we will also discuss an author's advance and author’s royalty rates, as well as the publishers and authors responsibilities for getting the book to press.
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