Dark Coast Press
Submission Guidelines
Dark Coast Press publishes works of literary fiction, metafiction, poetry, postmodern, abstract, and avant-garde writing.
We do not publish the following: mass market fiction, popular fiction, genre fiction, fantasy fiction, mystery/crime/thriller fiction, non-fiction, inspirational prose/poetry, cookbooks, self-help books, religious or political propaganda, etc.
. . . With that said, we will publish any of the aforementioned genres if it is predominantly a literary work. We always place craft and invention above ‘genre.’ We just don’t like poorly written books.
We publish full-length paperback and hardbound books, special editions, and e-books.
We publish single piece submissions in The Gallery at darkcoastpress.com, a free monthly gallery of new writing on www.darkcoastpress.com.
We have a love affair with good writing and maintain rigorous editorial standards based on the content, aesthetics, and craft of the works we choose to publish. Please take this into account when submitting your work.
We accept both mail and electronic submissions. However, we highly suggest that submissions of full-length work (w/ accompanying materials) should be sent by mail (US Post Office, FedEx, UPS, etc.) to the address below:
Dark Coast Press
Attn: Submissions
6201 15th Avenue NW, Suite 330
Seattle, WA 98107
When submitting electronically, include your full name and title of work in the header. Please send electronic submissions by email to:
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When submitting full-length work, please send 3–5 chapter samples or excerpts from the full manuscript. No more than 30 pages. If we are considering the piece we will contact you requesting the full work.
When submitting single-piece submissions for The Gallery at darkcoastpress.com, please send 1 story, and no more than 3 poems, per submission.
Send all submissions with a descriptive query letter that appropriately outlines and summarizes your work.
Include (in or alongside your query) a personal statement, biographical sketch, or résumé summarizing your history, most recent past publication, and achievements. If you have none of those things (which is quite fine with us, honestly), a creative description of your work, as well as your thoughts, intentions, and goals as an author.
When submitting by mail, please include a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE) with your submission to receive a written reply. If we receive any paper mail without a SASE it will be confidentially disposed.
Multiple submissions are okay. (If a work has been accepted by another publisher please do the courtesy of letting us know by email so that we may discard the work as soon as possible.)
Simultaneous submissions are okay. (If a work has been accepted by another publisher please do the courtesy of letting us know by email so that we may discard the work as soon as possible.)
Please allow 1–3 months response time for manuscript submissions, and 2–4 weeks for single-piece submissions. We will always try to reply sooner if we are able.
Please follow all Submission Guidelines as accurately as possible to insure that all necessary information accompanies your submission. We tend to take partial submissions less seriously a) because the author did not follow instructions and b) we have less information available to us to inform our reading and decisions on the work. So, please follow these Guidelines to the best of your ability. Thank you in advance for allowing us to preview your work, we consider it a privilege and look forward to reading it.
