Welcome!

Monarch is interested in publishing titles that appeal to K12 readers. We are a traditional publishing company. We are not a hybrid or vanity press and never have been. We only publish clean reads. Please read our clean reads policy to see if our guidelines match your author mission. We are searching for books that are for schools, libraries, and homeschool families seeking high-quality books that are clean. 

If you have a story that needs to be told, share it with Monarch. Surprise us! Make us laugh. Bring on the tears. Let us escape in your world for a little while! Thank you for trusting us with your gifts God has given you. Thanks for honoring your blank page. Due to our large number of submissions we've received and the addition of new authors to our collection of K12 books, we will close our open submissions at this time, but will reopen soon! 

**If you'd like to know our definition of clean reads, we do not publish any mature-rated scenes, racist or derogatory works, profanity, or material that is explicit. No sexually explicit references allowed. If you have romance in your novel, understand we are a sweet romance company (light kisses, hand holding, no heat). If you are unsure if your work is clean fiction, reach out. We will be happy to let you know our publishing standards.**

We're currently in the market for the following: 

• YA Thriller
• YA Horror 
• Upper MG Fantasy (Animal Fantasy - like Redwall)

What we are NOT looking for:

• Gift books (journals, etc.)
• Picture book author's who don't illustrate
• Erotica
• Short stories
• Anthologies
• Novellas
• Material for Adult Audiences
• Screenplays
• Materials not suited for school audiences

When we do reopen, here is what we would like to receive: 

Please send a one-page query letter that includes all of your social media links, a synopsis, and the first three chapters of the completed manuscript to query.monarchpress@gmail.com for review. In the subject line include QUERY - TITLE - GENRE - AUTHOR NAME. No attachments. Include all of your material in the body of the email. Please include your marketing plan in the body of the email. Our response time will be 4-6 weeks.  If we want to read more of your work, we will request a Google Doc submission with commenting rights for editorial review. 

For Caterpillar Books, we would love a one-page query letter that includes all of your social media links, synopsis, and first three chapters of the completed manuscript to query.monarchpress@gmail.com for review. In the subject line include QUERY - TITLE - GENRE - AUTHOR NAME. No attachments. Include all of your material in the body of the email. Our response time will be 4-6 weeks.  If we want to read more of your work, we will request a Google Doc submission with commenting rights for editorial review. 

Picture Books -Please send a one-page query letter and your full manuscript in a Google Doc with commenting rights for editorial review. Include your illustrations. If you are not an author/illustrator, please do not submit to Monarch at this time. We are only taking picture book submissions where the author will illustrate their work. Please include your marketing plan in the body of the email. 

Don't stress over the query letter. Let us know about your story. What's the genre? How many words does your manuscript have? Who's your audience? What's it all about? Then, let tell us who you are and why your book matters! Please include your bio, social media links, publishing history, etc. We will follow you on social media to get to know more about you and your literary world! In your marketing plan, please let us know how you plan to market and promote your book. Let us know your goals and action steps. 

1. Make sure you have a completed manuscript that is polished. ProWritingAid and Grammarly are an author's best friend (free versions are awesome)! Are you a member of a writing group? Do you have beta readers? It's wise to let others take a look at your manuscript. 

2. Do your research. Do you have a manuscript that fits our mission at Monarch? Would we be a good fit? Have you written a book that is clean and ready for a classroom? If so, make sure you follow the guidelines above.

3. A query letter is a one-page showcase of your book and shares your experiences as an author. You are the champion of your story, and there's no one better to tell your story than you! Have no fear when creating your query, but still understand there is an industry standard of expectation of what a query highlights. There are great sites available to you to help you craft a query and samples might help you get started. Let's just get straight to the point of the purpose of the query to take away your fear. The purpose of that one-page introduction will highlight your novel, who you are as a writer, and why your book matters. 

4. It's important to understand that your author platform begins the moment you put a word on a blank page. Please share your social media sites and platform reach. Are you actively engaging with the writing community? Who's your ideal reader? Add your social media links to your query. We will follow you!

5. What experiences do you have that could contribute to your author career? Have you entered literary contests? Have you been previously published? Tell us about it. 

6. A synopsis isn't a dreaded extra something we added to our submission guidelines just to cause you pain. We really want to experience your story from beginning, middle, AND end. Yes, tell us the ending. Who's important to the story? What are their motivations? Why is it important to advance the plot? What is the plot? Please keep your synopsis to no more than three pages. Imagine sitting at a coffee shop with us. We're surrounded by soft music, peppermint mocha and fudge is in the air (I like chocolate) ... pitch that book before the coffee gets cold. 

7. Make sure you include everything in the body of the email. Attachments won't be opened. Start with the query. Follow up with the synopsis. Then, include your first three chapters in the body of the email. 

Here are some great sites that can help you learn more about how to query and write a synopsis. 

The Complete Guide to Query Letters by Jane Friedman

How to Write a Query Letter in 7 Simple Steps from Reedsy

How to Write a Compelling Synopsis: Your Simple Guide by Jerry Jenkins

Learn How to Write a Synopsis Like a Pro by Courtney Carpenter, Writer's Digest

Dr.  Jennifer Ikner Lowry's favorite author is Kate DiCamillo. She loves  absolutely everything by her and feels magic happen to the world when  she reads Kate's work. Jen's favorite book by Kate is The Miraculous  Journey of Edward Tulane. The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White, the  works of Roald Dahl, and Stephanie Meyer also have a way of transporting  Jen to joyful places. Jen adores Tolkien, Bradbury, and SO many others.  Jen loves The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde and A Walk to Remember. Horror and Thrillers are her favorite! Her list continues to grow as she surrounds herself with books  that matter! She's looking for the next Beverly, Bilbo, Scout, and  Jamie.

Solomon  Lowry's an avid reader of Native American history, dystopian and  contemporary fiction. His favorites include 1984, Animal Farm, Of Mice and Men, All Quiet on the Western Front, Fahrenheit 451 ... and the list  goes on and on. He's interested in literary fiction, memoirs, and  biographies. Solomon is currently interning at  Monarch. He's a Geographical Enginner and has just started his career! Congrats, Solomon! 

Samuel  Lowry's all about fantasy, dystopian, and anime. His favorite books are  LOTR, Fahrenheit 451, and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Samuel is a Native American  singer and drummer in Young Waters Drum Group. Sam dances Eastern War and Eastern Woodland. Catch Sam at the next powwow! 

As you can see, Monarch is a family business. Jen has the help of her amazing family, who she leans on for support and guidance. Her #TeamMonarch authors are truly phenomenal. They've rallied around Monarch and our mission! All of us believe that providing high-quality clean reads that matter for our K12 readers is worth all the hard work it is taking to build our company. Every publishing company has to start somewhere ... and here we are. We are small, but we serve a mighty God. We are so thankful for your support of our authors!