Submission Tips

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 on the How to Submit page. 

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.