Shearsman Books

Genres

Submission guidelines

Shearsman Books is not currently accepting new book manuscripts but hope to reopen in 2027. Manuscript submissions are to be sent by post or by PDF/email. Only poetry is considered, along with poetry-focused essays and criticism, and occasional memoirs by poets already published by the press. What to send: An introductory letter with a biographical note and a list of prior publications must accompany every submission, explaining why the writer is submitting to Shearsman. Submissions without an accompanying letter are rejected. Genre: Poetry only, plus essays and literary criticism focused on poetry, and occasional memoirs by already-published Shearsman poets. Fiction, children's books (including poetry for children) and works of a religious nature are not accepted. Illustrations are not published except in rare circumstances. Track record: The majority of the manuscript should already have appeared in UK, Irish, Antipodean or North American magazines of repute, online or in print. Anthology publication paid for by the author does not count. Length: A manuscript must fill at least 60 pages (A5 or half-letter size, 11-point font, standard spacing). First-time submitters: send no more than 6-10 pages from the manuscript. More will be requested if wanted. Format: Electronic submissions should be embedded in the body of the email rather than sent as attachments, unless the attachment is a PDF. Links to documents held in the cloud are not followed. Address: Postal submissions go to Shearsman Books Ltd, PO Box 4239, Swindon SN3 9FN, England. A return envelope with sufficient British postage must be included or the manuscript will not be returned; insufficient postage means the submission is destroyed unacknowledged. Email: editor_AT_shearsman_DOT_com (remove the underscores and insert the usual versions of AT and DOT), or use the form on the contact page for PDF submissions.

Response time

Assume no reply = no after 12 weeks

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