The Emma Press

Submission guidelines

Closed to new submissions while the May 2026 window is read, and planning to reopen in winter 2026; watch the submissions page or newsletter. Outside a window, emailed proposals are deleted. Eligibility: submissions from anywhere in the world, written in or translated into English, unagented only (the press has a no agents policy). One submission per author per window; simultaneous submissions are fine, just withdraw if you accept an offer elsewhere. No picture books, no poetry anthologies and no short story collections at present. How to submit, when open: write a proposal covering what the book is, who it speaks to, why it fits the press, your expectations, how you would help publicise it, and a bio of about 150 words. Buy a give-what-you-can submission ticket from the webshop (free tickets are available), then upload the proposal and a writing sample of about 4,000 words to Submittable as a doc, odt or pdf file, ideally in one document. Poetry pamphlets: a proposal and at least ten pages of poems, or the full manuscript; a full pamphlet is about 23 pages. Children's poetry and fiction, for readers aged eight and up: a proposal with at least ten pages of poems, or sample chapters covering at least a third of the book. Children's fiction runs to about 24,000 words and collections to around 35 to 45 poems. Essays and novellas: the press specialises in shorter prose of 15,000 to 20,000 words and is unlikely to publish over 25,000. Novellas need a synopsis of about 300 words, spoilers included. Translations: always welcome in the round's genres; samples may be shorter. Include a synopsis and details of eligible funding, and check World English rights are available. Terms: a small advance (£50 for poetry and children's books, £100 for adult prose), royalties and ten author copies. Everyone gets a reply, within six months, without individual feedback. Low-income writers based in the Midlands are automatically considered for development opportunities with The Literary Consultancy.