Our Guidelines
Fantastic Books Publishing is currently CLOSED for submissions, but we can still provide editorial support - read on to learn the details.
EXISTING AUTHORS who have new work to show us, please email fbp-publicity@outlook.com first with a brief summary of the work you want us to look at and we will tell you how, what and when to submit. Please note we can only offer this service to authors who already appear on our Authors page.
Our reader report service has proved very popular. Authors contact us all the time to say how useful they have found the advice given. Whilst we are closed for new submissions we can no longer subsidise this service to the same level but some of our freelance editors will provide editorial advice at closer to commercial rates.
We can only provide editorial support on work that falls into the following categories:
- Fiction
- Non-fiction
- Local or corporate history
- Short stories
If you wish to submit your work, please read the guidelines and follow them to the letter. Please be clear that this is a commercial service charged at commercial rates.
Please note that for work received that does not meet the guidelines we reserve the right either to provide a report based on the guidelines (e.g. by assessing only that part which falls within the appropriate word count) or to return the fee. Work sent by post will only be returned if a stamped self-addressed envelope of sufficient size and with sufficient postage is included.
Guidelines and charges
Please send the following:
1. GUIDELINES
a. Full-length fiction
1. A cover letter giving a brief introduction to you and your work (the genre, the length, is the manuscript complete, have you previously had work published)
2. A synopsis (we recommend this to be 500 to 750 words)
3. The opening chapters up to around 3000 words - see length guidelines under Charges below
b. Non-fiction
1. A cover letter giving a brief introduction that demonstrates your expertise in your chosen subject area, and your previous publication record if any.
2. A proposal outlining the primary target markets and a provisional contents list
3. A sample chapter that, along with the proposal, meets the word count requirements set out below.
c. Local or corporate history
1. A cover letter giving a brief introduction explaining why you are writing this book and your previous publication record if any.
2. A proposal outlining the intended book structure
3. A sample chapter that, along with the proposal, meets the word count requirements set out below.
d. Short stories
1. A cover letter giving a brief introduction to you and your work, including genre
2. One short story, not exceeding the word count requirements as set out below.
Your work should be double-spaced and in a standard font such as Times New Roman at a readable size, e.g. 12 pt.
2. CHARGES
Our editorial fee is £85.00 per 1000 (or part 1000) words up to a total of 4000 words. Word count excludes the cover letter, the proposal (for non-fiction) and the synopsis (for fiction). i.e.
- up to 1000 words : £85.00
- up to 2000 words : £170.00
- up to 3000 words : £255.00
- up to 4000 words : £340.00
If you wish to send a longer piece of work you must enquire first to fbp-publicity@outlook.com.
You can pay by PayPal, UK cheque or UK postal order - see below for details.
What to send and where
You can send your work to us by email or post.
Email: send to FBP-Publicity@outlook.com Put SUBMISSION EDITORIAL REPORT in the subject line - note that if you do not use this subject header, there could be a delay in your work being received in the correct department. Include the cover letter and the material required by the above guidelines as attachments (Word, RTF, or TXT).
Post: Postal submissions should be sent to:
Fantastic Books Publishing
Lilac Tree Farm
Honey Pots Lane
Elstronwick
HU12 9BP
UK
Mark your envelope: SUBMISSION EDITORIAL REPORT. Note that if you do not mark the envelope in this way, there could be a delay in your work being received in the correct department.
Payment by cheque: If you would like to pay by cheque or postal order, please make it payable to Fantastic Books Publishing but note we CANNOT accept non-UK cheques or postal orders (sorry).
Payment by PayPal: Payments in GBP should be made to fantasticbookspublishing@gmail.com. Make a note of the PayPal reference to include in your cover letter.
Return of work or acknowledgement of receipt: If you want your work to be returned by post please include an SAE and ensure the envelope is of sufficient size and is stamped with sufficient postage. The editorial report for work submitted as hardcopy can be sent by email if you prefer, but in this case, make sure you include the correct email address. If you want acknowledgement of receipt of your work, either put a read-receipt on your email or include a stamped, self-addressed postcard.
The process
The editors will make every effort to return your report within a maximum of five months from the time it is received in the editorial department - make sure that you label your email subject line or envelope in the way asked for above or you might delay receipt of your work. If the work can be turned round quicker than this it will be, but note that in exceptional circumstances it may take up to six months. If you haven’t heard from us after 4 months, please query by email and we will let you know where your work is in the process and when you can expect a response.
Click to read about our Fantastic team or press onwards to check out our process