What Sort Of Books Does Macmillan New Writing Publish?

The following FAQ is for the benefit of writers from Macmillan New Writing.


What Sort Of Books Does Macmillan New Writing Publish?

We only publish complete and unpublished novels for adults, written in English, by authors who have not previously had a novel published.

What sort of books don’t you publish?

We don’t publish non-fiction, children’s books (including books written for young adults), poetry, short stories or novellas (defined as works under 60,000 words). If your work falls into any of these categories we regret we are unable to help.

How should I send you my novel?

Only emailed submissions can be considered (please see below for the email address). The email must include the novel’s title in the Subject line. The body of the email should contain a short synopsis and biographical note (including details of any previously published work), and the entire novel should be attached to the email as a single standard word-processing file, preferably Microsoft Word. Please do not send typescripts as individual chapter files, or as ‘compressed’, ‘zipped’ or password protected files.

Can I send more than one novel at a time?

If you wish to send multiple novels for consideration please send each one as a separate submission.

Do you accept hardcopy (printed) submissions, or submissions on disc or CD?

No, and unfortunately we are unable to return any typescripts sent to us in this way.

Will you consider incomplete novels or proposals for as yet unwritten novels?

No, we can only accept finished novels.

Do you accept submissions from authors whose work has previously been self-published, ‘vanity’ published or published electronically/online?

Yes.

Does MNW accept submissions from outside the UK?

Yes, a number of our authors live abroad.

Will MNW consider translations?

Yes, as long as the novel has already been translated into English.

How long will you take to decide if you want to publish my novel?

If we would like to publish your novel, we will let you know within twelve weeks of receipt. Unfortunately, due to the large number of submissions we receive, we are unable to respond to unsuccessful submissions. If you have not had a response within twelve weeks please assume that we have, regretfully, decided not to publish your novel.

How should my manuscript be formatted?

We prefer 12-point, Times New Roman, double line-spaced.

How long should my manuscript be?

Not less than 60,000 words or more than 130,000.

Can I resubmit a novel which has been declined by you in the past but which has been revised?

No, regrettably a decision to decline must be final.

To whom should my submission be addressed?

There’s no need to address it to a specific individual: if it is eligible and sent to the email address below it will be read and assessed by one of our team of editors.

I am a literary agent. Can I send you my client’s novel?

Yes, please follow the submissions procedure described above.

What are the terms of the MNW contract?

Macmillan New Writing pays its authors a 20% royalty on net receipts but does not pay an advance (i.e. an advance payment against future sales). Our contract is standard and non-negotiable and we acquire world rights in all titles, with rights revenue split 50/50. We also reserve the option to publish the author’s second novel. If we acquire an author’s second novel it and any subsequent novels we acquire will be published, with an advance, on negotiable terms.

Where should I send my novel?

Please email it to newwriting@macmillan.co.uk

Thank you very much for your interest. We look forward to hearing from you!


With best wishes from the editorial team at Macmillan New Writing.

Updated April 2010


Macmillan New Writing Editorial

Please note: due to the very large number of submissions we receive we are currently unable to respond to unsuccessful submissions, or enter into any correspondence regarding our reasons for declining to publish a novel. We do, however, promise to assess every eligible submission we receive.

Our terms: Macmillan New Writing pays its authors a 20% royalty on net receipts but does not pay an advance (i.e. an advance payment against future sales). Our contract is standard and non-negotiable and we acquire world rights in all titles, with rights revenue split 50/50. We also reserve the option to publish the author’s second novel. If we acquire an author’s second novel it and any subsequent novels we acquire will be published, with an advance, under negotiable terms.