How to Submit 
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Introduction
What to Submit
Manuscript Review Process
Sending Your Manuscript
Manuscript Formatting Criteria (MFC)
Contacting KOMENAR Publishing
KOMENAR Publishing is a mainstream fiction publishing house that believes a novel should be a compelling read. Readers are entitled to stories with strong forward momentum, engaging and dynamic characters, and evocative settings. KOMENAR Publishing seeks submissions that are excerpts from completed novels by writers who have not been published as novelists previously.
Writers should read through this entire document before deciding to submit to KOMENAR. Then writers should follow all directions and guidelines to have their work considered. Submissions sent to KOMENAR that do not follow our guidelines will be refused, returned to the sender if return postage is included, or discarded, all without being reviewed.
At the moment we are publishing mainstream novels by first-time novelists. Manuscripts may also be a bit genre. For example, we are interested in Literary, Mystery, Adventure, Social Cause, Suspense, Historical and Romance as well as General Fiction. We are unable to publish derivative fiction, or material that is strictly for a genre market such as Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, or Horror. We also don't anticipate publishing short story collections or anthologies for several more years. And we have no plans to publish any nonfiction.
At KOMENAR, we are committed to publishing compelling, page-turning books by talented and cooperative writers. We are different from many other publishers in that we are committed to helping author and novel succeed beyond the book's debut and initial three-month marketing push. Our goal is to give our authors the best opportunity in a competitive publishing marketplace. Author, publisher, and bookseller must work together and subscribe to the same truth: Success is measured by people willing to buy . . . and read . . . the book, then recommend that book to others.
KOMENAR is a small publishing house. Currently we publish two new titles per year in hardcover and trade paper. We hope to grow to six titles per year in hardcover and trade paper. Many writers send us their manuscripts, but only a few will be accepted for consideration and publication. That means that the extent to which you follow our submission guidelines and work with us will either raise your chances of being considered, or eliminate your book without a glance from our readers and editors.
TOP Your submission should be a unique story with strong forward momentum, engaging and dynamic characters, dialogue that reveals character and tantalizes the ear, and settings that evoke a place and time in which a reader will find a whole world.
We accept (unsolicited) twelve-page submissions as described in the next paragraph. That submission should include the first ten pages of a completed, polished novel of at least 60,000 words. Do not submit anything unless you are prepared to submit more or all of the manuscript as we request it. Full manuscripts are accepted only upon invitation from our acquisition editor.
Your Initial Manuscript Submission (IMS) should include a one-page cover letter with full contact information, a one-page biography, and the first ten pages of your manuscript. Do not send more than these twelve pages. Also please do not summarize, pitch or include a proposal or a synopsis of the plot unless we request it.
Our manuscript review and acquisition process runs year-round. You can send an Initial Manuscript Submission (IMS) at any time. Our goal is to respond in six weeks to three months. But that is not always possible. At different times of the year, response time can slow down considerably. Our ability to respond to your IMS is dependent on the book sales cycles in the industry and the availability of acquisition staff. Basically, we cannot acquire new manuscripts if our current titles need our sales and/or marketing attention.
After logging in an IMS, materials are initially evaluated, then reviewed by the acquisition editor. If the review is favorable, the writer will be contacted for more pages and/or a revision. Based on that interaction and result, more pages may be requested to be reviewed and possibly circulated among the review committee. From the review committee, a favorably reviewed manuscript can be sent on to the acquisition committee where the piece is considered for publication.
Then we develop an editing strategy for the manuscript, contact the submitting writer with our comments and concerns, and discuss our strategy regarding the novel. If everyone is in agreement and satisfied with the situation, we discuss the contract and schedule the novel for production.
Mail your submission to:
Acquisition Editor
KOMENAR Publishing
1756 Lacassie Avenue, Suite 202
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Include your return address on the outside of the envelope.
You may include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) or postcard to facilitate communication, but this is not necessary. Your email address will be equally helpful. Do not hand-deliver, email, or fax your submission.
Manuscript Formatting Criteria (MFC)
Please format and proof your work, using these Manuscript Formatting Criteria (MFC). Submissions that do not follow these guidelines will not be read. We accept multiple and simultaneous submissions. Questions about these guidelines and this process are welcome.
- Set margins for your manuscript pages at 1.25" on all sides.
- Double space all manuscript text.
- Include in either the header or footer page numbers, your first and last name, and the title of the book.
- Use a plain, standard font, such as Courier, Palatino, Georgia, New Century Schoolbook, or Courier New. Do not use Times Roman, Times New Roman, or any font that is small, narrow, big, or fancy.
- The font size should be 12 point.
- Print on one side of the paper only.
- Paragraphs should be indented three to five spaces. Do not put an extra return between paragraphs instead of indenting.
- Send only manuscripts that have been checked for spelling, grammar, and punctuation, especially regarding dialogue.
- Spacing between a period and the first word of the next sentence should be two spaces for those pages you are submitting in this initial submission.
- Do not staple your submission.
Please email questions about our guidelines and the submission process
to
info@komenarpublishing.com.
Please do not call or email KOMENAR to check to see if your submission has been received. Postcards included to be used to show receipt are also not a good strategy. Instead mail your submission using service(s) offered by the U. S. Postal Service to confirm our receipt of your materials. And don't send anything with special "fast" delivery. Nothing in this industry responds well to speed or impatience.
After four months, if you are still awaiting a response to your submission, please email KOMENAR at the above email address. We will respond to your email. And, please email KOMENAR staff directly only if you are invited to do so. Invitation will be obvious when you receive an email with an individual's private business email.
When telephoning KOMENAR, please be prepared to leave a message, and include your telephone number and your email address. Depending on when individuals are able to respond, email may be a more likely form of reply. Frequently time differences and work habits make a return telephone call impossible.
Above all, please understand that KOMENAR has a hard-working staff that will respond to requests for information or answers to questions. We share this reader/writer community with you as industry professionals, and as writers and readers ourselves.