Submissions

How to Submit

 Last updated September 10, 2020

We are looking for all works, especially those from and about underrepresented voices. This includes, but not limited to, authors who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and/or neurodiverse. The world needs more diverse voices and our goal is to do just that.

What we’re looking for:

        Full-length novels, novellas, and short story compilations. We primarily publish Sci/Fi and Fantasy but will make exceptions for all great stories.

Starting in 2022, we will be publishing novella series and releasing them on a quarterly schedule. Every 4 novellas under a single title published will be considered a season. There are 4 remaining slots available. Please let us know if your submission is for one of the novella series slots.

Guidelines for all submissions:

        Anthologies:

        Anthology submission guidelines can be found on each anthologies individual page.

        Short Story Compilations:

                All compilations must be complete and polished before submission. Compilations must have no less than 10 stories and be no shorter than 45,000 words.

        Novellas:

                All novella submissions must be between 20,000 and 40,000 words. We are accepting novellas and novella series aimed towards audiences young adults and up. For novella series for quarterly publication please include a break-down of the 3 novellas that would come after and any plots planned for multiple seasons. Please let us know if you intend it to be published as a single or multiple season title.

        Full-Length Novels:

                All adult novels are to be over 75,000 words. Young adult novels can be as short as 60,000 words and middle-grade readers as short as 45,000.

What We’re NOT Looking for:

        VeL does not accept works that are published elsewhere, in any format. This includes all forms of digital self-publishing as well as free to read blogs.

What’s Our Approach to Publishing your Story:

        Each story that gets selected for publication under VeL will undergo a start to finish approach. We get the book together from cover art to copy edits. Once published the author/creator will receive a percentage of EACH sale while VeL undertakes the bulk of the marketing. We do encourage all authors and creators to market as much or as little as they see fit but we believe that for great stories to be created all authors and creators should be allowed the time to do just that instead of being forced to take on another role just so the story succeeds.

What we pay: 

        The percentage will be determined in negotiations. The average for our authors is 25% of the profit.

What rights does VeL to the story? 

        Our contract covers the right to publish the story in print, audio, and ebook formats, worldwide, in English. We hope to expand and publish all titles in a variety of different languages as soon as we are able. Most of our physical books will be published as Print on Demands or P.O.D.s as of now. 

How to Submit for Short Story Compilations: 

        Please submit all completed and polished short story submissions for consideration by emailing Submissions@voxetliber.com with the subject of “TITLE a Short Story Collection” with a query letter, Docx file, and PDF file attached. Please do not copy and paste your submission into the body of the email. Allow up to 8 weeks for us to get back to you.

How to Submit for Novellas: 

        Please submit your novellas, those considered for quarterly series or not, through email to Submissions@voxetliber.com as a Docx file and a PDF file. The subject line should read “TITLE: A Quarterly Novella Pilot” or just “TITLE: A Novella”. With your novella please send a query letter. For those submitting novellas for a quarterly series slot please also send a short 1-2 page outline that lays out the plot and any plans for all four novella releases of the year under this title e.g. what the overarching plot is as well as the plot of each installment. Please allow up to 6-7 weeks for us to get back to you.

How to Submit for Tradition Novels: 

        Please submit the first 5 chapters of your novel through email to Submissions@voxetliber.com as a Docx file and a PDF file. The subject line should read “TITLE: Novel”. Also, provide a query letter for your title. Please allow up to 12-14 weeks for us to get back to you.

What We’re Looking for in a Query Letter*:

  • The housekeeping: your book’s genre/category, word count, title/subtitle
  • The hook: the description of your story and the most critical query element; 150-300 words is sufficient for most narrative works
  • Bio note: something about yourself, usually 50-100 words
  • Thank you & closing: about a sentence

Great Resources

For Query Letter Writing:

For Writers – General