Submission Guidelines

Silver Current Press reads with care. Submissions are received only at certain times of year, and only along the routes set out below. These guidelines exist so that we may give your work the attention it deserves, and so that you may know what to expect from us in return.

When the gate is open

Open submission windows are announced on the home page and in the press's Substack. Outside of those windows, we cannot read unsolicited manuscripts. Solicited and previously requested manuscripts are read year-round.

What we read

Literary fiction (novels and story collections), narrative nonfiction (memoir, essay, the literary lecture), and poetry of formal accomplishment. We do not read genre fiction (romance, thriller, fantasy, horror, sci-fi) unless its literary intent is clear. We do not read children's books, screenplays, or self-help.

How to submit

• Query first. Send the first ten pages of the manuscript and a one-page query letter to james@silvercurrentpress.com, with the subject line QUERY · [Genre] · [Title].
• Manuscript on request only. We do not accept full manuscripts at first contact.
• Send in 12-point serif type, double-spaced, with numbered pages and your name on every page. PDF or DOCX.
• Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please withdraw your work promptly if it is placed elsewhere.
• No reading fees. Ever.

What we promise

Every query is read by James Mulhern personally. We acknowledge receipt within seven days and answer queries within ninety days. If we ask to read the full manuscript, we will respond within one hundred and twenty days. If we have not written to you within those windows, please write again — your message may have been lost.

What we cannot promise

We cannot answer specific reasons for a decline, nor offer line-by-line critique in our reply. Authors who wish a detailed reader's report should consider the press's manuscript evaluation service, which is offered as a separate paid engagement and carries no expectation of acceptance for publication. Use of that service neither helps nor harms a future submission.

Rights and contract

Acceptance for publication is followed by a written agreement. Silver Current Press offers a clear, author-favourable contract: world rights for a defined term, reasonable royalty rates, plain language, and reversion of rights if a title goes out of print. We negotiate openly and answer every question.

What is confidential

Submitted manuscripts are read only by the press. They are not shared, are not shown to other authors, and are deleted from our records once a decision has been communicated, unless the work is accepted. Your work is your own. See the Privacy Policy for the press's information practices.

A final word

We are a small press, and we publish few books. Most queries, however accomplished, must be declined for reasons that have to do with the press's slate and resources, not with the work itself. Please take a decline as the partial answer it is, and write again when the next book is ready.