Propertius Press
There are presently no open calls for submissions.
Greetings,
We are a small, not-for-profit, independent traditional publisher of high-quality literary fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and short-story anthologies. (Not-for-profit = we are not a non-profit and we are not tax-exempt. We pay taxes and operate a little like a cooperative.)
SUBMISSIONS CURRENTLY CLOSED. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK.
We are looking for timeless, engaging, fulfilling works that will be just as vibrant and satisfying years from now as they are today. Therefore, if you are writing to a popular youth-oriented market or your work is based on the latest fantasy genre (superpowers, demonic possession, vampires, angels, and the like) then we are probably not the publisher for you. This is not to say we will automatically reject a story with imaginative use of the plausible impossible - it just shouldn't be the main characteristic of the work. Before you submit your work, ask this provocative but very important question: will it age well?
If you'd like to know more about who we are and what we're looking for, please check out our website at www.propertiuspress.com. You can also follow us on Tumblr, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Submitted works should be in standard manuscript format (see William Shunn's excellent guide) and submitted in rtf, .odt, doc, or docx file format. Please make sure your name, email address, word or line count, and title of your story are on the first page of your manuscript. Do include a short bio of less than 50 words; you may do so in your query letter if you like. Submissions should be carefully edited for spelling, grammar, punctuation (aka GSP), and syntax. We follow Chicago Manual of Style, which means, among other things, that correct comma use includes serial (aka Oxford) commas. However, we do not consider it appropriate for GSP to interfere with a writer's cultural or ethnic style as far as it reflects their identity and the authenticity of the writing.
We try to remain fairly informal and open in our submission requirements, but we should say that extensive lists of marketing material, strategies, etc., aren't going to put you up at the head of the pack, so to speak. We'd like to read your submission and time is precious. A brief list of previous publications is nice, and we'd like to know who you are and why you've chosen us. Feel free to include links to your website and social media. If we make you an offer, we'll need your complete contact information, so include that in your query as well, and thank you. Finally, we must have confirmation that any previously published work is out of print, has reverted to the author, and there are no copyright infringements.
Please note: If your submission has been published in any format, including self-publication, you must state this in your query letter. This also includes previously published works for which the publication rights have reverted to the Author. Failure to disclose this may result in your submission being rejected (yes, we do check). ALSO - please let us know if you decide to publish with someone else, or if you make other arrangements for publication, by withdrawing your submission. This is a courtesy and is greatly appreciated.
Due to an unusual number of duplicate submissions and submissions in the wrong category, causing some categories to close when the submission cap was reached prematurely, we have deleted those submissions to enable additional submissions.
PLEASE ENSURE YOU ARE SUBMITTING IN THE CORRECT CATEGORY.
WE CANNOT EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH. It is patently unfair to your fellow writers to purposely submit in the wrong category or submit multiple times on the chance that the submission might have a better shot at acceptance. We assure you, quite the opposite is the case. Please do not annoy your reviewers and clog up the queue for other writers.
PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL SUBMISSIONS. THEY WILL BE REJECTED.
Thank you so much for your interest in our small, independent, not-for-profit press. We look forward to reading your words :)
Presently we are scheduling works for the 2024-25 publication calendar, and later. Generally you should expect a window of 12 - 18 months after acceptance before your work would be published, and in certain cases, it can be longer. If you'd rather not wait, you may wish to publish elsewhere. This window does not include any time that you choose to take to materially rework a manuscript after it is accepted.
We will contact you within the length of time specified under each category, should we require more information. If we do not contact you, you may inquire via email but we honestly may not have time to respond until we get to your submission. Rest assured we do read each and every one, and when we have made a decision, we will contact you.
One last thought - you might want to reflect on the differences between a small press and the Big Publishers. When a writer looks into working with a small, independent press, what are the expectations, realistically? What do small presses do that Big Publishers don't (or can't)? What are the challenges?
If you've not yet been published, there are lots of great articles that give insight into what to expect. Here are two that I found particularly applicable to working with us. Read them both and do a bit of your own research. It will more than likely be eye-opening.
https://www.janefriedman.com/small-press/
Thanks so much for your interest in our publishing company. Check our website for more information about us, and to see our catalogue. You may wish to follow us on Tumblr, Instagram, or LinkedIn for the freshest news about our work.