Black Lawrence Press seeks to publish intriguing books of literature: novels, short story collections, poetry; also considered are memoirs (query first). General submissions are read during our open submissions period(s).
Black Lawrence Press does not publish:
Children's books, inspirational books, overly graphic novels, haiku, or most poetry employing extensive end-rhyme. Translations are considered from the French and German only; however, Black Lawrence Press does not anticipate publishing translations in 2006 or 2007.
To get an idea of the kind of literary work that we are interested in, please see sample issues of The Adirondack Review, the on-line literary quarterly published by Black Lawrence Press. TAR publishes an eclectic mix of fresh voices in literature, as well as interviews, art, photography, and French and German translations. Poets whose work has appeared in the Review include: Denise Duhamel, R.T. Smith, Timothy Liu, Lola Haskins, Walt McDonald, Lee Upton, D.C. Berry, James Reidel, Ilya Kaminsky, as well as many newcomers.
If you would like to save a little on postage, consider sending only the first 60 pages of your novel so that we can get an idea of your manuscript, along with your own brief synopsis of the novel. If we would like to see more, we will request the rest of the manuscript.
Please remember to proofread your manuscript, or have someone you trust do it for you. Sloppy manuscripts with bad grammar, spelling, and punctuation do not make a good impression. You worked hard on your manuscript; give it the care it deserves.
Self-addressed, stamped postcards with the following words may be included to confirm receipt of manuscript:
"Black Lawrence Press has received your manuscript [or entry in the case of a contest submission]. Please expect a reply within 12 to 16 weeks for regular submissions [or by published deadlines for contests]."
Please do not enclose a SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) for return of manuscripts; all manuscripts will be recycled. For this reason, do not send the only copy of your manuscript.
All submissions must be sent through the United States Postal Service; do not send submissions using UPS or FedEx.
Black Lawrence Press does not accept e-mail submissions of any kind.
Please be patient; since we have a small staff, it may be three to four months before you hear back from us. If after four months you have still not received a response to your manuscript, please feel free to contact us.
