Red Deer Press Submission Guidelines

Red Deer Press is an award–winning publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, children's illustrated books, juvenile fiction, teen fiction, drama and poetry. We endeavour to choose manuscripts clearly suited to our publishing program, which you may learn more about at this website. Our publishing program is full for the coming year and for the next three years in the children's picture book, juvenile and teen fiction categories, thus, we are only accepting unsolicited Children's and Non–fiction submissions with exceptional potential. Red Deer Press receives 2000+ manuscripts per year and publishes 18–20 new books, so submission caveats apply. We publish books that are written or illustrated by Canadians and that are about or of interest to Canadians. Approximately 20% of our program is comprised of first–time authors and illustrators. In the children's picture book category, we prefer manuscripts from established authors with a demonstrable record of publishing success.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to our government funding and grants, we are limited to publishing books that are written or illustrated by Canadians and that are about or of interest to Canadians.

Writer's submission guidelines:

1. Use 8 1/2 x 11" bond paper with good quality ink.
2. Type double–spaced on one side of paper only.
3. Include full name and address in upper left–hand corner of first page.
4. Put approximate word count in the upper right–hand corner of first page.
5. Number all pages and do not staple.
6. Enclose a self–addressed stamped envelope (Canadian postage) for our reply and the return of your manuscript, if you so wish. Canadians submitting manuscripts from outside Canada, use an International Reply Coupon available at any post office.
7. Submit only one manuscript at a time.
8. For children's picture books and young adult fiction, please submit the entire manuscript. For all others, a synopsis or summary plus sample chapters or poems are acceptable.
9. Include a cover letter that outlines your writing experience, any special expertise you have on your topic, the subject of your manuscript, and competitive books currently on the market

Illustrator's submission guidelines

1. Include a cover letter that outlines your illustration experience and any special expertise you have on your topic or in your medium. We are particularly interested in knowing if you have illustrated children's picture books previously and, if so, the names of the picture books.
2. Include your full name and address and the number of samples being submitted in the upper right–hand corner of your cover letter.
3. Include samples of your work on slides or full–color sheets no larger than 8 1/2 x 11".
4. Samples are not returned unless you specifically request it and a self–addressed stamped envelope is included in your submission. Be cautioned, however, that you will not remain on file for future reference if your samples must be returned.

We endeavour to respond to manuscript submissions in 4 to 6 months though this timeframe may fluctuate. Illustrator submissions will be kept on file for project–by–project reference.

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Please Note: We are not accepting new manuscripts for our Children's List at this time. Adult non fiction manuscripts can be directed to Richard Dionne at dionne@reddeerpress.com