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SUBMISSION

Guidelines

A NOTE TO OUR CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR COMMUNITY

Over the last year and a half, we have been astonished at the interest in our Children's Literature publishing program. Alexandra Hinrichs, our Children's Book Editor, joined the team in the early spring of 2025, and since then, has received over 400 manuscript submissions. Because of this abundance of talent, creativity, and New England spirit, Alex's list is chock full of incredible titles. The down side of this abundance is that we will be  closed to unsolicited children’s submissions at least through the end of 2026.

 

Any previously submitted children’s work will still be reviewed. Due to the volume of submissions and the time it takes Alex to work through them, a response may take longer than expected. 

 

We are grateful to have this problem, and are so impressed by the quality of work submitted to us. Stay tuned for future opportunities to submit unsolicited children’s book manuscripts.

 

On the Adult side of things, submissions continue to be open year-round. See below for details.

 

Thank you for being a part of our Islandport community!

Submission Guidelines 

Thank you for your interest in Islandport Press. We are a regional New England-based independent publisher with a particular emphasis on Maine writers and Maine-inspired work. We publish 10-20 titles per year

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What We're Looking For 

The common thread of our books is a New England sensibility, which we characterize as grit, resilience, adventure, independence, connection to nature and appreciation for this beautiful place we call home. We are especially interested in publishing the stories of those who have been historically underrepresented in publishing

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We publish in the following categories:

 

Fiction & Narrative

  • Adult Fiction (50,000-100,000 words)

  • Mystery/Thriller (60,000-100,000 words)

  • Memoir (50,000-90,000 words)

  • Essays (40,000-80,000 words)

 

Children's

  • Picture Books (100-1,000 words)

  • Board Books (under 300 words)

  • Middle Grade (20,000-65,000 words)

  • Young Adult (40,000-85,000 words)

 

Specialty & Nonfiction

  • Cooking

  • History

  • Humor

  • Nature/Outdoors

  • Photography

  • Poetry

  • Gift Books

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Our Publishing Model 

We are a traditional publisher, offering advances ranging from $1,000-$5,000 for most titles and industry standard royalties. We handle all aspects of editing, design, production, distribution, and marketing. We do not offer publishing services to authors who are not under contract with us.

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Manuscript Requirements

  • Fiction/Children's: Complete manuscript, double-spaced, 12-point standard font

  • Nonfiction: Proposal with the following elements:

    • Overview

    • Comparative titles published in the last 3-5 years

    • Target audience analysis

    • Author platform details

    • Author bio

    • Table of Contents

    • Sample chapter

    • Proposed format, length, and delivery timeline

 

Submission Policies

  • We accept simultaneous submissions but request notification if your work is accepted elsewhere

  • We welcome both agented and unagented submissions

  • We do not accept previously published works unless they are out of print with rights reverted

  • We accept submissions year-round (see note above regarding Children's submissions)

  • Electronic submissions only; our editorial team works remotely

  • We accept portfolios and website links from illustrators only

  • We do not accept short stories, story ideas, or concept submissions

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Review Process 

Important information regarding scammers: Islandport Press (or any reputable press or agent) will NEVER charge you to review your work.

Our editorial team reviews submissions regularly; due to volume, we aim to respond within 4 months. After 4 months, you may follow up at submissions@islandportpress.com. Do not send submissions directly to this email or they may not be seen or processed in a timely manner, use the forms below.

 

If we decide to pursue your project, our typical publishing timeline is 12-18 months from contract to publication for non-illustrated books, 12-36 months for illustrated books such as cookbooks and children’s picture books. We typically seek to acquire worldwide rights in all formats (print, ebook, audio).

 

Privacy Notice 

We treat all submissions as confidential. Manuscripts and proposals are shared only with necessary members of our editorial team during the review process. We delete submissions after review unless we move forward with publication.

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How to Submit

  1. Once you have reviewed the above AND our current catalog at islandportpress.com to ensure your work aligns with our list, complete one of the following Google Forms:

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WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING UNSOLICITED CHILDREN'S SUBMISSIONS RIGHT NOW, PLEASE SEE NOTE AT TOP OF PAGE

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