Submissions

Submissions are closed. Thank you for your interest.

Submissions for anthologies will open in 2026. We are doing the preliminary comms with a charity for our next project to combine talent and purpose. Stay tuned…

See the bottom of the page for additional information.

General Submission Guidelines

• Submit a .docx or .doc file in Shunn manuscript format in Times News Roman font. No need to include your physical mailing address or phone number on the manuscript. If your submission is selected for publication, we’ll ask for that information in the contract.
• Style scene breaks with three asterisks without spaces *** and with no additional line space above or below. Don’t get fancy.
• Please utilize the paragraph formatting feature in MS Word (or other word processor) to set your first line indents. Please do not use the TAB key or spacebar to indent (it’s a nightmare for our editors and formatters).
• If you have drafted your story in your phone’s notes app or similar app, please review and edit in a word processing program following these guidelines before submitting. **Reminder, libraries are a great resource if you do not have your own computer.
• If you have additional formatting questions, let us know.
• Cover letters should include the story title, a logline, and the word count in the body of your email. Also, include the story’s theme or potential theme.
• Our preference is always for new material. The exception will be if an anthology submission call specifically states reprints welcome. On the off chance that we deter from this, we will post on our website and social media platforms, as necessary.
• We’ve started a Tundra Swan Press Facebook Group. Come on by and get to know our writers, readers, and fans of dark fiction.
• Author Bios: Please include a short author bio (no more than 2 paragraphs) in the body of your email (not at the end of your story submission) along with your preferred pronouns, social media, and website information.
• Simultaneous submissions are welcome! If your sub is accepted elsewhere, please send us an email to let us know and withdraw your submission. Please submit only ONE SUBMISSION PER EMAIL.
• No reprints.
• We are an inclusive publisher. Please read our inclusion statement on our website if you have not yet done so. We welcome authors with diverse backgrounds, traits, and abilities. We particularly enjoy reading submissions where the author has entwined these traits, abilities, and related characteristics into the story, adding depth to characters and settings without making the traits the focus of the story itself (unless it is integral to the plot).  
• The deciding elements in acceptance or rejection will be the writing quality, adherence to genre, and overall fit with other stories selected for publication.
• Last call. If you’ve followed the Shunn manuscript format and these guidelines, we’ll be much happier reading your submission. We’ve aligned our submission guidelines to standard industry practice to the best of our ability. Deviating from the guidelines would not prove beneficial for acceptance with our publishing house.

• Hard Sells.
  • Rape.
  • Torture porn themes. We do not want graphic SA, child abuse, or similar content.
  • Query letters that spell the editor’s name wrong (serious pet peeve).
  • Reprints (unless an anthology submission call specifically states reprints are welcome).
  • AI-generated stories or poetry are not accepted. Period.
  • The submission call receives stories that do not fit or are only peripherally connected to the genre.
• Thank you for reading and following our guidelines. We look forward to reading your work!

Manuscript Consideration Guidelines

When open for manuscript consideration. The following information is provided to inform you of our process.

We publish in the following genres:

• Adult Horror Fiction
• Adult Crime/Mystery Thriller
• Adult Fantasy & Sci-Fi
• New Adult Horror Fiction
• New Adult Fantasy & Sci-Fi
• Cozy Horror
• Dark Poetry
• Novella Collections
• Short Story Collections (Horror and Dark Fantasy)

Manuscripts for adult-audience books must be a minimum of 60,000 words for consideration.

We are not an extreme horror or splatterpunk press. We are not currently publishing YA, middle grade, or children’s books. Please, do not send us manuscripts in these areas. We can recommend other publishing houses for those genres.

Novella Collections and Short Story Collections must stay within industry standards. Anthology ideas can be pitched by proposed editors with a synopsis and plan of execution. Please present your anthology or collection idea and be prepared for discussions on print costs and retail discount arrangements prior to a contract commitment. 

Tundra Swan Press will perform the following on all selected manuscripts:

1. Complete developmental, line, and copy editing. **Developmental editing will be minimal – your manuscript should be beyond this point for consideration, but we will work with an author if the story gets under our skin and won’t let go.

2. Cover design. 

3. All internal formatting and copyright page creation. Copyright application on your behalf (US residents).

4. ISBN issue and Library of Congress Control Number application.

5. Presence in TSP book library.

6. Marketing, book tours, and publicity will be discussed and planned out prior to contract signing. Local Barnes & Noble signing events and consignment contracts will be included.

7. Publishing on the following platforms: Amazon KDP, B&N, Draft2Digital, Ingram, BAM, BookBaby, etc. 

Please adhere to the following Submission Guidelines: 

Title emails as follows (Genre_title_type). Example: “Adult Horror_The Devils Due_novella.” 

All submissions must include the following: a pitch query including logline, hook, genre, title, word count, etc., a 1–2-page synopsis, and the first three chapters. All parts must be included in the body of the email, not as attachments, and have proper headings for each section. Attachments will not be opened.

Any reprints, previously self-published books, or published by another imprint must show written proof of Reversal of IP Rights. If this applies to your submission, you must include reprint at the beginning of your query.

Books must be 100% complete upon submission.

If TSP requests a FULL manuscript based on your submission, please adhere to the SHUNN method of formatting. That information can be found above in our general submission guidelines. No Google Documents are accepted. Manuscripts must be in .doc or .docx format.  

We are looking for Worldwide English rights for paperback, eBook, audiobook, and hardcover. Translation rights are negotiable.

TSP and its publisher, Sirrah Medeiros, sign two year agreements that convert to At-Will contracts after the initial two years, meaning either party may cancel the contract after two years, at any time, for any reason.  The Tundra Swan Press versions of the book will, however, remain in print unless agreed upon by author and publisher. 

Any and all costs related to the publishing of your work are paid for by this press.

Please send all submissions following the guidelines above to: info@tundraswanpress.com when the call window is active. Anything submitted outside of an open submission window will be deleted without reading.