If you are ready to submit, please scroll to the end of the page for submission
Before submitting work, please read the following carefully. Submissions that do not follow the guidelines will automatically be rejected unread.
How to Send Your Work: Submissions may be anonymous for specific open calls via our MOKSHA system. We do not accept submissions through postal services or email. Your manuscript must be in one of the following file forms: .doc, .docx, and .rtf
The exception is when we request an author to submit a specific piece of work.
Technical Difficulties: Contact Us if you have questions or encounter technical difficulties.
How to Format Your Manuscript:
- Use 12-point type
- Use a serif font; the most common choice is Times Roman
- Double space your manuscript
- No extra space between paragraphs
- Only one space between sentences
- Indent each paragraph half an inch (PLEASE set a TAB using your writing application software. Help for this feature should be found in the application)
- Text should be flush left and ragged right, not justified
- Please add a line with a centered typographical dingbat (for example: ***) between paragraphs to indicate a change of location or passage of time.
- Black text on a white background only
- One-inch margins (the default in Word)
- Only the page number and title of the book/story should appear in any headers in your submitted manuscript.. The header should appear on each page after the title page.
We ask that NO BIOGRAPHICAL DATA be in your submitted manuscript. You will be prompted for your bio via Moshka and only when a decision is made on your manuscript will the system make that information available to readers and editors.
Timing: Notice regarding Open Calls will be announced via our website and social media accounts. We encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter, as Newsletter subscribers will be the first to know about open calls.
Simultaneous Submissions: We welcome simultaneous submissions! Our philosophy is that it’s unreasonable to expect writers to give a publishing house an exclusive look at a work unless we can respond quickly. Since this is not always the case, we are willing to risk losing out on a story if another publisher has made an offer before we have. Our mission is to support writers, help them succeed and cheer them on even when we lose out on publishing a piece.
Response Time: Our response time varies from four to twelve weeks, with the slowest times usually being during Open Calls for novels.
Submission Fees: There are no fees for submitting work.
Payment to Authors: We pay professional rates—currently 10 cents a word for new/original short stories and non-fiction articles and three cents for reprints. Check each specific call to see if reprints are okay.
For novel length works, an advance may be paid at the discretion of the editors.
Word Count Guidelines:
- SHORT SHORT STORY manuscripts must be at least 3,000 and no more than 7,500 words in length. We will ask to see the complete manuscript if we think the work is suitable for Ruadán Books.
- NOVELLAS and other long works that are less than book length may run between 15,000 and 40,000 words. For works of this length, please submit the first 5,000 words with a synopsis. Based on our reading of the first 5,000 words, we will ask to see the complete manuscript if we think the work is suitable for Ruadán Books.
- NOVEL-LENGTH WORKS. Novels are considered longer works of between 50,000 words and 110,000 words with the “sweet spot” coming in at 90,000. Please submit the first THREE chapters and a synopsis (not to exceed two pages) of the work. Based on our reading of the first three chapters, we will ask to see the complete manuscript if we think the work is suitable for Ruadán Books.
Additional types of works may