BEFORE SUBMITTING
Please read the guidelines below carefully before sending your work.
WHAT WE PUBLISH
Dark Hours Books publishes crime fiction, mysteries, noir, hard-boiled fiction, private-eye novels, police procedurals, historical crime, psychological suspense, thrillers, and other fiction rooted in crime and mystery.
We are especially interested in:
● Crime fiction with a strong sense of place. Setting matters to us. We want stories in which the city, neighborhood, landscape, culture, or history becomes an essential part of the book.
● Distinctive voices. We want writers who sound like themselves rather than writers trying to imitate whatever happens to be selling at the moment.
● Memorable characters. Detectives, criminals, cops, victims, fixers, journalists, outsiders, killers, ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances—we are interested in characters who stay with us after the book is finished.
● Fresh approaches to the crime tradition. We love classic crime fiction and noir, but we are also interested in writers who take the genre somewhere new.
● Historical crime fiction. We are particularly interested in stories that immerse readers in another era while remaining compelling crime novels.
● Series characters and series potential. We love discovering characters and worlds readers will want to return to.
● Standalone novels. Not every story needs a sequel. A remarkable standalone crime novel is always welcome.
● Original voices and perspectives. We welcome writers from all backgrounds and encourage submissions that introduce us to people, places, communities, professions, cultures, and experiences we haven't encountered before.
Above all, we look for great storytelling, excellent writing, compelling characters, authenticity, atmosphere, originality, and a reason to keep turning the pages.
We currently publish in English and welcome submissions from writers anywhere in the world.
WHO MAY SUBMIT
Dark Hours Books accepts submissions from:
● Literary agents
● Previously traditionally published authors
● Independent and self-published authors
● Established authors seeking a new publishing home
● Writers with reverted rights or unpublished backlists
● Debut novelists
● Unagented writers
ANTHOLOGY SUBMISSIONS
Dark Hours Books publishes original crime-fiction anthologies built around distinctive places, themes, professions, communities, and ideas.
Anthologies are generally developed by Dark Hours Books and their individual editors. Some will be invitation-only, while others will include open submission periods.
HOW TO SUBMIT A NOVEL
Please email your submission to Submissions@DarkHoursBooks.com with the following subject line:
SUBMISSION: Author Name — Book Title — Genre
Please include:
● Your complete manuscript, attached as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx). Please submit a finished novel rather than a proposal or unfinished manuscript.
● A brief synopsis, approximately 500–1,000 words. Tell us what happens—including the ending. This isn't jacket copy, so spoilers are welcome.
● A short description of the book, approximately 100–200 words. Think of this as the copy you might use to introduce the novel to a reader.
● Your author biography, approximately 100–200 words. Include previous publications, awards, relevant professional experience, or anything else you believe we should know. If this is your first novel, simply tell us a little about yourself.
● Comparable titles, if you have them. Two or three recent books that might share an audience with yours can be helpful, but they are not required.
● The manuscript's approximate word count.
● Series information, if applicable. If the novel is part of a proposed series, briefly tell us about the series and whether additional manuscripts have already been completed.
● Publication history, if applicable. If the manuscript has previously been published, self-published, or licensed to another publisher, please explain its history and confirm the current status of the publishing rights.