Submissions

So, for months you have been putting your heart and soul into your book and you think you are ready to submit.  Before you do that:

• make sure you have edited, re-edited and proofread your work
• have beta readers go through your book - these are people who will give you honest, constructive criticism. You do not want people who will just tell you what they think you want to hear - that your book is fantastic and bound to be a best seller.
• edit again

When you have done that and you would like to submit your book to Purple Parrot, you need to prepare your submission pack. This includes:

• covering letter which must include:

1. your full name (and pseudonym if applicable);
2. your postal address, telephone number, and email address (if you have one);
3. details of past writing experience;
4. book genre;
5. if it is a children's picture book, whether you already have illustrations or will need assistance to find the right illustrator for your needs
6. word count for your complete manuscript; and
7. if you are submitting to other publishers. This is not a problem - it's just good for me to know.

• synopsis  - this is a brief overview of your book and should be between 500 & 1000 words - no more than 2 sides of A4. It must give a good outline of the plot, the main characters, the action and the outcome. If you need help, there are lots of resources on the internet but here is one for starters: https://blog.reedsy.com/how-to-write-a-synopsis/

• your full manuscript. This can be in PDF format at this point but if the book goes forward it will be needed in Microsoft Word or a compatible software such as Libre Office. Handwritten will not be accepted.

Send your submission by email only to: purpleparrotpublishing@outlook.com

Your email should be headed 'New Submission'. The covering letter, synopsis and manuscript must be sent as attachments and NOT put in the body text of the email. Any sent like this will be rejected.

The first thing is that you will be sent a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to read and sign. This is to protect your work so that you know I will not take it and publish it under another name. It also allows us to have vital, confidential discussions before any agreement is reached. At this point, neither party is under any obligation or guarantee.

Once the NDA is in place, the synopsis is read. If it indicates that the book is of interest, I then read the book.  This takes time and, depending on how many other submissions there are, you may not hear anything for anything up to 10-12 weeks.  All submissions are dealt with in order of receipt.

When the synopsis and manuscript have been read and a decision is made, I will contact you by email in the first instance.  If your book is:

• rejected, reasons will be given.

• accepted, the publishing deal outline will be given. At this point in time, most books are published on an assisted publishing basis - some would call this hybrid publishing. I am building my repertoire of traditional type deals and if your book or writing fits this we will discuss what I can and cannot offer.
  At this time, children's books requiring illustrators are not offered a traditional type deal.

If we reach an agreement, a contract and other necessary paperwork are drawn up and the project moves forward.