Submission Guidelines

Shadow Mountain Submission Guidelines

Lisa Mangum

Managing Editor submissions@shadowmountain.com

Submit Online: https://shadowmountain.com/submit-your-manuscript/

As of January 1, 2022, ALL submissions to Shadow Mountain Publishing must be represented by a literary agent.

Shadow Mountain Publishing, however, will open to unagented and unsolicited manuscripts ONLY during the following dates:

  • March 1 through March 7

  • June 1 through June 7

  • September 1 through September 7

  • December 1 through December 7

Unagented and unsolicited manuscripts submitted at any other time will be discarded without review.

Publishing at Shadow Mountain

Shadow Mountain Publishing is passionate about clean content and empowering values. We publish general fiction and nonfiction for all ages.

We are currently looking for

Fiction

  • empathy-building, contemporary middle grade novels
  • middle grade fantasy
  • historical romance (Regency, Victorian, Edwardian, etc.)
  • women’s fiction
  • YA fiction
  • general fiction
  • historical fiction

Nonfiction

  • historical nonfiction
  • inspirational nonfiction
  • cookbooks
  • religious content for non-denominational audience

We are NOT interested in the following genres: science fiction, business and finance, family histories/personal journals, poetry, children’s picture books, or previously self-published projects.

Submitting Your Manuscript

Please submit your query letter, a one-page synopsis, and a full manuscript online at https://shadowmountain.com/submit-your-manuscript/, or click on the link at the bottom of the guidelines. We will not review submissions sent to us by mail or e-mail. Hard-copy manuscripts will be returned unopened. Please send any specific questions not answered below to submissions@shadowmountain.com.

  1. Query letters should include:
    • Information about your manuscript, including the title, genre, intended audience, total word count, and a compelling 2–3 sentence blurb describing your manuscript.
    • A brief explanation about why this book is different from others in its genre.
    • Your contact information and background in relation to your book.
  2. Manuscripts should be
    • Formatted with double-spacing, 12-point Times New Roman, and one-inch margins. Saved as a Word document or PDF file.
    • Clean of offensive material, including profanity, vulgarity, excessive violence, or sexually explicit or suggestive scenes.
    • For nonfiction books, include complete documentation with full publishing information for all sources quoted, such as a bibliography. (See Copyright Permissions)
  3. General guidelines:
    • Do not submit manuscripts by mail, by e-mail, or in person. Manuscripts submitted through these networks will not be reviewed.
    • Unagented and unsolicited manuscripts will not be reviewed except during the specified dates listed above.
    • Do not send duplicate manuscripts to Shadow Mountain. All online manuscripts submissions go through the same channels, and duplicates will be discarded.
    • Please allow up to sixteen weeks for a response on your manuscript.

Copyright Permissions & Protection

It is your responsibility to clear the use of all text and quotations under copyright, including lengthy prose quotations (more than a few lines) and all lyrics and poems. Please note the following requirements:

  1. Include complete publishing information for all quoted material.
  2. Keep a copy of the original sources, such as photocopies of the title page and copyright page of any books from which you are quoting. We may require this information if your manuscript is accepted for publication.
  3. Do not use published poetry or song lyrics. It can be difficult to find copyright holders to secure permissions, and heavy fees are usually charged.
  4. Acquire permissions from sources or people comprised in stories, including those who have had their names changed. If a person can identify themselves or their experience in your work, then you probably need their permission to use their story.
  5. Review the FAQ of the Copyright Office at the Library of Congress (https://www.copyright.gov/) for specific copyright questions.

After the Review

After the acquisitions and publishing teams have reviewed your manuscript, they may (1) accept it for publication, (2) invite you to revise and resubmit it, or (3) reject it. If you are asked to revise your manuscript, please do not be offended. This is actually a positive response, indicating that your manuscript has excellent potential for publication.

Many factors must be taken into account in deciding which manuscripts are accepted for publication, and rejection does not necessarily mean that the manuscript is not publishable—only that it is not right for Shadow Mountain Publishing at this time. Our resources—financing, time, and staff—are limited, and we can only accept a limited number of manuscripts and genres from the many submitted to us. In general, we do not have the time to provide a detailed critique or evaluation of manuscripts.

Publishing Production and Marketing. We only discuss details regarding contracts, royalties, production processes, and marketing plans after a manuscript has been accepted for possible publication. Please note that in today’s publishing environment authors are required to be heavily involved in the promotion of their books through social media and public appearances.

Thank you for your interest in publishing with Shadow Mountain. We will be in touch once we’ve had a chance to thoroughly evaluate your manuscript. To submit a manuscript now, click HERE

Shadow Mountain is a registered trademark of Deseret Book Company, which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These guidelines are for informational purposes only and are in no way legally binding.