Thank you for your interest in Stanchion Books.

Stanchion Book and Chapbook Submission Guidelines
Stanchion will open submissions on November 1, 2024 for prose (short stories, flash fiction, essays, prose poems, poetry, hybrid) collections, novels, novellas, and chapbooks.

• Chapbook manuscripts should be between 40-90 A5-size pages.

• Full-length manuscripts should be between 100-240 A5-size pages (or thereabouts).

• Only full manuscripts will be accepted.

• Each author may submit only one manuscript per reading period.

• All manuscripts should be presented in Times New Roman, size 12 font, formatted as an A5 document, saved as a PDF,

  submitted via email, and titled: YOUR LAST NAME_TITLE OF BOOK.pdf

• Please include a brief bio with your submission and tell me something about the book you have submitted. We'll be working together so I'd love to get to know you, where you're from, what you love, etc.\

• Your manuscript should include a title page with your name, genre, and page count, and a table of contents (for poetry and story collections). Please also include a dedication, about author,  and acknowledgments pages, if applicable.

• Individual pieces (poems, prose, etc) of a collection may have been previously published online and in print.

• Simultaneous submissions are a-okay. If selected for publication by Stanchion, please immediately pull your submission from other presses. Conversely, if your manuscript is selected by another publisher, please let me know straightaway. Also, massive congrats if this happens!

• Finally, no bigotry, racist, homophobic, or misogynistic content, as well as any abuse, rape, or gratuitous violence toward women, children or animals will be tolerated or considered.

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What Stanchion Books is Looking For Right Now

Stanchion will be reading novels, novellas, collections of short stories, flash fiction, poetry, essays, or a hybrid mix of writing. All genres will be considered. A narrative arc or a throughline on a collection isn’t required, but I sure do love a well and cleverly-told story.

The Financial Stuff
Stanchion believes in transparency, fairness, thoughtfulness, and kindness at every turn. I want to work with authors who understand, appreciate, and reciprocate these values. Not doing so in unacceptable.

Here’s how publishing your chapbook/book with Stanchion will work, from a financial standpoint:

• No submission fees.

• Authors will be required to work with Stanchion's book editor on two thorough rounds of copyediting prior to publication.

• Stanchion authors will receive a lump sum payment of $200 for the initial press run of 100 copies of their book, paid upon publication via PayPal, Venmo, or a Stanchion check (this is an option for U.S.-based authors only). For each additional press run of 100 copies, the author will receive additional payments, escalating in $50 increments. For example, the 2nd printing nets the author $250, the 3rd $300, and so on, capping at $400. This is in lieu of royalties. Stanchion books are distributed globally through Ingram and available to be ordered from wherever books are sold, but only books sold directly through Stanchion will count toward the goal of selling through each printing. See below for a table outlining all of this.

• Authors receive 15 free copies of their book for every press run of 100. Additional author copies are available at any time, at 50% of retail cover price.

• The above two points mean that the more books we sell together, through StanchionZine.com and at Stanchion live events, the more money you will make and the more free author copies of your book you will receive to hand-sell at readings, in your community, at local bookstores, etc. It probably goes without saying, but the money you make from personally selling your own book is your money completely.

• While the book is still in print through Stanchion, authors are not permitted to make their books available for sale online through their own websites, blogs, etc unless they are sold as 'signed copies' thus making them a different product than Stanchion is selling. This should be an easy loophole to step through. All other online orders must be directed to StanchionZine.com (or other online retailers where Stanchion has decided to make them available, such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, etc).

• Each book Stanchion publishes will also be made available as an e-reader-friendly PDF format. 100% of the proceeds from these digital sales stay with Stanchion, to help fund additional printings, promotions, mailings for blurbs/reviews, etc.

• All Stanchion books will have a full-color color cover with black and white interior pages, and be either staple or perfect bound with a spine, depending on its size. Stanchion and the author will work together on cover design ideas/aesthetics, and the author will be asked to sign off on the final cover art.

• Stanchion and the author may each choose to terminate the contract at any point, with cause. At that time, no additional copies of the book will be printed, but the remaining stock will continue to be for sale, and Stanchion retains digital rights to continue selling the PDF/e-reader version for 12 months following the date of termination.

• Finally, AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, I will only seek to publish authors who are eager to form a working relationship (because selling literature is hard work), and who are kind & thoughtful people willing to graft (informal British usage of the word) alongside me to sell their book. I'll be all in on your book, to get it into as many hands & places as possible. I need you to be right there too.

As with the magazine, Stanchion Books is a safe, open place to submit your writing. No matter where you're fr om, what you look like, or who you love, you're welcome to become a part of the Stanchion family. 

Thank you for considering this burgeoning press a worthy home for your writing.

I tried to be thorough here, but it’s likely that I’ve missed something. If you have any additional questions, please reach out.

-- Jeff Bogle, Stanchion's one-man band, Founder & Editor-in-Chief