Creative Nonfiction Manuscript Queries
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We are interested in memoir and personal essay collections that blend style with substance and reach beyond the personal to tell us something new about the world.
We want nonfiction that makes the reader think and feel, work that humbles us with its joy, humor, embarrassment, anger, hope, grief, or all of the above, and gravitate toward writing that has something important to teach us--something that readers really need to know, but might not have understood this was a need until the last word of the work.
We are interested in work that explores the depths of the human experience and show appreciation for and commitment to the art of nonfiction. We admire books that have important stories to tell and fresh, bold methods of telling them. Character-driven, lyric, immersive work is likely to catch our eye. Please see individual editor biographical statements for more detailed information on our person aesthetic predilections.
We do not have a strict word count. However, as we are a small, fully independent press staffed entirely by volunteers, any books over 100,000 words are less likely to be feasible for us at this time. All submissions have a fee of $10, which help us to maintain the press. As outlined here, we have a number of feedback options, including Expedited Response, Personal Feedback, and Editorial Critique. We answer all submissions, and will do our best to reply within eight weeks.
We accept simultaneous submissions; please mention this in the initial query letter. Please also let us know straightway if your project has been either accepted for publication or if you have received a request for the full manuscript elsewhere. All submissions are first read by our readers, as well as Director of Prose, and are evaluated without regard to background, biography, or other considerations. Excerpts are read first, with the supporting information used to aid decisions afterward. Our editorial staff then considers those submissions encountered favorably by our readers, and from there a collective decision is made to either request the full manuscript or to pass on the project. All manuscripts requested in full will be read promptly by the editorial team, and responded to as soon as possible.
When submitting, please include:
-An excerpt containing the first 7,000 words of your manuscript, ending at a natural break in the narrative (going very slightly over the word limit, if strictly necessary, is permissible).
-A traditional query letter, comprising a general narrative introduction to your book, 2-4 comparable titles, a brief third-person bio of approximately 100 words, and a note as to why you are sending your work to IOE.
-A synopsis of 1-2 pages, outlining the characters, situation, narrative arc, progression, themes, conflicts, resolutions, and overall conclusion (complete with spoilers). Note that there may be some overlap between the synopsis (a more detailed document) and the introductory portion of the query letter.
General Formatting Guidelines
- All submissions should be in Times New Roman, 12pt font, double spaced, one-inch margins.
- Please include page numbers.
- We can only consider work written in English, but welcome British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand English in addition to American English.
- Please proofread and only send us polished, completed work.