Submission Guidelines

Candlemark & Gleam is now closed for submissions. When we reopen, we accept unagented submissions, but we do not accept work created using AI tools. Please see our specific requirements below.

Please note! We discovered that Gmail sometimes consigns emails from the Candlemark accounts to its dungeons.  If you sent your submission from a Gmail account, please check your spam folders or consider whitelisting the Candlemark email via the Gmail filter system.

Candlemark & Gleam publishes by invitation and referral, but we also accept unsolicited submissions. Unagented submissions are not merely fine but encouraged.

Content: Speculative fiction, broadly defined, including work that crosses genres, interstitial work, and SF/F hybrids. C&G has always specialized in ambitious, carefully-crafted SF and fantasy that takes readers to new and challenging places — as our tagline says, fiction that shapes the dark. We’re looking for compelling stories, and are particularly interested in mythic SF, exploration of SFnal and fantasy societies, queer and feminist work, and historical (and historically-influenced) fantasy. No YA or horror, please, and grimdark is a very hard sell. We do not publish poetry.

To get a sense of what we’re most likely to consider, check the rest of our list, and particularly the anthologies The Other Half of the Sky and To Shape the Dark.

As a general rule, we don’t take on previously-published work, regardless of whether if was traditionally published or self-published. We may make exceptions, particularly if a book is notable or is tied to a new work that we publish. For linked story collections, we will consider a mix of reprints and originals. Please query first on any reprints — this is the one exception to the rule below.

Length: C&G publishes both full length novels (65K and up) and novellas (12-42K). We are also interested in novel-length collections of linked short stories (for example, within a single fictional universe). Long works will be published in both print and digital format; novellas will only be published in digital format.

Submission logistics: There’s no reason to query first, with one exception.
If you are submitting a previously-published work, please email eloi AT candlemarkandgleam DOT com first, including a brief (one-paragraph) synopsis, the previous publication history, and any significant awards.

• For novel-length works, send us 10 (+/-1) pages of your manuscript. These can be the start of the story or a section that you feel gives a strong sense of the work. For novellas/novelettes, send the entire story.

• Send a separate file that includes the title, table of contents (if necessary), and a one-page synopsis of the work you’re submitting. This file should also contain a brief biography (half a page or less) and your contact information.

• Send the files as DOCX, DOC or RTF. No other formats will be accepted.

• Double-space your manuscript. Formatting details are at your discretion within reason.

• If you have italics in your manuscript, use italics. Please do not underline.

Candlemark & Gleam only accepts electronic submissions. Email submissions to eloi AT candlemarkandgleam DOTcom and in the subject line put “Long Submission: [Title of your work] by [Your Name]” or “Medium Submission: [Title of your work] by [Your Name] for long or medium categories respectively.

Because evaluation is intensive and time-consuming and our crew tiny, we do not accept simultaneous submissions. Please allow one to three months for a response to your submission. If we’re interested in your long work, we’ll request the entire text.

Pay Structure: Like most small presses, Candlemark & Gleam cannot (yet) afford to pay advances. However, we compensate with a generous author profit-sharing structure and painstaking hands-on care of the works we decide to publish, from editing to divider ornaments.