Submission Guidelines
We currently accept submissions from self-published authors only.
Your book must already be published or scheduled for publication under your own name, publishing imprint, or a publishing entity you control. Authors who have previously self-published a title but have since assigned or licensed its subsidiary rights to another party should not submit unless those rights have formally reverted.
We do not currently accept submissions from:
Traditionally published authors submitting publisher-controlled titles
Unpublished authors or manuscripts seeking primary literary representation
Publishers submitting on behalf of their authors
At this time, we welcome submissions across commercial and genre fiction, including, but not limited to:
Romance
Mystery, thriller, and suspense
Science fiction, fantasy, and speculative
Horror
Historical fiction
Women’s fiction
Young adult fiction
Other categories with a clear readership and market position
At this time, we do not consider nonfiction, poetry, short-story collections, academic works, textbooks, or screenplays.
Please send your submissions to query[at]backlistliterary[dot]com
Subject Line: QUERY: [Book Title] — [Author Name] — [Genre]
For a series, submit the first book and include sales and publication information for the series as a whole. Please do not send separate submissions for every title in the same series unless requested.
Please include:
A brief query letter
Publication details:
Author/Pen name
Approx. word count
Genre
Publication date
Series information, where applicable
Sales/performance details
KU reads and approx. lifetime sales
Reviews counts
# of followers or email list subscribers
If you have received an offer for subsidiary rights, please also include:
The exact date and time by which a response is required
The name of the offering company and your primary contact
The specific rights, formats, languages, and territories
Whether you have already accepted, signed, or agreed to any portion of the offer
Please include "OFFER IN HAND" within the subject line
We will make reasonable efforts to review time-sensitive submissions promptly, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to respond before every deadline. Authors should not allow an offer to expire while waiting for a response from us.
Simultaneous Submissions
Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please notify us promptly if you accept representation elsewhere or enter into an agreement affecting any of the rights included in your submission.
Our Review Process
We review each submission based on its commercial positioning, publication and sales history, audience indicators, rights availability, and potential within relevant subsidiary-rights markets.
Submissions involving an active subsidiary-rights offer may receive expedited consideration when the deadline is clearly disclosed and sufficient documentation is provided. Expedited consideration does not guarantee representation, contract review, negotiation, or a response before the stated deadline.
Because subsidiary-rights representation is highly selective, we are unable to offer representation to every strong project. A decision not to proceed may reflect current market conditions, timing, rights availability, the terms of an existing offer, or the fit of a particular title with our network rather than the overall quality of the work.
For submissions without an active offer, you can expect a response within 4-6 weeks. Due to submission volume, we may not be able to provide individualized feedback.
Representation
If we are interested in your project, we may request additional information, sales documentation, publishing files, or a conversation about your goals and available rights.
Representation is offered only through a written agreement outlining the rights covered, the agency’s authority, commission, payment procedures, term, termination provisions, and each party’s responsibilities.