BEFORE YOU SEND US
YOUR MANUSCRIPT

Important! Please read the guidelines below:

We ask that all prospective authors be familiar with the information below, thus aiding us in making the submission process as efficient as possible.

We prefer that you send us complete manuscripts, but we can work with partial submissions as well. If there is to be a dedication, contents page, list of illustrations, foreword, preface, introduction, list of acknowledgments, notes to chapters, bibliography, appendix, or index, it should be included. Photographs or illustrations should be numbered in crayon or soft pencil on the back to avoid damaging them. Corresponding numbers should be inserted in the manuscript, indicating clearly where in the text the illustrative material is to be placed.

All submitted manuscript, whether by email or mail, must include:
A short synopsis of the full work
A word count of the full work
At least three sample chapters in disk,
email attachment or hardcopy.
A covering letter detailing who you are
and your previous professional writing experience,
if any. If you have had any previous marketing or
self-promotion experience, let us know.

All documentation (including the manuscript) must be in a clear, easy to read font (For example Times New Roman or Arial). We also prefer all submissions to be one and a half or double-spaced.
You must also send us the following details: full name, postal address, email address and contact phone numbers.
Due to the sheer number of submissions we are currently receiving it is imperative that the above guidelines are adhered to.

We are primarily interested in manuscripts that have Jewish content. Our market is wide-ranging and encompasses the entire Jewish spectrum: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and unaffiliated. As you'll note from the books we publish, (see "Recently Published Titles") we're not afraid to break new ground or to reintroduce a topic that has already made a "splash" in the Jewish market. But in all cases, the manuscript should have an unusual "hook": a unique way of looking at or dealing with the topic.
Non-fiction manuscripts are often easier to market to the chains, such as Borders and Barnes & Noble. And, since many of our titles are sold to the chains, our sales reps prefer dealing with these kinds of book. These topics include, but are not limited to, history, bible, theology, philosophy, business, parenting, anti-Semitism, history, and inspirational/lifecycle topics. Having a particular speciality or being fairly well known within your area of expertise naturally adds to the marketability of your book.
Holocaust manuscripts make up fully 60% of all the manuscripts we receive. The number of Holocaust-centered manuscripts that enter the market each year has grown to the point where unfortunately, there are stores that refuse to take new Holocaust titles unless they are written by a well-known author, or present the topic in an unique and engaging way. Of course, everyone's story is unique, but if the manuscript will not sell at least 1,000 copies, then the investment of time and money, for both of us, is futile. The uniqueness we're looking for is called the "hook", a saleable quality which only our reps and the buyers can gauge; which is why we show most manuscripts to our reps. They help us determine the marketability of all our potential titles. Which brings us to a related topic…
Legacy manuscripts are those manuscripts in which the writer wants to leave a legacy to children and grandchildren, or simply for posterity. We receive a great many Holocaust manuscripts that fall under this category. They need to be published, but we are not the publishing house for such manuscripts. There are many print-on-demand and vanity presses who will produce a limited edition book for the author's own distribution. Our focus remains in the wider national and international Jewish markets.
Fiction and Science Fiction manuscripts are often easier to sell in a niche market like ours than in the general market. Many authors spend years going from agent to agent trying to get their manuscript sold to a publisher, only to learn that their topic is too "parochial" for the general market. The fact that the fiction market is saturated with established names only adds to the problem. But the Jewish market is looking for the Grishams, Asimovs, and Tolkeins of tomorrow, today. If you can tell a good story, maintain Jewish content, and work with a theme that is topical, your chances of getting into the Jewish market are probably better with us than any other publisher.