Submissions

Further information

Salt guides for authors

1. For general advice on being published, please read An Author’s Guide to Getting Published.

2. For advice on submitting poetry, please read An Author’s Guide too Making Poetry Submissions.

3. For further reading, An Author’s Pre-Publication Route Map offers advice on preparing for publication.

General information

For manuscript assessment and editorial advice, you might also consider services like The Literary Consultancy.

If you are trying to develop your own writing, we recommend:

The Art of the Novel, edited by Nicholas Royle
Short Circuit: A Guide to the Art of the Short Story, edited by Vanessa Gebbie

Creative Writing Courses

If you want to develop your writing and critical skills further, we also recommend the following MA courses:

Additionally, we recommend the writing courses run by Faber Academy.

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We wish you every success with all your writing.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Do you publish books that have been previously self-published?
A. No, we cannot take on work that has already been published.

Q. Do you publish books in which a section of the work has already been published as a book? 
A. No. However, we welcome collections containing individual stories or poems that have been previously published.

Q. When will you close the submissions window?
A. There is no current plan to close submissions.

Q. Do you accept submissions from agents?
A. Yes, we’re happy to receive submissions from agents, as long as you are happy to proceed with Salt being granted world rights for all languages and for all formats.

Q. Do you accept pamphlets?
A. We are currently accepting novels and full-length collections of short stories of less than 70,000 words, and full-length collections of poetry.

Q. Are you accepting creative non-fiction submissions?
A. No, we are not currently accepting non-fiction.

Q. Do you publish stories or poems in languages other than English?
A. No, we only publish books in English.

How to submit to Salt

Submissions are open. Please read carefully the guidelines below. Frequently asked questions are listed in the left hand column of this page.

Fiction and short stories

We are currently interested in contemporary novels and full-length collections of short stories by Welsh, Scottish, Irish or English authors. Novels and story collections should be no longer than 70,000 words. It will help if writers live in the British Isles to participate in publicity and promotion.

We do not publish translations.

In the case of novels, please send a plot summary, first chapter and a biographical note along with any publication history to the address below. If you are submitting a collection of short stories, please send the entire manuscript.

You do not require an agent to submit to Salt. Please note that we require world rights in all formats for any work we eventually publish.

Poetry

We are happy to consider full-length poetry collections by Welsh, Scottish, Irish or English poets of circa 64 pages. It will help if poets live in the British Isles to participate in publicity and promotion.

Please send your complete collection along with your magazine publication history and a biographical note to the address below.

Processing your submission

We are unable to offer critical feedback on any work submitted, or enter into correspondence about writing projects or plans.

Sadly, we are not able to respond to all writers or agents and if you have not heard from us in ninety days, your submission has been unsuccessful. This may be no reflection on the quality of your work.

Do explain why your work fits into our list and confirm that you are offering Salt world rights in all formats, should Salt contract your work for publication.

We only accept digital submissions. All attachments must be sent as MS Word files (submissions in other formats won't be considered). Please send your email to: submissions@saltpublishing.com. Please be aware that we can only process submissions sent to this specific email address. You will receive an automatic acknowledgment that we have received your work.

Many thanks for considering Salt and our best wishes for all your writing.

Christopher Hamilton-Emery
Director