Submissions

Thank you for considering Salt for your work

Salt publishes around twenty books of contemporary British literature each year. We have a dedicated team of commissioning editors each responsible for developing a list of high-calibre, serious and imaginative writers. We are currently ‘commission-only’ for works of fiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Do I need an agent?
A. No, though we are very happy to work with an agent, if you have one.

Q. May I submit work I have previously self-published?
A. No.

Q. May I submit work as part of my academic submission for the Research Excellence Framework (REF)?
A. No.

Q. Do you publish pamphlets?
A. No

Q. How many poems should I submit?
A. Any number between ten and thirty.

Q. Have I missed the deadline?
A. There are no current plans to close submissions.

Q. May I have your guidelines on submission requirements?
A. Beyond a finalised, full-length manuscript being ready, we have no specific requirements for the content of a submission.

Q. Do you accept unsolicited submissions?
A. Yes, this page explains the process.

Q. Do I need to have completed a Creative Writing MA?
A. No, Salt does not require authors to have any qualifications.

Q. May I submit my work as a PDF?
A. No.

Q. When will you make a decision?
A. We may take some months to read work we like. We aim to reply to submissions within two months.

Q. May I talk to you about my work before I submit it?
A. No.

Q. Do I need to have had work published in magazines?
A. A track record of magazine and journal publication would be desirable.

Q. May I submit multiple manuscripts?
A. No, just one book at a time, please.

Q. Has my friend/agent/colleague been in touch about me and my work?
A. We do not formally keep track of conversations.

Q. I have three versions of my book, which do you want?
A. You must decide.

Q. Can my work be illustrated?
A. No.

Q. Will you publish my entire collected poems?
A. No. We are concentrating on poetry collections that are 64pp or 80pp in length (including 10 pages of front matter).

Q. Can my poetry rhyme?
A. Yes.

Q. Most modern poetry is rubbish, do you publish traditional poems?
A. We publish works we believe we can sell into markets we know to exist.

Q. Do you publish religious poems?
A. We publish poetry about all human experience. However, purely devotional works would not be of interest.

Q. I messaged you on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter, what do you think?
A. We do not respond to submissions made through social media.

Q. I have written a poem, will you publish it?
A. We only publish full-length collections of poems.

How to submit to Salt

We are happy to consider unsolicited poetry and non-fiction submissions. We especially welcome writers independently recommended by published authors.

Before submitting your work, do please carefully consider the following points:

Please note we are only accepting submissions of contemporary adult poetry and non-fiction by British residents.
Are you familiar with our list and feel confident that your work suits us? Do take time to explore our list.
Are you comfortable with actively collaborating with us in marketing your title and working with others in the book trade to help make your book a success? For example, are you happy and able to give public readings, provide interviews and help booksellers with signings and events?
Are you present in the UK for at least six months of each year? The vast majority of our sales are in the UK and you need to be here in person to work with us in promoting it for around twelve months, sometimes longer.
Are you confident you have the personal time available to support your work once it is in the public domain?
Please note, we cannot offer feedback on manuscripts if you are unsuccessful.
If you are unsuccessful, this may be no reflection on your work. It is a judgement based on what suits our list.
We do not accept paper submissions and cannot return materials posted to us. We are unable to respond to any postal submissions.
We prefer world rights in all languages for any poetry or non-fiction book we contract.
If your submission does not match these criteria, we will not respond to your email.
Please note that you may receive a standard editorial reply from us. The volume of submissions we receive makes it impossible for us to personally tailor responses, much as we would like to.

If you are confident you meet these requirements and feel your poetry collection or non-fiction book is right for our list, please email us (confirming your British address) attaching a short description, a brief biographical note, any supporting information for the work and, separately, the entire completed manuscript in MS Word to submissions@saltpublishing.com. Please put either Poetry Submission or Non-fiction Submission in the subject line.

We do not currently accept fiction submissions.

Please do not contact our editors or staff on social media regarding any submissions.

One way to discover more about Salt, and for Salt to discover more about you, is to attend our readings and events, support our writers and their work, and introduce yourself to and become part of the community of booksellers, writers and readers that help Salt continue to thrive.