Submissions

Submissions are open from February 1st through March 15th, 2026 for finished, full length manuscripts. Please note that submissions received outside of this window will not be considered for publication.

Borderlands Publishing Co. requires the following:

Cover letter, which forms the body of your submission email. Generally, the letter should be no more than a page long, and contains at-a-glance information about you and your submitted manuscript.

Proposal and sample chapters, a single document attached to the submission email and presenting your book as a marketable concept.

Please remember to be professional, concise, and authentic! Learn more about the specifics for each document below:

Cover Letter

  • A brief introduction of yourself
  • Pertinent information about your manuscript (genre, word count, if it’s fully drafted/edited, intended audience, and if it’s on sub elsewhere)
  • A compelling hook for your story
  • A personal touch - we want to see you in your letter

Proposal

  • Author info (including contact info, social media handles, websites, and author bio)
  • Manuscript info (genre/subgenre, word count, target audience, and comp titles)
  • A tagline, one-sentence pitch, and back cover copy
  • A 3-page synopsis
  • The first five chapters of the manuscript

In addition to these items, we’d also like you to include a note conveying your heart behind the story. The rest of the proposal communicates the who, where, and how of your story, but we’d also like to hear your what and why. What makes this story burn inside you, and why is it a good fit for Borderlands?

Sample Chapters

Please use the following guidelines to format the first five chapters of your manuscript. Note: these guidelines only apply to the sample chapters. The cover letter and proposal should be single spaced.

  • Double-spaced with 1" margins
  • First line indented 0.5"
  • Times New Roman 12pt font

Next Steps

You’ve prepared your cover letter and proposal with sample chapters included? Great! Here’s how to submit:

  1. When the submission window opens, email submissions@borderlandspublishing.com with your subject line formatted like this:

    • QUERY - author name, work title

  2. In the body of the email, put your cover letter. Attach the completed proposal with sample chapters as a Word document or PDF.

  3. Have a cup of coffee, go breathe fresh air, and have patience. We’ll get back to you in 2-3 months, once we’ve had time to consider your submission.