Short from Submission Call
Cozy Mysteries from the Rock
Engen Books is now accepting submissions to the latest From the Rock anthology, for release in 2025.
Editors Ellen Curtis and Erin Vance are accepting submissions for short fiction under 10,000 words that fit into the cozy mystery genre.
Appropriate stories should include an unlikely, but likeable, amateur sleuth pursuing a mystery in a cozy setting. Some settings popularized by the genre include bakeries, craft shops, cafés, bookstores, libraries, and small towns. Some cozy mysteries also include an element of the supernatural, with characters like witches, vampires, werewolves, and ghosts rounding out the cast of characters. Authors may also wish to include an element of romance in their story, however this is not necessary. Authors should note that any violence or sexual content should appear off-screen.
As always, the From the Rock collections are intended to highlight the fantastic, varied writers Newfoundland and Labrador has fostered. When submitting, we request that authors indicate if they are current or former residents of the province, and if their story is linked to the province in any way (though it need not be). While we will accept submissions from across Canada and internationally, authors with a connection to the province are given preference for this series, and this information will be given to editors during the jurying process.
As with all content at Engen Books, misogynistic, racist, ethnocentric, homophobic, or transphobic messaging will result in the submission being rejected and may result in the author being barred from future submissions. Authors should take care to avoid cultural appropriation or fetishization of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups and are responsible for avoiding the use of harmful stereotypes in their submissions. In an effort to support diverse voices and counteract the rise in culturally appropriative content being submitted, authors are invited to indicate if their work is representative of their lived experience or culture. While submissions are judged blind of name, editors will receive this information during the jurying process.
The From the Rock anthologies are intended to be read by ages 12 and up, so with that in mind we ask that authors adhere to guidelines similar to a PG-13 movie rating. Cursing should be minimal, and slurs that target a character’s racial, sexual, or gender identity are prohibited. Smoking, alcohol, and drug use should be kept minimal or implied. Successful authors submitting stories with this content may be asked to edit their work to better fit within these parameters prior to printing.
In an effort to streamline the review process, we ask that authors submit their stories by email to submissions@engenbooks.com as a .doc or .docx file, careful to adhere to the following guidelines. The email should include the author’s name and reliable contact information, relevant information regarding the author’s connection to Newfoundland and Labrador, relevant information regarding lived experience or culture, as well as the story’s title and a word count for the story. The story should be attached to the email, with the document name as the title of the story. The title should appear again at the beginning of the text, but we request that the author’s name not appear in the document, including in headers or footers, or in the name of the document. Submissions are juried blind, and the editors are only given information regarding representation where provided by the author.
Submissions will be accepted until October 31st, 2024, at midnight Newfoundland Standard Time. We thank all interested authors in advance for their submissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the target audience?
For this specific collection, we’re going for an equivalent of PG to PG-13. Rather than limit our authors creatively, we encourage them to write from the heart and allow us to work with them to fine-tune the work after the fact.
What does it pay?
Authors are paid $0.01 CAD per word, to an upper limit of 10,000 words.
Are there minimum/ maximum word limits?
There are not minimum word limits. In the past we have had stories as short as 250 words. We have set 7,000 words as a maximum word limit, only because we anticipate many submissions and want to fit as many as we can in.🙂
Can someone submit more than one story?
Of course! We may take one or both! We have had the same author in the same collection multiple times in the past.
Who can submit?
Any Canadian author looking to celebrate great Canadian genre writing! There is also no age restriction. Anyone over Canadian Age-of-Consent (16 years of age) can submit and sign the print release on their own. Entrants younger than that will have to sign the print release with a parent of guardian.🙂
Who keeps the printing rights?
You do! Engen Books Ltd merely gains the right to print your story in this one collection. You keep the rights to your story and property: so if it takes off and becomes a huge hit, you keep all the benefits!
Do you accept reprints?
Yes, so long as you hold the copyright to allow us to publish it in the collection and the other criteria for the collection are met. Please tell us if you are submitting a reprint. We do give priority to new stories except in extreme cases.
How do I submit?
All submissions should be directed to submissions@engenbooks.com and should be sent from a reliable email address that you check regularly (we will contact all applicants through email with the status of their submission once the deadline has passed).
When do submissions close?
October 31, 2024 11:59 PM Newfoundland Standard Time.
Do you have questions?
Email them to submissions@engenbooks.com with the words FTR QUESTION in the subject line, we will answer you post haste!🙂
Happy Writing!
We regret that due to the volume of submissions we receive we will be unable to acknowledge receipt of entries. We will contact you after submissions close, usually within 30 days, to let you know if we accepted your work or not.
