Submissions

Submission Guidelines

Dundurn Press is one of the largest independent publishing houses in Canada. We prioritize publishing books by Canadian authors and those eligible to hold Canadian citizenship in three key areas: nonfiction, literary fiction, and mystery/thriller.

Please review these guidelines carefully. Submissions that do not adhere to these instructions will not be considered.

Please note that we do not accept submissions of books that have been previously published or self-published.

We are not currently publishing graphic novels, children’s or YA books, or poetry at this time.

If you are not sure if your project is right for us, please take a look at the books we publish here. You can search by subject or genre and see what we are publishing at Dundurn Press.

Nonfiction Submissions

Recent publications include He Did Not Conquer, The Uncertainty Advantage, The Drive Across Canada, Echo Maker, Eerie Whispers, and The Sport and Prey of Capitalists.

We accept submissions across numerous nonfiction genres including:

• History
• Politics
• Business, finance, and economics
• Society and culture
• True crime
• Local interest
• Sports
• Music
• Paranormal/supernatural
• Popular science
• Memoir and biography
   

Please include the following with your submission:

1. An introductory email telling us about you and your project – subject line should include the title of your project
2. Your manuscript or proposal as an attachment in Word or pdf – please do not share links to Google Drive, DropBox, WeTransfer, etc.
3. Your proposal should include:
   • A short biography of you as the author, with writing credits and other information relevant to your project
   • Your contact information and place of residence
   • A short summary of your project – what is it about? Why is it important? Why are you the right person to write it?
   • A writing sample – 2-3 chapters or 30-50 pages is ideal for a sample
   • Market research into comparative titles – tell us why your book stands out in the market, what is unique about you and your book, what other books are out there for your book to compete with?

Fiction Submissions

Recent publications include Celestina’s House, Naniki, The Hypebeast, The Road to Goderich, and Bad Juliet.

We accept submissions of literary and commercial novels and short story collections for both our Dundurn Fiction list and our Rare Machines literary imprint.

If you would like to submit a work of fiction for consideration, please include the following in your email:

1. An introductory email telling us about you and your project – subject line should include the title of your project
2. Your full manuscript in 12 point font, double-spaced – we do not accept partial manuscripts for works of fiction
3. A literary CV with your previous publications (if any) and other information relevant to your project
4. A complete synopsis of the book – maximum 1 page single spaced

Mystery and Thriller Submissions

Recent publications include the Birder Murder mystery series by Steve Burrows, the Inspector Green series by Barbara Fradkin, the Stonechild and Rouleau series by Brenda Chapman, and the Patrick Bird series by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson.

If you are interested in submitting your mystery novel or thriller novel to Dundurn Press, please include the following:

1. An introductory email telling us about you and your project – subject line should include the title of your project
2. Your full manuscript in 12 point font, double-spaced – we do not accept partial manuscripts for works of fiction
3. A literary CV with your previous publications (if any) and other information relevant to your project
4. A complete synopsis of the book – maximum 1 page single spaced