Submissions

We are currently closed to submissions.

Please support us and our authors by purchasing our books, encouraging your public library to do so, and spreading the word among your friends and colleagues. The more books we sell, the more we can publish!

When we do open again to submissions...see below.

Please query first by email or "snail mail." Include a brief description of your manuscript, its genre or category, a short sample of the manuscript about which you are querying, and your marketing plan—which must include an active or planned active web/internet presence. 

Before sending a query, however, please read the "About Pearlsong Press" section to make sure your manuscript fits with our mission and vision, especially that of size/fat acceptance and respect for diversity in body size.

Include in your query an indication of how your book fits our mission and vision and either supports or does not contradict size/fat acceptance and body liberation. We don't require that every book we publish or sell be overtly size/fat-positive or feature "big beautiful" heroines—but we do refuse to publish or sell anything that is size/fat-negative, encourages dieting or bariatric surgery, or otherwise supports the weight loss industry.

Nonfiction with a health or fitness focus should be holistic and personally empowering, facilitating the individuals' understanding of their own bodies and abilities rather than uncritically accepting or promoting approaches that address symptoms instead of causes and emphasize professionals' authority over consumers'. And, of course, the work should be weight-neutral if not outright fat friendly. (By weight-neutral we mean, among other things, that the reader should not be promised weight loss as a result of following any recommendations in the work, even if the recommendations or practices are called "non-diet," "anti-dieting," "healthy eating" or "lifestyle change.")

Using the word "obesity" or "obese" (in fiction or nonfiction) without indicating your awareness of the medicalization of that term and the problems and prejudices inherent in labeling bodies as diseased simply because of their size or body fat percentage will most likely get your query or manuscript sample immediately rejected. Using the term "morbid obesity" might (in a less electronic age) get your manuscript set on fire....unless, perhaps, you demonstrate understanding of how that term can hurt more than than help. We don't like the term "overweight," either, because of its implicit reference to there being an externally (authoritatively) determined acceptable weight. (Over whose weight?)

In fiction, our stance for size acceptance includes refusing to publish even subtle bias like emphasizing a slim character's body as being more attractive than others because of that slimness, or unquestioningly presenting weight/fat loss as a positive pursuit, except when those attitudes are used to illustrate size/fat prejudice and ignorance.

And, of course, we refute overt bias such as using a character's fatness to emphasize repulsive qualities like sloth or gluttony. That doesn't mean we wouldn't consider a book with a fat villain—although we're not interested in glorifying immoral or criminal behavior, either— but his/her weight should be just another descriptive attribute, like height, race, hair color or baldness. Unless perhaps all that childhood playground taunting and weight-based cruelties sent him/her over the edge....

Email queries can be sent to. Please do not attach files to your email(s) unless we ask you to send us any. Email attachments will not be opened unless we have specifically requested a file be emailed to us.

If you want us to return anything or reply to you through postal mail, please include an SASE.

"Snail mail" or postal mail queries can be sent to:

If we feel your manuscript fits within Pearlsong's mission and may be feasible for us to publish, we will contact you and ask you to send the complete manuscript—or what you have completed thus far—to us. Please do not send any unsolicited manuscripts.

Royalties and other contractual issues will be discussed if and when Pearlsong Press is seriously considering publishing the author's work, and will be similar to that offered by other commercial publishers. We are currently not in a position to offer advances against royalties, preferring instead to devote such monies to producing and promoting books.

In accepting—or considering—a manuscript for publication, we take into consideration the author's willingness to promote his/her work and engage in marketing and promotional activities as mutually deemed helpful in selling the book. Such activities can include media interviews, email promotions, teleconferences, chat sessions and message board participation. Having an active online presence (website, social media participation, etc.) is essential, since online retailers are currently our primary sales outlet.