Do you want to impress the editor at Caltrop Press? Send us what we’re asking for! If you’re going to have difficulty working with us on a simple task, we’re going to be hesitant to take on the many months of work needed to get a book published.
- Send a query letter via e-mail. See the sample below.
- Include your first chapter or outline within the text of the e-mail, as explained below. DO NOT send it as an attachment. There’s too much internet malfeasance going on, and we’re not opening attachments from people we don’t know.
- Send a read fee of $25.00, which is non-refundable (we can’t un-read your work), but if we accept your manuscript it will be credited against any specific fees you incur or else or towards our share of the royalties. This is just to separate out people who are just thinking about writing (yes, we have a program for them too). If you’ve been invited to work with us, then that fee is waived.
Send the read fee now:
We answer all queries within two weeks, providing they meet our guidelines. Even if we can’t accept your proposal, since you sent us a read fee we’ll provide an honest assessment of the project. If it’s not for us, we may be able to refer you to someone more in tune with your interests.
You may query us before you have a complete manuscript in its final form. We’d rather tell you early on that we can’t take on your manuscript, and if we do accept it then we have a better chance to shape the final product. But it’s going to take a lot longer to get to press if you still have to write the book!
Below is a sample of the perfect query letter, which should be no more than 4 paragraphs long. You should include the first five pages of your novel in the body of your e-mail (attachments will be automatically rejected). You can actually cut and paste this sample letter into your word processor, but be sure to fill in the blanks!
The sample addresses books, which is the most likely situation, but we are also willing to work with you on non-book products such as training courses.
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Dear Dr. Brown:
I am including at the bottom of this e mail the first five substantive pages of my book [TITLE: SUBTITLE], which is a [GENRE]. Based on similar books I’ve read, I think it should end up at around [PAGE COUNT].
My book is about [YOUR TOPIC. Make this 2-3 sentences].
For non-fiction books, please explain: The ideal audience for this book is [WHO WOULD IMMEDIATELY WANT THIS BOOK?]. The main symptom that is bothering them is [SYMPTOM], and the root cause of that symptom is [PROBLEM]. To address that situation, my book offers the following specific solutions that reader can act on: [SOLUTIONS, PROCESSES, STEPS, etc.]
We do accept fiction or fictionalized books if they relate to our main genres, if that case please go on to explain: The main character is [NAME, 1-CLAUSE DESCRIPTION] who wants [WHAT IS HIS GOAL] and must overcome [WHAT OBSTACLES STAND IN HIS WAY]. In the end he learns (HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER GROW, WHAT IS YOUR THEME?]. [YOU MAY ALSO INCLUDE A SENTENCE OR TWO ABOUT OTHER ELEMENTS OF YOUR STORY –SUBPLOTS, ANCILLARY CHARACTERS , UNIQUE ELEMENTS, ETC. THAT WE MIGHT FIND HELPFUL]
I am [IF YOU HAVE ANY PARTICULAR EXPERTISE THAT QUALIFIES YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK, DETAILS GO HERE. IF YOU ARE A PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AUTHOR, LIST TITLES, PUBLISHERS AND LINKS IF STILL IN PRINT. IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST BOOK, IT’S OKAY TO SAY SO. IF YOU HAVE WON AWARDS OR CONTESTS OR ATTENDED WORKSHOPS, LIST THE MOST IMPORTANT HERE ]
I believe Caltrop Press is the perfect publisher for my book because [WHY US? Who cares? We do. Maybe we just want to see how you do with creative writing!]. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely, NAME
PREFERRED E-MAIL ADDRESS
TELEPHONE
MAILING ADDRESS
WEB SITE
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CUT AND PASTE YOUR DETAILED OUTLINE OR THE FIRST 5 SUBSTANTIVE PAGES OF YOUR BOOK HERE.
By “substantive, we mean the pages that are really relevant to the book contents, not the foreword, dedication, self-promotional chapter, etc.