KEITH 

 

PUBLICATIONS

GUIDELINES

D' Ink Well is currently

seeking submissions for E-Books.

Keith Publications will NOT accept simultaneous submissions or

any works previously published in e-book format.

We want only FULL manuscripts.

We will however consider previously published print books for e-books if the author has all rights.

Keith Publications will always encourage authors to write what they love writing. It doesn't matter if the story is historical, science fiction, mystery/suspense, fantasy, western, or any other subgenre. If you the author, are writing what you love, it shows in your writing and the emotions come through. The stories are wittier, entrancing, sexier, blazing, etc., when you have the emotional investment in doing what you love…This is where the great, page-turning stories come from, because you, the author, are free to do what you love.

We are often asked, "What are you looking for?" To answer, we tell you to write what you write best and love most. We will never say we need so many shape shifters or vampire stories, or so many westerns, because we feel a great story is a great story. PLEASE don’t ever write a story for us just because you heard we were looking for a certain type of story, because we are always looking for your dazzling, blazing, intense, intelligent, clever, witty, emotionally-packed story, whatever type it may be.

We do have guidelines, which are to be used ONLY as a guide.

We would like:

DIW (DIW = D' Ink Well) is open to general submissions of all genres/sub-genres of romance, fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, western, poetry, paranormal, young adult, mystery/suspense, how-to's, and non-fiction. Must have an engaging story line that works well with the genre category. No erotica at this time.

Please Note: We do not accept paper submissions. We only take submissions sent to us in .doc, .rft or .pdf format to the emails listed below.

- Multicultural stories in any genre

- Paranormal stories in any genre. Shape shifters of any kind, spirits, hauntings, demons, angels, vampires, fairies, elves, dragons, witches, wizards, were/crocodiles/jaguars/snakes/tigers/wolves (you get the point), gremlins of all sorts, unicorns, nymphs, genies, mermaids, beasts, zombies, and succubus. There are so many  things that have been conjured up, why not start a new line of beasts and make us stand up and take notice. 

- Young Adult. Young love. These are geared toward teenage readers. Keep them glued to the page as they turn to the next page...make it entertaining with a surprise or happy ending, depending on the category you choose to write under.

- Fantasy. Fairies, witches, dragons, wizards, elves, dryads, genies, unicorns, mermaids, angels in a story that makes you believe you are there and all things are real.

- Mystery & Suspense. Give us something that allows us to sink deep into a chair, wonder what is going to happen, and not have a clue. Then at the end of the story we find ourselves saying, "Oh yes why didn't I think of that?" Keep the reader on the edge, turning pages and thinking the whole time about who did it!

We are also looking for short stories/novellas to offer FREE to our readers, so they will come to love you as one of their favorite writers. Don’t hold back, send something you’ve had for a while that doesn’t have a home, polish it and send it to us. Put your best work forward. There is no pay for these stories, but you will have an author's page w/bio and photo, so please add this in with your info when you submit. Make sure you put in the subject line that it’s a free submission for DIW.

Please Note: We do not accept paper submissions. We only take submissions sent to us in .docx, .doc, .rft or .pdf format to the emails listed below.

All submissions must be sent by email, as we are primarily an e-publisher and all our work is done through the Internet. Please send all submissions via email to the email addresses listed below.

In order to send books that were published with other publishers, you must have all the rights to the story/book. If your story has been published, please give me the details, what you were paid (be it money or tear sheets or electronic). When submitting to DIW, follow the directions below as if it were a new book.

-Please send synopsis and full manuscript via email in the following format to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

-In the subject line, name your manuscript and put DIW submission and name of mansucript. (DIW = D' Ink Well)

-In the body of the email, indicate the line your manuscript is intended for and the length of the manuscript (e.g., western, paranormal, romance, (see other genres we accept) 2,000 to 150,000 words)

-Write a cover letter that gives your personal information: name, email, contact information, Web sites/blogs and any pertinent writing background information, e.g. awards, writing affiliations, and previous publishers. Please include the pen names you write under, if not your legal name.
 

-Include a synopsis attached to the email. This can be as long or as short as you choose, as long as it gives us complete information. We must know what genre the story is written for and get an overall idea of the entire story. No leaving out the ending. If you aren't sure how to write a synopsis, refer to several articles online on this subject.

Please note the elements that we do not accept within any of our lines:

Any book that glorifies depraved or illegal acts will not be considered. No pedophilia, bestiality, racial intolerance, rape as titillation, necrophilia – no icky factors, please!

Please do not send any submissions via hard copy. We will not respond to these submissions, nor will we return submissions sent this way.

Please format your work (manuscript and synopsis) as follows:

*When sending your manuscript/synopsis please name them: Title_Author initials_full/synopsis. For instance, if your name is Lynn Jacobs and you’re writing a book called Time Will Pass, you’d name your manuscript TimeWillPass_LJ_full and your synopsis TimeWillPass_LJ_synopsis. This helps our editors keep submissions organized.

• .DOCX (preferred Word Document Format) .RTF (Rich Text File) or .doc (Word Document) file

• Author name and book title should appear on the first page of your manuscript and synopsis

• Page size 8.5” X 11”

• 12pt Arial, Georgia, Times New Roman or Bookman Old Style
  

• Line spacing – 1.5

• Page numbers, centered on bottom of each page

• Page breaks in between chapters

• Use three Tildes between scenes - ~~~ or four asterisks * * * *

Please use common sense. There are guidelines that can be accessed on the Internet or through your writing chapters or .organizations. We will accept any standard industry formatting, and in 12pt Arial, Georgia, Times New Roman, or Bookman Old Style.

Please be sure that your manuscript has been thoroughly self-edited and is free of spelling and grammatical errors. Read and re-read, polish and re-polish. Rewrite as often as you see fit or as often as others critiquing you request a rewrite.

When you have your manuscript polished and ready to go, please send the completed manuscript to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please allow up to 12-16 weeks for a personal reply. You will receive a reply, to let you know that your email has been received. We hope to shorten this time frame, so don't be surprised if you receive a reply before the allotted time frame.

Submission FAQ's

What type of publisher is Keith Publications/D' Ink Well?
We are an Independent Electronic E-book Publisher. We hope to one day print some of our top selling books, CDs and maybe audio books. We are a royalty-paying publisher. We do not ask for any fees from an author to publish or distribute their books. We expect our authors to help promote their books.

What are our royalty rates?
Our royalty rates begin at 35%.

Should I market my book?
YES! We will market your book, but most authors have a list of friends, family, and fans that will want to know about your book. We don’t have that list. Anything you can do to market your book will help, leading to more sales, which equals more money.

How do I market my book?
You can make bookmarks, a Web site, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blog, brochures, business cards, go to meetings and hand out or lay out your bookmarks, brochures, create items with your name on them (e.g. pens, pencils, etc.) Have a contest for a free book. Word of mouth is great.

Do we assign ISBN numbers to our e-books, audio, print or CDs?
Yes. An ISBN number is assigned to each contracted book, and each media version of the book. Note: The  book will have one ISBN number for the e-Book and a different one for the media version (audio, print or CDs, etc.).