We accept submissions according to the following guidelines, and ONLY through our email system at submissions@gadflypublishing.com.

Submissions must consist of the following:

1. Query letter (copied and pasted into email, not sent as an attachment), outlining any past publications, description of your current work and number of pages. Manuscript must be completed and thoroughly proofed prior to submitting query. We do not provide extensive editing, and expect authors to have retained a professional editing service prior to submission.

2. Four sample chapters of the manuscript in proper format (double spaced, 12 point font) pasted within the body of the email, following the query letter.

3. We will NOT open any attachments to email due to internet security concerns.

4. We will respond to queries within 30 days or less. Our response will be either to pass on the manuscript, or to request a printed copy of the manuscript in its entirety sent via the traditional mail system.

5. Upon final review, which will be within 30 days, we will advise you of our decision. If we decide to accept your manuscript for publication, we will forward our publishing contract for your consideration. If we decide to pass, we will shred the manuscript so that your copyright will not be compromised.

TOPICS  THAT WE WILL CONSIDER:

We are looking for works that fulfill our mission of "changing the world, one book at a time." We realize that this is broadranging, but we know what we want when we read it. Consider exposés of political corruption and exploitation (with documented sources), historical documentation of advances in human and animal rights, thought-provoking challenges to our way of looking at the world and our place in it, insightful suggestions on improving the global economy or solving the current energy crisis, and any other work that wakes up the mind and shakes it out of its comfortable resting place.

Since change in and of itself is not always for the better, we also interpret our motto of "changing the world, one book at a time" to include a return to traditional approaches to solving problems.  For example, "back to the basics" in education, stressing, for example, the phonics approach to reading. Also, "green" approaches to food production, evoking the concept of the WWII victory gardens.

TOPICS THAT WE WILL NOT CONSIDER:

Publishers often receive manuscripts that are tossed in the garbage after reading only a line or two. While it should go without saying, topics promoting racial hatred, gender bias, sexual preference bias, religious bias, neo-Nazism, and a host of other hate-related works are among these. We also avoid sexually explicit material that serves no purpose in advancing a sound plot.

NOTES ON PUBLISHING FORMATS:

Our titles will be published in hardcover format when possible since this is the only format acknowledged by most reviewers.  However, because current economic trends have placed strains on consumers' budgets, we will also consider trade paperback format--and even ebook format--with or without a concurrent hardback edition.

Our market analysis will dictate whether the hardback or paperback format will be produced by belt press or POD. Most works with color graphics will be POD, simply because the price of a press run is prohibitive for a small publisher.

SUBSIDY PUBLISHING:

Thousands of queries hit any one publisher each year, yet only a handful of manuscripts are chosen for publication. Most publishers maintain a stable of authors with proven blockbuster potential and are hesitate to venture out for fear of economic loss. Also, the general reading public has a shorter attention span today­­­­­­­--it is safe to say that Proust and Faulkner would not capture the attention of the majority of contemporary readers.

If you are a first-time author, you might consider avoiding the generic subsidy publishers and publish at no charge with www.lulu.com. The advantage of this publisher is that you can acquire an ISBN (for a small fee), publish through online bookstores, and retain the work of Lulu-approved service providers for editing, reviews, and a host of other pre-publication services. On the other hand, you can choose to order one or more copies of your book without distributing it to the general public, so it is an ideal service for you to share your thoughts locally with friends, church members or other special interest groups who might enjoy reading your work.