Submission Guidelines

Our reading period is from July 1-August 31. We will not be able to respond to submissions sent before or after this period.
 

For our flagship, Catalyst Press, we’re looking for innovative, thoughtful writing that engages readers and reveals the world from different perspectives and different understandings. Our primary focus is currently on African writers and/or writers with a deep, long-standing connection to the continent.
 

We are willing to consider exceptions in certain cases but we seek to publish African and African Diasporan points of view, realities, and understandings of the world we live in. A key word for us is “authentic”—but diversity is also key as there is no singular African culture, belief system, or experience.
 

On the adult side, we publish crime/mystery, thrillers, literary fiction, non-fiction, memoir, children’s and young adult novels. We are also looking to expand our romance offerings. If you believe you have a manuscript that we would be interested in, please send a short description, a bio, and approximately 30-50 pages to submissions [at] catalystpress.org with the subject line: CATALYST PRESS MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION, [YOUR NAME]. For those submitting illustrated work, please also submit sample artwork or a link to your portfolio. We can’t promise a short response time but will do our best to respond within two months.

For our science-and-nature-focus Powers Squared imprint, we're looking for manuscripts that meld science and story. We believe that science is for everyone, and are looking for accessible, research-backed work that champions scientific creativity in a multiplicity of fields— chemistry, ecology, sociology, biology, astronomy, physics and more. We want to be surprised, informed, and feel more connected to the world around us. We're hungry for work that is both informative and understands scientific inquiry as a basis for communities of all kinds –not just academics– to love and appreciate science. We're generally looking for non-fiction for both children and adults that looks at story through a global lens. In rare cases, we may also consider fictional work with a strong science-based point-of-view. Please send 30-50 pages of your manuscript along with a CV or link to your website to submissions [at] catalystpress.org with the subject line: POWERS SQUARED MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION, [YOUR NAME].

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For our Intimate Geographies Series, we are looking for short books (30,000-40,000 words) that get to the heart of a location and helps readers to understand it, to glimpse its soul. This series aims to help locals and travelers get under the skin of the fascinating places – cities, sites, locales – that often remain elusive and enigmatic because of their diversity and difference. We're not interested in parachute journalism. These are stories told from the perspectives of writers with long lived experiences in these places, either as natives or as long-time residents. A mix between travel narrative, literary non-fiction, and memoir, these books explore places of curiosity. Of complexity. Of contradiction. These books focus on more off-beat destinations. Places we’ve all heard about, or maybe even visited or lived in, but which defy easy understanding. Less London and Paris, more Lagos and Pittsburgh, though we will consider more conventional cities if you have a less-trod angle, history, or perspective. For series consideration, please send to submissions [at] catalystpress.org with the subject line: INTIMATE GEOGRAPHIES PROPOSAL, [YOUR NAME].

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For our place-based, collaborative imprint Flare Books/Flare Kids, we're looking for work with a strong sense of place. These can be fiction or non-fiction stories, set anywhere in the world, that evoke the sounds, sights, and spirit of its setting. There are specific submission guidelines and publishing structures for both Flare and Flare Kids. Please contact Jessica Powers at jlpowers [at] catalystpress.org with the subject line FLARE BOOKS INQUIRY [YOUR NAME] for more information.