We are actively seeking poetry, short stories, and art from active and veteran military members and/or their family for an anthology. Please, state in your query letter if you meet any of this criteria.
Do not submit your manuscript or story idea unless it is requested by one of our staff members. This is for your protection as well as ours.
We are currently receiving a high volume of submissions so please allow 5 to 10 business days for a response from one of our editors.
Even if Happy Duck Publishing chooses not to publish your manuscript, we will sometimes make referrals to other publishers we work with. If this happens we will notify you. It is our belief everyone has a story and deserves a chance to have it told!
SUBMISSIONS POLICY
TYPES OF BOOK PUBLISHED: Paperback, Ebook, and Audio Books.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS: For brief books for ages 5-8, Happy Duck Publishing requires a query letter describing the project briefly and concisely (see below), a separate list of the author’s publishing credits, and a digital copy of the full manuscript. Digital copies of any accompanying artwork are welcome. Be advised that we have certain expectations in the length of a proposed manuscript. Children's books should not exceed 4,000 words.
ALL OTHER BOOKS: Happy Duck Publishing requires a query letter describing the project briefly and concisely (see below), a separate list of the author’s publishing credits, a digital copy of the outline and one or two chapters, and a digital copy of the full manuscript. Proposed books for middle readers (ages 10 and up) should be at least 25,000 words. Adult books should be more than this. For poetry or similar works we require at least 50 pages.
QUERY LETTER AND OTHER SUBMISSION POLICIES: The book’s title must be clearly stated at the top of the query letter. The letter needs to outline: the book’s content, its anticipated length (in words), its intended audience, and any promotional ideas and contacts the author may have. If the author has previously been published by another firm, please specify why a change is being sought.
We will respond as promptly as possible, letting you know whether or not we feel the project is worth pursuing further. If we feel that it is worthy of consideration, we will request more information.
We look for clarity and conciseness of expression and presentation in a synopsis/outline and we ask to see those that will most likely yield proposals fitting our list and that we feel we can market successfully. A lot of manuscripts are turned down just because they have no clear “hooks” or well-defined audiences. The author should present a strong case as to why we should take on the book and who would buy it.
We DO NOT require that writers contacting us have a literary agent representing them!
A phone call to the editor or office or an in-person drop off of unrequested material does not automatically imply that a project has been solicited. For this and other obvious reasons, we discourage phone inquiries and in-person drop offs. If an author we have requested additional material from is uncertain as to what we’re asking for, a phone call to clarify the matter is acceptable.
Solicited manuscripts are carefully scrutinized by the editor(s). On occasion, they may be examined by other parties to gauge their marketability. They are then passed on to the publisher for preliminary and final consideration. The submissions are reported on as soon as possible, but this process may take up to three months (12 weeks). If acceptance is recommended, the author(s) will be asked to sign a contract with Happy Duck Publishing.
If the three-month period for solicited manuscripts passes without the author being informed of a decision, a polite note of reminder from the author is not out of order. Phone calls on the status of manuscripts are very strongly discouraged. Never badger the editor for an instant decision or make demands or threats; this can only hurt the author’s chances of acceptance. Authors who feel unsatisfied with our procedures or the amount of time being taken to reach a decision are free to request the manuscript’s return at any time.
Happy Duck Publishing requires exclusive submission for all solicited manuscripts during the 12-week period mentioned above. This is for obvious reasons. We can only give full attention to those manuscripts which we are likely to be able to publish if accepted by us.
We also ask that authors who have solicited works under consideration please refrain from sending us other works or proposals during this time unless they are specifically requested to do so. Agreement on our part to look at a particular work does not imply blanket authorization to send unrelated materials and doing so could hurt, rather than help, an author. Materials related to the requested submission, such as favorable newspaper clippings, endorsements by qualified professionals in the field the author is writing about, or other amended data may be sent and added to the material already on file. Use careful judgment in selecting these items and be certain that they enhance the material and its chances of being accepted. Sending in later data that refutes or calls into question points made in the earlier submission may cast doubts on the whole project’s veracity and damage its chances of acceptance. Always be certain to refer to the work’s title, the author name under which it was submitted, and the date the original query was mailed.
Most material we request can be digitally received. If we ask for materials to be mailed to us we require all requested submissions, including outlines, resumes, sample chapters, etc., be neatly printed out on 8½ by 11 inch paper and double-spaced with sufficient margins (1 inch on all sides). Query letters are customarily single-spaced. Submissions with numerous misspellings, typographical errors, and handwritten corrections reflect unfavorably on the author and may contribute heavily toward a rejection. Writers are cautioned not to rely on editors to clean up after them or interpret unclear information, regardless of how good they think their material may be. A sloppy submission is often indicative of worse problems—the type editors and publishers prefer not to deal with.
Handwritten submissions and/or queries will not be considered.
We accept no responsibility for original and only-copies of material. We require that, if requested, all writers send us COPIES of their work and retain the originals at home. We will not be responsible for misplaced or lost material.
Comments and/or reviews from qualified professionals or publications, as stated earlier, can be desirable in many cases. Likewise for rejection letters from other publishing companies that acknowledge a project’s potential value and which base their rejections on other factors unrelated to quality of author workmanship.
If an author seeking to publish an illustrated work plans to use artwork copyrighted by an author, illustrator, publication, or syndicate, permission must be obtained in writing from that source. Permission in writing must also be obtained by any author seeking to use quotes or other materials from previously copyrighted publications. We will not publish illustrations or portions of another copyrighted work without written authorization to do so.
Authors seeking to have previously published books reprinted must have, in writing from their previous publisher, a signed letter transferring all rights (including copyright) to them. This is required under the 1978 Copyright Law and must be adhered to in all such cases.
All terms are specified in the contract all authors publishing under our imprint(s) are required to sign. No book will be published by Happy Duck Publishing without a contract signed beforehand.
Do not submit your manuscript or story idea unless it is requested by one of our staff members. This is for your protection as well as ours.
We are currently receiving a high volume of submissions so please allow 5 to 10 business days for a response from one of our editors.
Even if Happy Duck Publishing chooses not to publish your manuscript, we will sometimes make referrals to other publishers we work with. If this happens we will notify you. It is our belief everyone has a story and deserves a chance to have it told!
SUBMISSIONS POLICY
TYPES OF BOOK PUBLISHED: Paperback, Ebook, and Audio Books.
CHILDREN’S BOOKS: For brief books for ages 5-8, Happy Duck Publishing requires a query letter describing the project briefly and concisely (see below), a separate list of the author’s publishing credits, and a digital copy of the full manuscript. Digital copies of any accompanying artwork are welcome. Be advised that we have certain expectations in the length of a proposed manuscript. Children's books should not exceed 4,000 words.
ALL OTHER BOOKS: Happy Duck Publishing requires a query letter describing the project briefly and concisely (see below), a separate list of the author’s publishing credits, a digital copy of the outline and one or two chapters, and a digital copy of the full manuscript. Proposed books for middle readers (ages 10 and up) should be at least 25,000 words. Adult books should be more than this. For poetry or similar works we require at least 50 pages.
QUERY LETTER AND OTHER SUBMISSION POLICIES: The book’s title must be clearly stated at the top of the query letter. The letter needs to outline: the book’s content, its anticipated length (in words), its intended audience, and any promotional ideas and contacts the author may have. If the author has previously been published by another firm, please specify why a change is being sought.
We will respond as promptly as possible, letting you know whether or not we feel the project is worth pursuing further. If we feel that it is worthy of consideration, we will request more information.
We look for clarity and conciseness of expression and presentation in a synopsis/outline and we ask to see those that will most likely yield proposals fitting our list and that we feel we can market successfully. A lot of manuscripts are turned down just because they have no clear “hooks” or well-defined audiences. The author should present a strong case as to why we should take on the book and who would buy it.
We DO NOT require that writers contacting us have a literary agent representing them!
A phone call to the editor or office or an in-person drop off of unrequested material does not automatically imply that a project has been solicited. For this and other obvious reasons, we discourage phone inquiries and in-person drop offs. If an author we have requested additional material from is uncertain as to what we’re asking for, a phone call to clarify the matter is acceptable.
Solicited manuscripts are carefully scrutinized by the editor(s). On occasion, they may be examined by other parties to gauge their marketability. They are then passed on to the publisher for preliminary and final consideration. The submissions are reported on as soon as possible, but this process may take up to three months (12 weeks). If acceptance is recommended, the author(s) will be asked to sign a contract with Happy Duck Publishing.
If the three-month period for solicited manuscripts passes without the author being informed of a decision, a polite note of reminder from the author is not out of order. Phone calls on the status of manuscripts are very strongly discouraged. Never badger the editor for an instant decision or make demands or threats; this can only hurt the author’s chances of acceptance. Authors who feel unsatisfied with our procedures or the amount of time being taken to reach a decision are free to request the manuscript’s return at any time.
Happy Duck Publishing requires exclusive submission for all solicited manuscripts during the 12-week period mentioned above. This is for obvious reasons. We can only give full attention to those manuscripts which we are likely to be able to publish if accepted by us.
We also ask that authors who have solicited works under consideration please refrain from sending us other works or proposals during this time unless they are specifically requested to do so. Agreement on our part to look at a particular work does not imply blanket authorization to send unrelated materials and doing so could hurt, rather than help, an author. Materials related to the requested submission, such as favorable newspaper clippings, endorsements by qualified professionals in the field the author is writing about, or other amended data may be sent and added to the material already on file. Use careful judgment in selecting these items and be certain that they enhance the material and its chances of being accepted. Sending in later data that refutes or calls into question points made in the earlier submission may cast doubts on the whole project’s veracity and damage its chances of acceptance. Always be certain to refer to the work’s title, the author name under which it was submitted, and the date the original query was mailed.
Most material we request can be digitally received. If we ask for materials to be mailed to us we require all requested submissions, including outlines, resumes, sample chapters, etc., be neatly printed out on 8½ by 11 inch paper and double-spaced with sufficient margins (1 inch on all sides). Query letters are customarily single-spaced. Submissions with numerous misspellings, typographical errors, and handwritten corrections reflect unfavorably on the author and may contribute heavily toward a rejection. Writers are cautioned not to rely on editors to clean up after them or interpret unclear information, regardless of how good they think their material may be. A sloppy submission is often indicative of worse problems—the type editors and publishers prefer not to deal with.
Handwritten submissions and/or queries will not be considered.
We accept no responsibility for original and only-copies of material. We require that, if requested, all writers send us COPIES of their work and retain the originals at home. We will not be responsible for misplaced or lost material.
Comments and/or reviews from qualified professionals or publications, as stated earlier, can be desirable in many cases. Likewise for rejection letters from other publishing companies that acknowledge a project’s potential value and which base their rejections on other factors unrelated to quality of author workmanship.
If an author seeking to publish an illustrated work plans to use artwork copyrighted by an author, illustrator, publication, or syndicate, permission must be obtained in writing from that source. Permission in writing must also be obtained by any author seeking to use quotes or other materials from previously copyrighted publications. We will not publish illustrations or portions of another copyrighted work without written authorization to do so.
Authors seeking to have previously published books reprinted must have, in writing from their previous publisher, a signed letter transferring all rights (including copyright) to them. This is required under the 1978 Copyright Law and must be adhered to in all such cases.
All terms are specified in the contract all authors publishing under our imprint(s) are required to sign. No book will be published by Happy Duck Publishing without a contract signed beforehand.
