DFP Submissions Guidelines

EMAIL SUBMISSIONS & INQUIRIES:
Send all email to the senior editor in plain text (i.e. non-HTML). Do not send attachments without prior approval. Unsolicited email attachments are deleted unread and SPAM is reported to the webhost.

CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS:
We do not contract outside the USA. All authors and artists must be USA citizens with valid social security numbers for IRS tax purposes and royalty payment options.

GENRE FICTION:
We seek a limited number of single-author novels and anthologies for the DFP Books label. [See below for "previously published" works]

New works must be finished and should not require extensive editing. We look for great stories with a strong writing style and good POV (point-of-view) technique. One POV character per scene is preferred, but not mandatory. R-ratings are discouraged. [See below for "Content & Rating"]

We seek 45,000 to 95,000 word novels and single-author anthologies in the following genres:
* Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF): Any mixture of true SF/Fantasy
* Science Fiction Romance (SFR): Futuristic (SF), Paranormal, and Fantasy
* Teen / Young Adult: SF/Fantasy preferred, but contemporary will be considered

CONTENT & RATING:
Please note that we do not publish graphic material. That means no Erotica and no true Horror. True Horror is usually defined more by the "amount of graphic violence" portrayed in the story than by subject matter. Therefore, we consider all types of true fantasy, including vampire stories, as long as the graphic content does not mandate the R-rating (18 or older).

NON-FICTION BOOKS:
We seek a limited number of non-fiction books for the DFP Books label. All works must finished and should not require extensive editing. [See below for "Previously Published Works"]

Because non-fiction books often contain photographs and illustrations, as well as special formatting, it is difficult to judge page length by word count. For our current printing purposes, finished books must be 108-400 pages in final format. Generally speaking, documents with text between 45,000 to 95,000 words fall inside the preferred page lengths.

Proposals should include a working outline along with all text and materials, including photographs and illustrations. In order to complete the contract process, the author must provide copies of all legal permissions required for any text and photographs/illustrations to be included in the book.

CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS:
We seek a limited number of unpublished children's picture book stories for the Kittycat Books label. All picture books are illustrated in full color by a professional artist contracted by the publisher. Storyboards are limited to 24 pages with 2 pages reserved for the title page and credits page. ARTISTS: Click here for information on how to create illustrations for Kittycat Books. Contact the Senior Editor to learn more about writing and illustrating children's books for us.

EDITING:
Genre Fiction and Non-Fiction editing is performed digitally through RTF (Rich Text Format) manuscript files. The author must provide a clean digital file for editing purposes, and must be able to send and receive limited email file attachments during the editing process. Digital files are to be created according to the below formatting guidelines, using a word processor that handles resident RTF files in Times New Roman font, size-12 (i.e. TNR-12).

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORKS:
Previously published titles are accepted on a case-by-case basis. All rights must be free to contract. Prior publication information must be submitted, including all former publishers, ISBNs, formats, reviews, and awards. Copies of all contractual releases and rights reversions must be included before new contracts can be issued.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION: [See our COPYRIGHT article page...]
Authors retain full copyright to all contracted works and are required to provide proof of copyright with a copy of the initial application and then a copy of the registered copyright certificate. For copyright forms and information, see the U.S. Library of Congress at www.loc.gov. Choose Copyright Office and then go to Forms. The TXT Short Form is the normal copyright form filed for a single author new manuscript, or the longer standard TXT Form can be chosen. Both forms download in PDF and include instructions. You can now register copyrights online at a lower price! For more information, see the U.S. Copyright Office at: http://www.copyright.gov/.

FORMATTING GUIDELINES:
BRAND NAMES: None; use generics, as needed
CHAPTER BREAKS: Hard page return between chapters
CHAPTER HEADERS: TNR-12 flush left beginning on Line-3
FILE DELIVERY: Email attachment (RTF) [Should be 3-MB or less]
FILE TYPE: RTF (Rich Text Format) DO NOT CONVERT
FONT FORMATS: Use plain text with Italics for emphasis, as needed; no bold or underlines
FONT TEXT: Standard Times New Roman, Size-12 (i.e. TNR-12)
LINE SPACING: Single spacing; do not double-space between paragraphs
PAGE FOOTER: None
PAGE HEADER: Put "TITLE / Author" on left and "Page # of ##" on right (TNR-12)
PAGE MARGINS: 1.0" all around on 8.5" x 11" standard sheet
PAGE RIGHT: Justified (except for scene break spacers--see below)
SCENE BREAKS: Center three asterisks one space apart (* * *) below the last sentence in the scene. Skip one line. Then start the next scene flush-left with the first word in ALL CAPS.
SCENE POV: If third person, then one POV character per scene is preferred
STYLE DASHES: Two short dashes--with no spaces; will be converted to em-dashes later
STYLE ELLIPSES: No spaces set inside sentences...four periods at end�.
STYLE HYPHENS: Use hyphens only in standard phrases, such as "mother-in-law"
STYLE TABS: Set one Manual Tab at 0.5"; do not use auto tabs