SUBMISSIONS
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Guidelines for Submissions
Sahara House is currently open for submissions. We are looking for fresh and compelling stories and timely ideas. We are interested in manuscripts from both new and established authors. We welcome submissions within the following categories:
- Fiction: novels, short stories, novellas, plays, creative non-fiction, poetry.
- Nonfiction: essays, memoirs, biographies, autobiographies, mixed-genre.
- Educational books: primary, secondary and tertiary texts.
We accept the above genres, and this must be so indicated in the introductory email and the synopsis. The work must not have appeared anywhere in print. If already published online, let us know where (all the platforms) it has appeared.
FORMATTING
Pages should be numbered consecutively. Sample chapters for both fiction and nonfiction should be formatted as Times New Roman, 12 point, double or 1&1/2 lines spacing, and left-justified. (An exception may be made for educational books and other works that have pictures or illustrations, or for which the logic of their contents so requires).
CLEAN UP MANUSCRIPT
As much as you can, make every effort to clean up your manuscript before sending it in. It is in your best interest that you spell-check and minimise grammatical errors.
SYNOPSIS
Send us a one-page synopsis of the work. It should give a summary of the whole story or all the main topics of an educational book, from beginning to end. Take note that this is not a promotional piece or a blurb.
ORIGINALITY
We accept only original works. Ensure your sources are properly acknowledged. Sahara House has a very strong anti-plagiarism policy.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
When you send through your manuscript, you will receive an automatic email from our editors acknowledging receipt. As long as it has not been published elsewhere it is protected by law.
RESPONSE TIME
Sahara House will contact you, usually via email, to communicate further information on your manuscript within six weeks. Our editors may take more than six weeks to review a manuscript. If we do not contact you after three months of submission, it means we have decided not to publish your manuscript. However, if you have not heard from us three months from the date of acknowledgement of your submission, you may send a query to us via email. The subject of the email should have the following format: Query, your surname, title of work, eg Query, Dangana, Red Flower Season.
SUBMISSION
Submit your manuscript via email to submissions@saharahouse.com.ng with a cover letter in the body of your email introducing yourself and your work on or before 31 August 2024. The email should contain (as attachments): A one-page synopsis of your work (in Word format, 12point font 1&1/2 lines spacing). The first three chapters of your work (for fiction and creative nonfiction). Note: We do not expect this to be your first draft.
Let the subject of your email include the title of your work, indicating whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, and the genre followed by the word “Submission (e.g. Red Flower Season: Fiction/Prose Submission).
Pages should be numbered consecutively. Sample chapters for both fiction and nonfiction should be formatted as Times New Roman, 12 point, double or 11/2 lines spacing, and left-justified. (An exception may be made for educational books and other works that have pictures or illustrations, or for which the logic of their contents so requires).
As much as you can, make every effort to clean up your manuscript before sending it in. It is in your best interest that you spell-check. It doesn’t say much about your commitment to the written word if your manuscript is riddled with mis-spellings and avoidable grammatical errors.
Aside from doing all the work you can on your manuscript, do even more on your synopsis. Both are important! Please send us a one-page synopsis of the work. It should give a summary of the whole story, from beginning to end. Take note that this is not a promotional piece or a blurb.
We accept only original works. Ensure your sources are properly acknowledged. Sahara House has a very strong anti-plagiarism policy. Acknowledgement
When you send through your manuscript, you will receive an automatic email from our editors acknowledging receipt. As long as it has not been published elsewhere it is protected by law.
Sahara House will contact you, usually via email, to communicate further information on your manuscript. Our editors may take two months or more to review a manuscript. If we do not contact you after three months of submission, it means we have decided not to publish your manuscript. However, if you have not heard from us three months from the date of acknowledgement of your submission, you may send a query to us via email. The subject of the email should have the following format: Query, your surname, title of work, eg Query Dangana, Red Flower Season.
To submit your manuscript to Sahara House Limited, Send Us an Email with a cover letter introducing yourself and your work.
The email should contain (as attachments):
A one-page synopsis of your work (in Word format, 12point font 11/2 lines spacing).
The first three chapters of your work (for fiction and creative nonfiction)
Note: We do not expect this to be your first draft.
Let the subject of your email include the title of your work, indicating whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, and the genre followed by the word “Submission (e.g. Red Flower Season: Fiction/Prose Submission).
Please include the information below in the body of your email:
- Your name (Include your pen name, if you write with a pen name.)
- Contact details (including phone number and address)
- Author bio (100 words max., in Word document, third person narrative).
- A word count of the entire work.
- Details of any current submission of the manuscript to other publishers
- Details of any previous publishing history and/or writing awards you have received
- Send your email to: submissions@saharahouse.com.ng
- Please do not send your manuscript more than once, even if you have revised it after the first submission. If you need to resubmit your manuscript because it has been revised, please notify us via: enquiry@saharahouse.com.ng
- Submissions for the current cycle will close on the 31st of August 2024.
- We will not acknowledge or return hard copy submissions.
- For further information on how to publish with us, please see the FAQs or email us at enquiry@saharahouse.com.ng
Begin your publishing journey
Email us at enquiry@saharahouse.com.ng or call +234 (0) 703 519 6433