Book submissions

Book submissions

Existing Salt authors

If you are already a Salt author or contributor, please submit new work directly to your editor or via your agent.

Unsolicited submissions from non-Salt authors

Salt does not accept unsolicited submissions directly from authors.

We can only consider work submitted to us by literary agents.

We cannot respond to work sent via our contact form, social media, phone, or personal email addresses. To maximise your chances of publication, we strongly recommend securing representation. You’ll find lists of reputable agents in publications such as Writers’ and Artists’ Year Book, and many literature development agencies run workshops featuring agents and publishers.

If you’re new to Salt, the best preparation is to read what we publish. Understanding our list will help you and your agent judge whether your work is a natural fit for us.

See also our guides and information further down this page.

Notes for agents

Salt is proud to publish distinctive, high-quality literary work. We welcome submissions from agents representing writers working in the areas listed below.

Agents we work with

Salt collaborates with a wide network of respected literary agencies. Recent and ongoing partnerships include:

A. M. Heath Literary Agency · Andrew Nurnberg Associates Ltd · Annette Green Authors’ Agency · Artellus Ltd · Bell Lomax Moreton · Bergstrom Studio · Blake Friedmann Literary Agency Ltd · C&W · cmm.agency · Cull & Co. Ltd, Literary Agency · Curtis Brown · David Godwin Associates Ltd · DHA (David Higham Associates) · Elise Dilsworth Literary Agency · Felicity Bryan Associates · Georgina Capel Associates Ltd · Greene & Heaton Ltd · The Hamilton Agency Ltd · Janklow & Nesbit (UK) Ltd · Marjacq · MBA Literary and Script Agents · Mushens Entertainment · Nicholas Royle Literary Agent · RCW · The Saddler Literary Agency & Consultancy · The Susjin Agency · The Wylie Agency (UK) Ltd

This list reflects some of the agencies whose clients we have published across fiction, non-fiction and short stories. We are always pleased to hear from agents who feel their authors would be a strong fit for our list.

Fiction

We are particularly interested in:

• Literary fiction
• Crime and mystery
• Historical fiction
• Folk horror and uncanny fiction
• Dark, eerie or edgy novels
• Comic fiction and satire
• Gothic fiction

If the work you are representing falls outside these categories but you believe the author is right for our list, please do get in touch.

Length: Novels should preferably be no longer than 80,000 words, though we are very happy to consider novellas.

Location: It helps if your author is based in the British Isles and able to participate in publicity and promotion.

Please include:

• A plot summary
• At least the first chapter
• A biographical note
• Two concise, compelling reasons why booksellers might stock the work
• The author’s publication history
• If the author has previously published a book, a brief indication of sales (approximate BookScan figures or publisher-reported numbers) and any notable publicity or prize highlights

Non-fiction

We have a particular interest in:

• Narrative non-fiction about the natural world
• Life-writing projects
• Creative writing guides

We welcome clear, confident writing for curious general readers.

Processing your submission

We receive a large volume of work and, though we try, we cannot reply to every submission. If you have not heard from us within one month, please assume your submission has been unsuccessful – though feel free to nudge us if needed.

Format:

We accept digital submissions only.

Please send attachments as Word documents or PDFs.

Email: submissions@saltpublishing.com. Please be aware that we can only process submissions sent to this specific email address. (It’s an admin thing.)

Many thanks for considering Salt.

Salt guides for authors

1. For general advice on being published, please read An Author’s Guide to Getting Published.

2. For advice on submitting poetry (not to us), please read An Author’s Guide to Making Poetry Submissions.

3. For further reading, An Author’s Pre-Publication Route Map offers advice on preparing for publication.

General information for authors

For manuscript assessment and editorial advice, you might also consider services like The Literary Consultancy.

If you are trying to develop your own writing, we recommend:

• The Art of the Novel, edited by Nicholas Royle
• Short Circuit: A Guide to the Art of the Short Story, edited by Vanessa Gebbie

Creative writing courses

If you want to develop your writing and critical skills further, we also recommend the following MA courses:

• University of East Anglia
• Manchester Metropolitan University

Additionally, we recommend the writing courses run by Curtis Brown Creative and Faber Academy.

Join us on social media

Stay connected with Salt across the platforms where we’re most active and where our readers, booksellers and writers gather:

Instagram – our main space for new releases, cover reveals, author features, events and behind-the-scenes news.

Bluesky – literary conversation, industry news and publishing chat.

We also maintain a presence on Facebook, Threads and X for wider updates. Follow us for new titles, offers, events and the occasional stray fox from Kensal Green.