Submissions

Queries 
Short Stories. Poetry. Novelettes. Novellas. Novels. Series.

Twenty Hills is a small publishing house using multi-genre fiction to shout truth into the void. Our aim is to bring light to this dark world through stories that are raw, noble, and often unnerving.

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Queries for novels, novellas, novelettes, and children's books are currently closed. Keep an eye on this page or our Instagram for when they open again. We do not have a time frame in mind at this time. To make sure you never miss our query windows, subscribe to our newsletter.

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However:

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Poets and short story authors, take note!

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Every​ March and September, queries are open for short stories under 10,000 words and poetry collections! 

Queries sent outside of March and September will not be considered for publication.

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Short Stories:

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• Short stories will be published as individual ebooks only.

• Word Count: 1,000 - 9,999

• These short stories are not related to our anthologies. They can be any theme that fits within our guidelines (see below). If you're looking to submit to an anthology, tap here.

• If you have multiple related short stories that add up to 10,000 words total, you may submit those together.

• If the word count is 10,000 and over, OR if you're hoping to have it published as an ebook and paperback, OR if it's co-authored or has stories by multiple authors, then please wait for our main queries to open again and submit at that time.

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Poetry Collections:

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• Poetry collections will be published as ebooks, paperback, and any other format we decide on.

• Word Count: 3,000 word minimum 

• These poems are not related to our anthologies. They can be any theme that fits within our guidelines (see below). If you're looking to submit to an anthology, tap here.​​​

• This is for collections written by one poet. If you have multiple poets, then please wait for our main queries to open again and submit at that time.

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How to query? Read the following before you query. You can email us a query letter and/or a proposal, along with your full short story or poetry collection manuscript. If we're interested in pursuing a publishing partnership with you, we'll request a video or phone call to go over all the details to make sure we're on the same page. If we're still interested in publishing your manuscript, we'll send you an offer and contract mapping out our publishing plans. You can accept or decline our offer.

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We are looking for:

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• Gritty

• Raw

• Bold

• Flawed characters

• Themes that don’t shy away from truth

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Categories we're currently accepting:

(All poetry collections or short stories)

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• Middle Grade (ages 8-12)

• Young Adult (ages 13-18)

• New Adult (ages 18-25)

• Adult (25+)

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Genres:

(All poetry collections or short stories)​

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• Fantasy (any sub genre)

• Science fiction (any sub genre)

• Contemporary or Historical Fiction (any sub genre)

• Horror (so long as it doesn't glorify evil, no splatterpunk)

• Clean Romance

• Poetry (of any kind)

• Both Christian Fiction and General Market Fiction

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Some of Anne's personal favorite things to read, if you feel like buttering her up:

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• Pirates

• Assassins

• All rogues

• Rogues

• Rogues

• Rogues

• Action and adventure

• Light in the dark

• Laying down yourself for others

• Loyalty

• Banter/Wit

• Multiple POVs (not ideal for short stories though)

• Brotherly banter

• Romance (usually as a subplot)

• Darker fantasy (or horror fantasy)

• Cryptids 

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What we will not take:

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• Incomplete manuscripts. (Must be fully drafted, and preferably has had some degree of feedback.)

• Kiddy lit or anything that needs excessive artwork, at this time. 

• Retellings about Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, or Alice in Wonderland (simply because we already have those coming out. Other retellings are acceptable, so long as they are public domain.)

• Smut, erotica, any graphic sexual on-page scenes. (We are okay with fade to black, closed door, non-marital off page (depending on how it's handled), and some level of innuendos.)

• Excessive swearing. (We are okay with swearing, as long as it's tastefully placed, serves a purpose, and isn't overused.)

• Excessive/explicitly graphic abuse (especially against children) shown on page. (Knowing it happened, PTSD, flashbacks, etc. are fine. Just leave out the nitty gritty there. We get it without the details.) 

• Themes that contradict Biblical teachings. (Please don't make your characters perfect little Christian angels. That's not what we mean. Give us flawed, sinful characters, who grow and change.)

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Author Rights, Etc.:

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If you sign with us, you keep the copyright of your own work. However, only THP will have the rights to publish for an extended period of time (varies depending on circumstance.) Authors receive 30% of all royalties, regardless of format. You will get to choose a charity or ministry you'd like 10% of royalties to support (this will come out of THP's cut, not yours.)

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What we like to see in a query letter:

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• The title of your manuscript, current word count, genre, and category (YA, Adult, etc.)

• A one-two sentence pitch. Ex. In a high fantasy world, two assassins are sent on a mission to save a life rather than take one, but the more they learn, the less they are willing to play by the rules.

• Provide comp titles. Ex. The Witcher meets Mr. Malcom's List.

• A synopsis of your story. Include the who, what, when, where, why, and how.

• Explain why you have chosen to submit to Twenty Hills specifically. 

• List any achievements you have as an author, any reviews by well-known authors, and/or what sort of platform you have to offer for marketing. (This will not rule you out if you do not have any.)

• Include your email, full name, social media handles, website URL, and home address.

• Send it as a PDF, or Word Document.