Note: Ironvein Publishing is an independent press building its catalogue. We take each submission seriously and read all materials in full. Please review these guidelines before submitting — we cannot consider work that does not meet our criteria.
Who We Are Looking For
We are looking for serious authors with serious manuscripts. That means writers
who have spent genuine time with their work — who understand their genre deeply
and who are producing fiction of real literary ambition, not formula.
The Ironvein voice is expansive, dark, and uncompromising. If you write books
that are small, safe, or eager to please, this is probably not the right home
for your work. If you write books that make you nervous — that go somewhere
most publishers would round off or soften — keep reading.
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Genres We Publish
- Dark thriller — psychological, conspiracy, or moral-weight driven suspense
- Epic horror — large-scale, atmospheric, character-dense horror fiction
- Literary horror — horror with genuine literary ambition and prose quality
- Epic fiction with significant dark elements — multi-generational or world-spanning narratives
- Hybrid dark fiction — work that crosses genre lines while maintaining darkness and scope
What We Are Not Seeking
- Cozy mysteries or light thrillers
- Romantic suspense
- Young adult or middle grade fiction
- Science fiction or fantasy without strong dark thriller or horror elements
- Nonfiction
- Poetry or short story collections
- Novellas under 50,000 words
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Manuscript Requirements
- Completed manuscripts only — no partials or works in progress
- Minimum 80,000 words; we prefer 90,000–140,000 for thrillers and up to 200,000+ for epic-scale work
- English language manuscripts only
- Standard manuscript format: 12pt Times New Roman or Courier, double-spaced, 1-inch margins
- Author must hold full rights to the work with no outstanding encumbrances
What to Include in Your Submission
- Query letter (one page maximum): who you are, what the book is, and why it belongs at Ironvein
- Synopsis (two to four pages): full plot summary including ending — no cliffhangers
- First three chapters of the manuscript (or first 50 pages, whichever is longer)
- Brief author bio including any relevant publication history
- Word count and genre designation
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How to Submit
Send all submission materials as a single PDF attachment to our submissions
address via the contact form. Use the subject line format:
SUBMISSION — [Genre] — [Title] — [Author Name]
We do not accept submissions via post. We do not accept unsolicited full manuscripts
on first contact. Please include only what is requested above.
Response Timeline
We aim to respond to all submissions within 90 days. If you have not heard
from us within that period, you may send a brief status inquiry. We read
every submission and provide individual responses — we do not send form rejections.
We accept simultaneous submissions but ask that you notify us immediately
if your work is accepted elsewhere.